why do you play eb?

[brassbow]

I am curious as to why people play effers. For me it is easier to double from cornet to tuba. I read the paper as treble cleff and drop the key signature down a minor 3rd. I also have found fast phrases to be clearer eb.

[sousaphone68]

My choice of playing Eb was not a choice the only tuba available when I started was a B&H Imperial 3 valve Eb it remained the only instrument that I had access to for about 3 years from age 12 to 15.
I was lucky enough to be able to buy a used Besson New Standard 4 valve Eb tuba which remained my only instrument until I hit 40 and went mad buying a sousaphone, Euphonium and a Bb rotary tuba along with a new Eb tuba and a travel tuba.

I played only Eb for 35 years as I was able to play my Besson with both band, orchestra and quintet with out any problems or complaints.
It was possible to do it all on a Eb wasn't always easy but it could be done.


Now that I have access to other instruments and keys I am enjoying the differences and wish I had branched out earlier.

[Jay Bertolet]

I am curious as to why people play effers.

Because, for me, it was the best choice among all bass tubas. With the advancements made in the last 30 years, I'm sure I could find a comfortable F tuba today but at the time, the Eb felt best to me. Keep in mind that I am almost exclusively an orchestral player (very little chamber stuff thrown in) and I almost never play solos. Where some players might choose an F tuba for their bass tuba because they work great as solo instruments, my main concern with my bass tuba sound was how it would fit in an orchestra. For me, Eb just fit better.

[Dan Schultz]

As another poster mentioned...

When I started playing tuba in 1959... the only choice was Eb. That was in grade school. Surely in high school, (don't remember exactly) I must have switched over to BBb. I always regarded myself as an 'eefer' until about eight years ago. I still play Eb once in a while to keep the fingerings engrained but I'm primarily a BBb guy now. I just like the range of the BBb better and it is better suited for most of the literature I play.

I'm not a 'solo kind of guy'.

[scottw]

I started on Eb because it was the only game in town. I played that for 6 years until I went to college. They issued me a BBb Alexander and told me the first wind ensemble rehearsal was Thursday and that I needed to learn BBb in a hurry! I had not played Eb for 40 years until I needed to learn Eb for Civil War band this past year. So, now I play both; it sometimes takes awhile to separate one fingering from the other, but it is getting easier to react instead of think my way through Eb the way I do for BBb. Still a "BBb" guy at heart, though!

[thattubaguy]

-why not? If you can sound better than everybody else the key doesn't matter. Period.

[GC]

I started playing Eb when I joined the 8th Georgia Regiment Civil War band in 2004 (fortunately I'd learned the fingerings long before). I also found the Eb parts in British brass band to be more interesting than the BBb parts, and converted completely to Eb about 3-1/2 years ago.

I still like to play in concert bands and find that Eb can present some challenges range- and tone-wise in wind band parts. Maybe I'll pick up a cheap BBb someday . . .

Edit: Then again, I forgot to mention that carrying a 31-pound 25J up and down stairs by hand at the place I used to rehearse was beginning to wear me down, especially considering my increasing age and increasing decrepitude. Even a big Eb in a gig bag is much easier to deal with physically. If I ever use BB again, it'll be a much smaller horn.

[DonShirer]

My small high school only had one tuba, an Eb helicon which I played in both band and orchestra. Though I played Bb in college (they only had one Eb and a senior laid claim to it) I didn't play at all until retirement age. I picked up an inexpensive YEP321 and found that the local band had only Bb tuba players so they welcomed an Eb instrument. I've stepped up to a bigger Eb now to counterbalance our huge trumpet section!

[MikeW]

I learned to play in a British brass band, starting on Tenor horn, and descending via Baritone to the Bass section. I walked into the trade-stand area at the Watford contest and came face to face with a big-bell Eb Imperial at a price that only just emptied my savings (plus my next pay packet), so naturally it went home with me. I preferred Eb parts, but often played BBb too. Thinking back, my intonation on Eb probably sucked, so the poor conductor had to invent reasons to shift me to BBb whenever possible; not a problem when everything is in treble clef.

After I came to Canada, I had to play from bass-clef parts, so I stayed with my Eb, using the "treble clef plus 3 sharps" transposition cheat to play the upper lines, leaving the lower lines to my BBb partner. I eventually saw reason and had my tuba re-tuned, so my intonation is now sometimes acceptable. Now that I've ended up as lone tuba, I'm making a solid effort to learn to think in bass-clef and navigate among the leger lines, but so far whenever I think a note-name in bass clef my fingers still go for the treble fingering: thirty some years of habit take some re-shaping, so until further notice I'm still strictly Eb.

[Mark E. Chachich]

When I was a music student in the mid to late 1970's (University of Miami), not many people in the U.S.A. seemed to be be interested in E flat tubas for professional use. Even fewer were interested in the old E flats. E flats were much less expensive then F tubas and I could afford an old York E flat (with four valves). The answer to why was simple finance. Why I stayed with the E flat was that I grew to like the one that I have (it did what I needed a bass tuba to do). Also, I play a Bach 32E with my E flat. I have never liked the results of playing larger mouthpieces with my York.

