How small can you go at TubaChristmas?

davet · Post by **davet** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 8:25 am

What happens if a guy shows up at TubaChristmas with an alto horn?

What is the smallest "tuba" that shows up at these events?

I just traded in my Pan Am. sousa that I bought from tuba tinker and got an alto from WWBW. Thinking ahead to Dec. '05.......

David Zerkel · Post by **David Zerkel** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:05 am

davet wrote:What happens if a guy shows up at TubaChristmas with an alto horn?

What is the smallest "tuba" that shows up at these events?

At the Athens TubaChristmas this year, Fred Mills came with what was essentially a Flugelhorn that Yamaha had reconstructed in the shape of a tuba. The instrument was created for the Canadian Brass's appearance at one of the first ITECs at the University of Maryland in the early eighties.

I thought that the instrument added a nice color change to the group, but Fred said like he felt that he messed up the great sound of just euphoniums and tubas. Regardless, it was a very cute little horn!!

Gongadin · Post by **Gongadin** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:17 am

Well, actually it wasn't a boy...it was a woman at the 2003 Los Angeles Tuba Christmas who brought an alto horn. She mentioned that during the rest of the year she was a French Horn player, but she wanted to participate in the event and didn't have enough wind for the larger tuba instruments.

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:54 am

Actually,even one tuba is ever so much better than no tubas at all.I have been the only horn of any kind on many occasions.If you know a few appropriate tunes,a tuba is always welcome.I know I would like it if a neighbor would sit out on the porch and play some Christmas music for me.
tubatooter1940

Kevin Hendrick · Post by **Kevin Hendrick** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 11:42 am

David Zerkel wrote:
davet wrote:What happens if a guy shows up at TubaChristmas with an alto horn?

What is the smallest "tuba" that shows up at these events?
At the Athens TubaChristmas this year, Fred Mills came with what was essentially a Flugelhorn that Yamaha had reconstructed in the shape of a tuba.

If you turn a flugelhorn so the bell points up, it sure looks like a tuba (conical bore et al). Am I just imagining it, or is a flugelhorn a marching-band-style soprano tuba?

Bill Troiano · Post by **Bill Troiano** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:35 pm

At the NYC Tubachristmas, Harvey would get annoyed when people showed up with various instruments. He turned a trombone player away many years ago and he frowned upon marching baritones and tubas for a long time, as they didn't look like euphoniums and tubas. My daughter, who is a french horn player, came with an F alto horn that I picked up for her when she was young, so that she could participate. Nobody would be able to pick that sound out from a 400 piece tuba choir. However, a few years back when John Glasel was president of NY's local 802, Harvey would invite John to play and John would bring a piccolo baritone - a trumpet shaped like a baritone. That sound totally changed the sound of the choir and I never liked it at all. You can hear it on certain tracks from the first Tubachristmas cassette tape from the early 1980's.

Phil Dawson · Post by **Phil Dawson** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:49 pm

Is anybody still into the spirit of Tubachristmas? Over more then 25 years of playing Tubachristmas concerts ranging from 4 - 400 players I have seen almost anything you can imagine including homemade unknown instruments. To me Tubachristmas has always had its own spirit beyond what kind of instrument or how good the player next to me sounded. Lighten up folks. Phil

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:51 pm

At our TubaMeister Christmas, here in San Antonio, we haven't had much of a problem with "inappropriate" instruments. We do have a full compliment of tuba, sousaphones, baritones, euphoniums, tenor horns, and even a double bell euphonium or two. One year, there was a trombone player who participated. We didn't turn him away, but I don't really think it is a good idea. And, yes, we have marching horns, too. I can understand where Harvey was coming from, but the concept has actually evolved a little from Harvey's original concept.

All in all, I believe it portrays our instruments in a positive manner. I am convinced it does this in San Antonio. The TubaMeister Christmas is something that most San Antonio citizens have at least heard of.

Shockwave · Post by **Shockwave** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:54 pm

The flugelhorn is definitely a soprano tuba! It and the alto horn belong in the tuba family more than the less conical baritone horn does. I have never understood why only tubas and euphs are welcome at the tuba christmas; it makes for a muddy sound.

