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I am a tuba player in high school looking to major in music in college. i have a goatee right now and I was wondering if some of you might have any experience with having one and not, would my sound benefit any from getting rid of it since the mouth peice sits on it.

In my case, having a mustache or not is a question of being confortable or not. in my case it isn't confortable.
I dont notice changes in sound. lips vibrate well, and the embouchure is the same. in my case.

but I prefer without mustache. I can feel better the mouthpiece. and I find that is important to me.

Have had to grow mustaches and beards several times for roles in plays, and in fact I have one right now for that reason. The mustache defintely affects my embrochure adversely, but I usually shave the lower lip down far enough that it doesn't seem to have the same effect. Strangely a plastic Kellyburg seems to work better than my other mouthpieces when I am in hirsute mode. To regain my chops, the mustache is probably coming off the day after the play wraps.

Don "hair today but gone tomorrow" Shirer

I also find it uncomfortable. Although there are some people who just squeeze by wearing one.

The most important thing is what's comfortable for YOU. If you're used to having facial hair and your fine with it, then there's no problem. I haven't heard anything about shaving the face to improve the embouchure or sound. I have had facial hair for years now. I tried shaving once and hated it. It just didn't feel right when I played. There are many out there who make it work either way. Again, it's all up to you and what you're comfortable with.

Instead of shaving the goatee, I just shaved the rest of my head!


heads (proud user of the HeadBlade!)


P.S. Any fellow tuba-playing HeadBladers out there?

I went through a period where I couldnt figure out what was best either...until i realized that all of my problems were because I didnt stay with shaved or not shaved long enough....I now usually opt for clean shaven...but will occasionally grow it out...just takes a little time to get used to it again..... as everyone said though... go for what is COmfortable for YOU

FWIW, I always found that facial hair helped my high register and hurt my low register. Nothing significant, just a slight difference for me. Perhaps because of a change in mouthpiece angle, seal, or who knows what. I have been clean shaven for the last 7 years due to marital status, so who knows.
This reminds me of a Monty Python skit, however:
Housewife: "There's a man at the door with a moustache"
Man: "Tell him I've already got one."

If it helps, I have a full beard and mustache and I have never had a problem with playing. I actually sound worse when it's gone. Let me guess, most of the anti-facial hair people learned or played principally without it. It really, in my experience, comes down to what you are most comfortable with. Anyone who says that it is not possible to play well with facial hair is full of poo (this is from one of my former teachers and not from any of the posts so far). My suggeation is to try it for about 3 months, record yourself before and after and make the call, both comfort-wise and sound-wise.

Sou

Will wrote:Instead of shaving the goatee, I just shaved the rest of my head!

Hey, me too. But before I shaved it all the way I left the top really long, shaved around the sides and back, spiked it, spray-dyed it green, and went to my engagement party looking like that. To round it out, I threw in a grass skirt, coconut bra, and an open Hawiiand shirt showcasing my round belly.

Captain 'currently sporting a short and soon to be long fro' Sousie

I've got a beard with no mustache.. I've tried growing a mustache several times(even in periods of non-playing) and I just don't like it.

Playing wise, not only does growing a mustache hurt my playing, but so does SHAVING my beard!

Here's an interesting thing. If you watch the old Lawrence Welk shows from the 70s, you'd see the tuba/string bass player first play tuba without a moustache and then a few years later have a full one.

Hank74

MellowSmokeMan wrote:I also find it uncomfortable. Although there are some people who just to squeeze by wearing one.

Interesting. His facial hair looks like it grows around where his mouthpiece sits. Mine does that too.

A few years back, I tried growing a goatee just to see how that would go and found out it began to itch considerably.

When I took tuba lessons three years back, my instructor had a full beard and it didn't seem to affect his playing.

Judging by the photo of Roger Bobo, the best thing for those of you who have facial hair is to keep it trimmed so that the lip area is free of hair.

Hank74

I look like a dork with a moustache (even more than without). However, when I sported face fur, I didn't have too much problem playing. The period between growing facial hair and being clean shaven was when playing was difficult... it rubbed me raw.

For the last 35 years I have been playing brass instruments with a
mustache and full beard. I've NEVER played a tuba without face fuzz! I'm sure that if I were to shave it all off playing would seem wrong and uncomfortable. On the other hand, my wife has never played her euphonium WITH a mustache and beard and would be uncomfortable doing so. It all depends on what you're used to.

LOTP wrote:On the other hand, my wife has never played her euphonium WITH a mustache and beard and would be uncomfortable doing so.

Good one. Power to the bearded people.

LOTP wrote:On the other hand, my wife has never played her euphonium WITH a mustache and beard and would be uncomfortable doing so. It all depends on what you're used to.

Let's hope this tradition/condition continues.

Just as a thought, in a clinic with Alan Baer the other day I think he mentioned something about Jake shaving the bottom part of his upper lip, where the mouthpiece sits, and leaving the top part. I know my teacher does this, and Mr. Baer was quite emphatic about facial hair being no good for playing.

That said, however, I would definitely fall under the category of a "pre-pubescent" member, so I don't have any personal experience to give.

Just to throw in my two cents, I always had a 'stache. Never had a problem though my teacher did want me to shave it off at the Army SOM. As I grow older, and playing well becomes more difficult, I shaved it off as an experiment and I did play better. . . but I looked like a dweeb, AND 15 years older, without it. Now I find if I keep it really short, it is a good compromise. I play better with it short as opposed to long.