Shortly after I got my York E flat, I played it for Mr. Gilbert Johnson (trumpet teacher at the university at that time and former principal trumpet, Philadelphia Orchestra as well as a fine gentleman in my opinion). Mr. Johnson told me that it was a fine tuba and he liked the way I sounded on it. What a wake up call for a music student to the value of an E flat!


best,
Mark

[Wyvern]

Eb is the tuba on which most players start in the UK. BBb is generally considered a brass band instrument and played using treble clef music.

I started on Eb myself, played BBb in brass band for over 20 years, before going back to Eb (or rather EEb as we refer in the UK for compensated Eb tubas) to take up orchestral playing in the 1990's. I have since played CC, F and BBb (bass clef), so have experience on all keys of tuba.

The thing I would say about Eb, is it is the most adaptable - no other key of tuba can be used for everything as well as an Eb - it is the Swiss Army knife of tubas. I have played Eb, for brass band, wind band, marching band, brass quintet, solo playing and orchestral repertoire from Berlioz to Wagner Ring and it works for all.

Don't get me wrong, I like playing other keys of tuba (particularly CC) and they all offer options to the tuba players palette and have special strengths, but if I had to play only one tuba for everything - without hesitation it would be a compensated 3+1 EEb

[windshieldbug]

it is the Swiss Army knife of tubas

and when you need to use it, has less funky notes than an F...

(but when you find an F, look out!)

[jeopardymaster]

Because I can't play F tuba worth a damn - out of tune, weird response, just bleah.

[KevinMadden]

Because I was in the market for a bass, but broke. I found a Eb York Monster for ~$3k that in my opinion had a lot of the same qualities I was looking for (open low end and singing high end) as the far far far more expensive flavor of the day F tubas (MW 45/6 SLZ and Mira Firebird)

[Chadtuba]

I don't know what else I can add that hasn't already been said. I love my eefer and don't know that I'll ever give it up. I do want to add a large BBb for those occasions when my 983 won't just cut it, but over the last 8 or so years, that's only been once or twice.

Sousaphone though is another story. My brain just won't wrap around Eb with a big metal circle on my shoulder. I currently have three Eb sousas, but will be getting rid of at least two of them and eventually getting ahold of a nice BBb.

[thattubaguy]

How could I possible express "why do play eb" without the inflection of the voice, the jesture of the hand, and the tears from the eyes?

Friends, Romans, and countrymen, lend me your eb's !!!

bloke "um-hum"

Exactly. It's just that F tubas are weird sometimes. I currently own two CC and two Eb tubas; "why no F tubas" you might ask and I might reply"cuz."

[opus37]

I started out close to 50 years ago on a BBb. I played for about 10 years then took a 30 year sabbatical. I got an old Martin Eb for $20. I started playing it and have stuck with the Eb ever since. Mainly because I found it to meets all my needs. As Neptune said, " the Swiss army knife of tubas."" From my experience, he is right. I now have 3 including a Helicon which really turns heads when I bring it out.

[J.c. Sherman]

Like most US players at the time, I started on BBb (a little Yamaha 103). The high school had new Miraphone 186 BBbs, but I never felt that happy about the attacks or acrobatics of them. And when I saw the term "Bass Tuba" on the top of the Vaughn Williams concerto, I looked up what that meant... and knew there had to be something to that bass tuba idea.

When it was looking like I should consider getting my own tuba, I went to the TUBA Northwest regional in Tacoma, WA when Ron Munson was running that in the late 80s. It was eye opening! CC tuba! BBb Courtois with 5 valves! F tubas (yuck at the time; what the hell is with the low range?!?).

Sitting apart from all these brand new instruments, was this forlorn, used tuba. A Besson Imperial 4v Eb. Small shank receiver. But I put my Miraphone C4 in there and started tooting. And was Instantly in love. Clean attacks. Ba||s! Great high range! No need to pull the first valve slide! A double tuba! Pedal Eb!!!!! Pedal notes in general! AAAAAHHH!

Called my parents and begged like I have never begged before or since. I needed this instrument. With the help of them and other family members, and the support of my teacher (Mr. Munson), we bought it.

That tuba earned its stripes. Got me into and through conservatory. Got me freelance gigs up to a major symphony orchestra. Into the best band in the land. Numerous solo appearances and recitals. That damn horn, was like an old spouse to me by the time I just wore it out past my comfort.

It is a swiss army knife. There is nothing it cannot do, and do at least relatively well. SOme things it does spectacularly. It's phenomenal when you have no idea what you're going to have to sight read and/or play.

I love my F. I love F in general. I accept CC, and like some of them. Love many aspects of many BBbs. But my Eb is as vital to me as any of my internal organs. That's why I own another Imperial. Someday, I'll gather the scratch for a nice 632 Yamaha. But for now... this little SOB, which I love to hate and hate to love... is my first and enduring love in Tuba. At it's heart, it's my voice.

J.c.S.

[TonyZ]

Complete versatility. I can play it in any situation.

[Antontuba]

Dear friend of mine recommended me to venture into the EEb world for that "glorious" sound they get. I have a 981, still am "ok" with the fingerings, have no trouble getting a big enough sound for the orchestra I play in, and received some nice compliments about the sound from a trumpet player in community band. So far so good, and I will keep my eye to the floor looking to see if there is a better EEb out there for me......you never know.

Adam