Does it matter?

[Lew]

There have been lots of perspectives on this from people much more expert than I, but in my opinion the player makes much more of a difference than whatever equipment they happen to be using. As far as I can tell, no matter what mouthpiece (or tuba) I use I sound like me. When I am playing in a group I need to constantly be conscious of holding back, because my sound can be too loud too easily. That is the case whether I am using my LM-6 or Kelly 25 mouthpiece. While I find different mouthpieces have an impact on how easy it is to play in tune across my range and some are more comfortable for me than others, they are not the deciding factor in how loud I play.

[Tuboss2]

I guess. Good post. If mouthpiece type/style doesn't affect your playing, in your opinion, what does?

[Biggs]

I guess. Good post. If mouthpiece type/style doesn't affect your playing, in your opinion, what does?

Practice time.

[Tuboss2]

Ha, man Gigs, I enjoyed reading that man. Thanks for the advice. Now I'm real ready to make some noise.

So, would tensing up while trying to play loud actually have the opposite affect. And how could I make sure Every Ounce of my air is going into my tuba and none is leaking out from my corners?

For y'all trying to figure out what I'm aiming for: here's a video:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V7KzBe1cc1E mobile link for smartphones/iPods/iPads.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V7KzBe1cc1E computer link

Those should work. That's the sound I want to be able to make.

[Tuboss2]

Horsepower is my favorite tuba line along with BCU.
In a sense, that's kinda what I want to sound like. I can't really tell if there straight blasting with no control or if there cranking with control. Must be the audio quality.

[Lew]

[THE YOOSTUBES VIDEOSES!]

Essentially, what you're saying is that you want to sound like VSU Horsepower:


Granted, it's an old video, but all the "current" guys use either Hellebergs or the LOUD mouthpieces.

I was in Richmond for 6 years and never heard of these guys. I have 3 friends who are teaching at VSU now, I will have to talk to them about the sousaphone line...

[Donn]

That video you linked, holy shi* those people are loud. The tubas(I counted 4) sounding edgy as crap. I personally loved it. Their sound was really compact to me. That's fun to me. I wanna aim to be able to sound like that.

- One of the big name groups came through town last week, Kočani Orkestar. According to someone working at one of the venues they played, there's some significant hearing loss in the band. Something to think about.

- They play crummy instruments. The biggest touring act from Macedonia, and the sax player for example had a Czech alto that a high school kid would be embarrassed about here. Maybe this is partly about fear of what the airlines will do to their good stuff, but I doubt it. I would guess they lean towards small, shallow mouthpieces, but don't know. If it's hard to get a western tuba player to make those sounds, it's ten times as hard to get a western baritone player to make those sounds.

- The second group in the video, the Boban Markovich band, used to have one of the best tuba players in the world in my opinion, Sasa Alisanovic. I didn't see the tuba here, probably not him anyway.

- Like many bands, they use a bass tuba. In the best picture I've seen, Sasa Alisanovic is playing an F helicon - with 3 valves. They get a lot out of them, but it's different than the US band that has a sousaphone miked up to where you can feel the sound in your thorax. (Partly band preference, partly sound guys who think it's the electric bass in a rock band.) The tapan bass drum is the low end.

- US audiences are sort of attracted to this music, but I don't know how many of us really get it, without extensive immersion. Strong Turkish etc. influence, alien elements to western ears. So the western Balkan brass band scene is an interesting balance between adoption and adaptation.

[iattp]

Okay, on the subject of Macedonian musicians and their horns...I'm currently living in Kočani. Most of the guys from Kočani Orkestar aren't around much, and, from what I've heard, basically EVERYONE has been in the band. Still, the horns...some of them have nice ones, but a lot are Czech horns, that's true. A few have nicer trumpets and SOME have decent saxes. But when it comes to baritones and helicons? Nope.

Only a rare few have newer, "decent" horns. I recently saw Mladi Aguševi play in Pehčevo (I guess the JV band for Djambo Aguševi's band), and he was playing on a BBb helicon with 4 valves, but the linkage for the 4th was missing. It's true that a lot of the guys out in Macedonia play on F helicons, and if they're lucky, an Eb. Some Bb monsters out here, but you see more of that in Serbia. Romania...oh God, they use F AND Bb. In octaves. But I digress...The horns, at least the helicons, are pretty old, but they play well. I've got to meet a few tuba players out here, but not as many as I'd like to meet. There aren't that many of us...so, if you can play tuba, and you're down with Roma music and shows that can go until 4am, you've got it made.

I'm still waiting on that "getting it made" part. I can't play for cash out here (part of my job), but I just want to PLAY! The "new" helicon I got (Červeny Bb) is a HELL of a lot better than the Swiss tuba I was borrowing.

If anyone is interested in Macedonian/Balkan brass, hit me up. I've got a few charts that I'm willing to send ya, as long as it's gonna be used to spread the love of this music!

Also, I forgot to mention, a lot of guys, when playing on mic'ed F helicons, use an octave pedal. Ugh...I kinda disapprove...

[MackBrass]

Ha, man Gigs, I enjoyed reading that man. Thanks for the advice. Now I'm real ready to make some noise.

So, would tensing up while trying to play loud actually have the opposite affect. And how could I make sure Every Ounce of my air is going into my tuba and none is leaking out from my corners?

For y'all trying to figure out what I'm aiming for: here's a video:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V7KzBe1cc1E mobile link for smartphones/iPods/iPads.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V7KzBe1cc1E computer link

Those should work. That's the sound I want to be able to make.

There is only one purpose for that fart like blasting sound and that is on the 50 yard line during a halftime show. Other than that, you will never make a dime, win an audition or be invited to play in a real group with real musicians playing with a nasty @ss out of tune, shallow blatsound as in the video.

Some spoke about VSU, well when I taught there, had a goup of 12 or so students, not one could play a real tuba. In fact, 11 out of 12 one semester actually failed because they wouldnt drop my class because they wouldnt practice or even try to learn a Bb scale. This is not talent but more of a gimmick.

Ask youself, what will this do for you after you get out of college? I assume your in college and if you are you should focus on what others have posted regarding a real sound, learning to use your ears and practice your bordogni without some shallow cup gimmicks some call a mpc.

oooh, i just read this again and boy i didnt mean to sound so harsh. Well, after thinking about it, i will just leave it as is and not edit it, sorry in advance.

[Three Valves]

Ask youself, what will this do for you after you get out of college?

I can look back on my long and storied insurance career and think about what a blast I had in Kollig playing sousaphone!!