Tony Clements' unofficial christmas tuba fest in San Jose is by far the best I've been to because not only does he welcome alto horns, his arrangements actually include seperate parts for them! Tony's music is much better than the official TubaChristmas music. Of course, Harvey Phillips has been harrassing and threateneing to sue Tony for years because he (Harvey) supposedly patented the concept of getting masses of amateurs to play christmas music on tubas, pay for the privilege, and collect money from them to pay for lawyers to sue anyone else who tries.

Now you say Harvey also frowns upon marching tubas and anything higher pitched than a baritone. It seems as though he does a lot of frowning upon things. I definitely think I would not like this Harvey Phillips guy if I met him.

-Eric

Bill Troiano · Post by **Bill Troiano** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 3:54 pm

We owe a lot of our legacy, including literature, instrument design and performing opportunities, to Harvey. The man is a legend and was a great influence on my life. I've had my run ins with him, but I still hold him in the highest regard and I love him dearly. You can't deny what he has accomplished for the good of all of us.
Most things continue to evolve, as Tubachristmas has over the years. Harvey had a design and concept in mind when he created Tubachristmas, but he has also come to accept its evolution, including the use of marching instruments. I did not intend to paint Harvey in a negative light in my previous post. I do hold him in the highest regard as a person and for what he has given to us as tuba and euphonium players.

Doug@GT · Post by **Doug@GT** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 4:53 pm

David Zerkel wrote:Fred said like he felt that he messed up the great sound of just euphoniums and tubas.

What I really liked was when the first euph part didn't have the melody line. So you've got this really high voice in the choir, but it's not playing the lead, and created a very nice effect, similar to (I think) a barbershop group.

Regardless, it was a very cute little horn!!

Absolutely. I especially liked the maple leaf-shaped brace. Nice touch.

Gongadin · Post by **Gongadin** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 5:05 pm

Bill Troiano wrote: Harvey had a design and concept in mind when he created Tubachristmas, but he has also come to accept its evolution, including the use of marching instruments.

No Marching Instruments? Do you mean that the original concept excluded sousaphones & helicons?

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:06 pm

I think it was the late Larry Minnick who got into turning the leadpipe of flugelhorns to make "flubas". Wonder if anyone's tried it with an old piccolo flugelhorn?

hurricane_harry · Post by **hurricane_harry** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 4:28 pm

i remember at this years nyc tubachristmas a guy came from germany w/ his alto horn, although i doubt there were gonna tell he couldn't play after coming from germany

TonyZ · Post by **TonyZ** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 9:17 pm

Tim Northcut's son brought an Eb alto wrapped like a sousaphone. It was from Custom Music if I remember, but is no longer available. I wanted to get one for my daughter. Harvey didn't mind at all, and he's actually very likable. Mostly because he cares about TUBACHRISTMAS much beyond the triflings that it has incurred over the years!

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 9:23 pm

NuPhil wrote:do you think that if I brought in a bassoon and somehow attatched a tuba mouthpiece to it that I could fit in at the tubachristmas

You'd actually be pretty close. The so-called "Russian Bassoon":

sloan · Post by **sloan** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 12:58 am

The Huntsville, AL TubaChristmas has been very tolerant of the strange instruments that show up. In the past, my trombone playing son (Peter) wanted to play, and picked up the valve fingerings fast enough - but the only instrument we had for him to play was a true baritone. Actually, he ended up swapping with his brother (David - the eupher in the family) because he didn't have the strength to hold up the baritone (he was small enough to rest a euph on his leg).

This year, Peter learned Eb tuba so he could play my antique "Symphony" Eb helicon. This was considered unusual enough that he was pointed out and asked to stand to model this "precursor of the tuba".

Also this year, someone showed up with a "trombonium", which appeared to be pitched like a baritone, but with a taper that nearly matched a trombone. no one objected.

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:19 am

tubahed wrote:Well, actually it wasn't a boy...it was a woman at the 2003 Los Angeles Tuba Christmas who brought an alto horn. She mentioned that during the rest of the year she was a French Horn player, but she wanted to participate in the event and didn't have enough wind for the larger tuba instruments.

Well, unless she has a lung problem...tell her to write me and I'll tell her how to play with a 1.5 liter lung capacity. You just BLOW.
MA

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