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Hi, I'm a junior in high school, and I'm your standard tuba/bass trombone player in Texas. My only tuba right now is a school owned YBB-641, it's not too bad but it's not great. That leads me to my first question: should I attempt to rent a horn from my local college or community band? I'd really love to keep playing through college, and hopefully major in music, so I feel that the earlier I start playing a CC, the better. Also, I've been working with an old euphonium player for a couple of months, but I don't really feel like he can help me much anymore, he doesn't seem to know much about producing a good sound in the low range. Do any of you know any tuba players in the Wichita Falls/ Texhoma area? Or should I just wait til college for professional instruction? Thanks for the help in advance!

Renting a horn is a good way to go, because if you do not like a particular horn you can exchange it for one that suits you. Many music stores have a rent to own program.

I agree, it's the player that makes the sound, not the horn. That leads me to my other question, though; I feel like I've reached a plateau in my development, I'm not really sure what to work on or how anymore. Like I said, I don't really know anyone who seems to know much about playing the tuba, so finding private lessons has been difficult for me, to the point where I'm considering working with some local college student tuba majors. I'm in a bit of a rut here.

Take lessons, they will surely help...

There are plenty of topics on this board that deal with exercises on developing tone, range, sound, tonguing,etc.... You can use the search funtion.

My suggestion is simple, get this book and work through all the exercises.

http://www.justforbrass.com/mastering-t ... 114233.cfm" target="_blank

You won't regret it.

I owned a horn like you play. You are correct about it.

Take the money you would spend on horn rent, etc, and get some recordings right away, and then lesson(s) as a teacher becomes available. Save the horn money for when you really need your own horn.

A good musician can give you a worthy lesson even if they don't play the same instrument; learn to build yourself up with some professional guidance and you'll be making a good investment.

Get in touch with a local college. Looks like the director over at Midwestern State is a low brass (trombone) guy, so that might be a good start. There's no guarantee that they can help you, but more often than not someone should at least talk to you and help get you on the right path. Maybe you could even take lessons from a tuba student at the school?

There are a couple of things I would offer:

1) The phenomenon of "plateauing" is common, especially so at your age. Most of the work you do early on makes HUGE and immediate improvements. But as you get better across the board, further progress becomes harder to achieve. I think you'll find that making continued improvements in your playing will never be as easy as it was in the beginning and will be increasingly difficult as you improve. You can respond to this in many ways. Why not try the obvious solution? If working hard doesn't produce as much difference, try working even harder. Track the exact amount of time you spend practicing every day. Also track any days off you take. Also track specifically what you work on when you practice. This data may yield some additional choices for your practice sessions to make them more efficient and productive. In addition, make a list of the exact things about your playing you wish to improve. Then devise exercises you will do in your practicing specifically targeted at addressing these issues. It sometimes helps at this stage to narrow your scope in the practice room and focus on specific things you'd like to improve rather than just trying to "play better". These things might get you back on track to making progress.

2) Regarding your teacher, you need to remember that no teacher has all the answers. Some are better than others but the best players study with many teachers. You should seek out any opportunities you can find to take lessons with other players. You never know who is going to say the exact thing you needed to hear to improve your playing. Just because your current teacher is not a player of your instrument doesn't mean that teacher can't help you further. Any musician can help you improve. Approach your lessons positively and focus on what you're learning, not what you think are the shortcomings of your teacher.

3) Having your own instrument is a really great thing. It helps you as a player in tons of ways. But how do you expect to choose exactly the right instrument for you in the long term at this moment in time? You're a junior in high school and there's still 2 more years before you even are eligible for college. You aren't sure what you will major in, or even what college you will attend. Even more important, how capable are you at this point to pick out the precise instrument you want? Have you tried many? Is your current level of playing ability such that you would even know the right instrument for you if it was right in front of you? I've had many high school students who would love to have a YBB-641 given to them for their use during school. That includes some college students I've taught. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Maximize your playing with your current equipment, do everything you can to make that situation the best it can be, and keep looking at horns so you will have some idea what to consider when the time is right. The right horn can be a lot like finding the right person to spend your life with. You'll know it when you feel it.

Good luck!

+++1

Thanks a lot for the input, guys. I really appreciate all the advice. I came across an Arban book today, so I'll be looking through that, and working on some specific areas for a while. I'm also going to contact Dr. Archambo from Midwestern, and talk to him about studying with him or one of his students.

Jay Bertolet wrote:There are a couple of things I would offer:

1) The phenomenon of "plateauing" is common, especially so at your age. Most of the work you do early on makes HUGE and immediate improvements. But as you get better across the board, further progress becomes harder to achieve. I think you'll find that making continued improvements in your playing will never be as easy as it was in the beginning and will be increasingly difficult as you improve. You can respond to this in many ways. Why not try the obvious solution? If working hard doesn't produce as much difference, try working even harder. Track the exact amount of time you spend practicing every day. Also track any days off you take. Also track specifically what you work on when you practice. This data may yield some additional choices for your practice sessions to make them more efficient and productive. In addition, make a list of the exact things about your playing you wish to improve. Then devise exercises you will do in your practicing specifically targeted at addressing these issues. It sometimes helps at this stage to narrow your scope in the practice room and focus on specific things you'd like to improve rather than just trying to "play better". These things might get you back on track to making progress.

2) Regarding your teacher, you need to remember that no teacher has all the answers. Some are better than others but the best players study with many teachers. You should seek out any opportunities you can find to take lessons with other players. You never know who is going to say the exact thing you needed to hear to improve your playing. Just because your current teacher is not a player of your instrument doesn't mean that teacher can't help you further. Any musician can help you improve. Approach your lessons positively and focus on what you're learning, not what you think are the shortcomings of your teacher.

3) Having your own instrument is a really great thing. It helps you as a player in tons of ways. But how do you expect to choose exactly the right instrument for you in the long term at this moment in time? You're a junior in high school and there's still 2 more years before you even are eligible for college. You aren't sure what you will major in, or even what college you will attend. Even more important, how capable are you at this point to pick out the precise instrument you want? Have you tried many? Is your current level of playing ability such that you would even know the right instrument for you if it was right in front of you? I've had many high school students who would love to have a YBB-641 given to them for their use during school. That includes some college students I've taught. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Maximize your playing with your current equipment, do everything you can to make that situation the best it can be, and keep looking at horns so you will have some idea what to consider when the time is right. The right horn can be a lot like finding the right person to spend your life with. You'll know it when you feel it.

Good luck!

This is spot on, but I've found that most high school players who plateau do so not because they are hitting a tipping point, but instead are inefficient. I would suggest you analyze your practicing. You need to learn how to get the most out of limited time. I think if you figure out where you are wasting time in your practicing, you will start to notice faster growth again.

I've found that it's not harder to get better, but it's harder to get better in dramatically obvious ways. However, it's that small, incremental growth that is so important to being able to play with better players, and possibly making a living at it. So many former players will say "I was a great player in high school." However, none of the pro's I know say they were great players in high school. They recognize how the small, incremental improvements they've made since then have pushed them from "good high school performer" to "professional," and what a dramatic difference that is.

Keep at it. Remember, practice is about improvement - if you are continually practicing things you sound good on, you will never get better. Push, push, push, and you will get better.

Why don't you call Don Little at UNT in Denton? He'll probably know someone in your area or you could take a lesson with him (or one of his grad students) if you don't mind the drive.