study materials: Eb tuba for beginners

[georgebutler]

Hi Everyone,

I am a trombonist finishing my eighth year of teaching low brass at a children's music school in Tallinn, Estonia, somewhere between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. In this part of the world, we start young beginners (age 8, 9, or 10) on Eb tuba. I *like* this idea, but I find that most of the elementary method books are written with BBb tuba in mind--not just fingerings and lip slurs, but also in how things lie on the instrument. I have been using the Nilo Hovey "Rubank Elementary Method" and gotten good results. I'm just wondering if there is something else out there--bass clef, non-transposing--that I should look at.

Thanks, y'all!
George Butler

[knarfman]

There's "Schule für Tuba in F und ES oder Helikon" by Robert Kietzer, published by Zimmermann, Frankfurt. Text (not extensive) in German, English, and Russian. It was apparently originally written for Eb tuba, as the first exercises are in 3 flats, making it easy for all those trumpet players moving over to tuba. Fingering charts and diagrams for tubas in a number of different configurations. It's available from several sources in the US; I seem to remember ordering directly from Europe, but I can't find the original order information.

--Frank

[imperialbari]

I haven't written any method books, but my Yahoo-based project of providing free downloadable music has a comprehensive scale system dedicated for each of the standard low brass pitches of Bb, F, Eb, CC, and BBb (bass and treble clefs):

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Yor ... 0routines/

There also is a system of training wide intervals (bass and treble clefs), where the teacher/student picks the relevant keys and ranges:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Yor ... 20brasses/

Klaus

[georgebutler]

Hi Frank,

Thanks for the mention of the Kietzer. I'm guessing--just looking at the one sample page here--that it is harder than what I had in mind for a young player:https://www.musikverlag-zimmermann.de/4 ... kon-d.e.r.

I'll certainly keep it in mind for third year and fourth year.

[Art Hovey]

It may be long-out-of-print, but Universal's "Fundamental Method for the Tuba and Sousaphone", a "graded elementary course" by Howard Hovey (my father, not Nilo) has sections specifically written for Eb tuba.

[georgebutler]

Thanks, Art!

Though the Winston bibliography lists your father's book as out of print, Amazon offers it for ten dollars, so I guess it's available.

In trying to find something about it with a Google search, I see that for many years a "Howard Hovey Tuba Day" has been held at a Long Island high school. So, I'm guessing that people who knew and studied with your father thought well of him.

[georgebutler]

Klaus,

Thanks for mentioning your scale system. I really appreciate it.