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It's a horrible thing, this crowding of tubas, sandwiched between trombones and trumpets in my case, in a county concert band. I dread the near inevitability of clanking bells or bows, stands falling over and instruments going down. Like Bloke said, there is often space around the sides, and players could move over if they were even aware of the problem. Talking to the band director may help, but often they want players to move into the middle! EEEK!

Worse, you get people who think the only way to their chair is thru the percussion section in back, and down between the tubas, navigating their way thru a forest of stands and instruments with a saxophone hanging from their neck. It's a minefield in the high school band room, with ankle-twisting psychology and calculus books on the floor, and a few mushy lunch bags to step on... But hey, the band director is letting us use the building for free!

I have occasionally sat in the far back, at the side of the percussion section, when I deem it unsafe to take my brand new Kanstul 66S into that battle zone.

bloke wrote:I was hired to play a concert in a community band a few weeks ago. Some people came around and started talking to me at the end of the rehearsal ("hi, how have you been"..."can I bring my blah-blah to have you do blah-blah to it"...etc.), which delayed me getting my instrument put away (and - obviously - out of harm's way).

At the end of a rehearsal, nothing (and no one) takes precendence over putting my tuba in its case.

To the OP, you can tell the powers that be that a tuba requires a 5 foot by 5 foot area to operate safely, That does not mean they will isten. I have never refused to play a gig yet, but I've come close a couple of times...

I'm the grumpy old bastard who simple takes whatever space I feel I need to get the job done. I'm pretty quick to let folks know that the 'back row' IS NOT a shortcut to the alto horn or trumpet section.

Get to the gig early... stake your claim... and stand your ground! Folks need to understand that some of these horns we play are worth more than most of their cars!

dgpretzel wrote:I just wonder how the pros get enough room to "operate".

As much as you insist on. On stage and off. Once you lug 3 different tubas in for one performance, lack of space stops being just annoying and is more a matter of survival.

TubaTinker wrote:Get to the gig early... stake your claim... and stand your ground!

What he said.

If they don't give me the room, I make the room. If you get there before the trombones sit down it's usually possible to rearrange the seating.

Last year, I subbed for Ben V. in an orchestra concert with a full choir behind us...like *right* behind us. My bell was directly in front of the faces of a few older ladies in the choir. After the dress rehearsal, I heard the two ladies talking:

Lady 1: That tuba was right in my face!
Lady 2: At least it's not as big as the other guy's tuba.
Lady 1: Well, it wasn't any quieter.

Back to the OP... I've sat in a lot of cramped arrangements, and annoying as it might be, I'm just happy that my bell faces *up* and I don't have to worry about that part of things. That's what I've heard horn players say before too...that they should have a full empty chair's worth of space to their right, otherwise their sound would go straight into another person and not project as well as it could.

Also, space seems to be a much bigger issue in band than in orchestra -- multiple tubas, bells facing different ways (within the tuba section or across tubas and euphs), and often, a lowered awareness to the amount of "stuff" that the players insist on having with them all the time.

And then conductors do weird things. I remember a concert cycle in college, the director said the tuba section was too strong to be on the right with our bells facing outward, so we had to sit behind the clarinets, totally across the stage from the trombones/euphs. That was *weird*! (Though it was a good tuba section.)

It would be valuable if the ITEA would issue a written statement on space requirements for tuba and euphonium players. Written guidelinhes from an official prganization should help.

While we are at it, the green room/case storage area should not be two flights down a narrow staircase, in a cramped basement with 6-foot ceilings.

bort wrote:
Lady 1: That tuba was right in my face!
Lady 2: At least it's not as big as the other guy's tuba.
Lady 1: Well, it wasn't any quieter.

Hahahaha! Those two ladies sure did kibitz. They were very kind, I tried to warn them of the volume, and they said it was just fine. They "said" they liked what they heard.

Back to the original question - in orchestras, I've always had to stake my claim, I get there early. This is true for paying and non paying orchestras. I use a tuba rest, and often never take the tuba down from my lap, or if I do, I set the bottom bow against my feet. i don't twirl for fear of clanking with the basses or whoever else is nearby.

TubaTinker wrote:I'm the grumpy old bastard who simple takes whatever space I feel I need to get the job done. I'm pretty quick to let folks know that the 'back row' IS NOT a shortcut to the alto horn or trumpet section.

Get to the gig early... stake your claim... and stand your ground! Folks need to understand that some of these horns we play are worth more than most of their cars!

Soon after I joined our community concert band I started showing up VERY early and volunteered to help set up the rehearsal room. This way I'm always assured of having adequate room for myself and my section mates. First thing that happens after rehearsal is the tuba goes back in its case. I used to set the case aside in order to allow room for people to walk behind the back row, but lately the percussion have been crowding us with their equipment, e.g. bass drum and xylophone, leaving very little space. Now I just park my case upright behind my chair, and voila! No more bass drum right in my already impaired ears. The case is tall enough to serve as a poor man's sound barrier.

Stake your claim (yes, arrive early for the close parking and "first in first served" attitude)

If I'm using 2 tubas and a mute, I let the conductor and whoever sets up the orchestra know the space I need.

If the venue is cramped, I stand my ground and state the space I need. Most often these issues are sorted out.

Yes, traffic flow through needs to be addressed too, but I always keep an eagle eye on my horns when moving on and off stage.

I once saw an elderly cello player try and carry 1 chair out of her section. Her body going in one direction and her mind in another. After several near misses with music stands she eventually stabbed a double bass with the leg. Needless to say my anxiety levels dramatically rose when she moved in my direction, as I kept an eagle eye out at her wanderings.

Be ever vigialant!!

ORANGE TRAFFIC CONES AND POLICE TAPE!!!

dgpretzel wrote:
I just wonder how the pros get enough room to "operate".

IDG

We bitch a lot.

dgpretzel wrote: the seating is not arbitrary or "first come, first served". It is assigned. The stage is what it is. The risers are where they are. The seats are designated. If I get there first, I can move chairs just a few inches, but that's it.

Seems like to me that if you move the whole back row a few inches apiece away from your chair, assuming you're on the end, you could get quite a bit of space. Then you could let them solve the problem of how to talk to the director about it.