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Can you remind us what kind of tuba it is?

Can you use the folding stand while seated?

The real Miraphone 191 has a lyre holder on the leadpipe. If yours doesn't have one, perhaps one could be added in that same place pretty easily?

German parade bands seem to do pretty well marching with rotary BBb tubas and lyres. Maybe do a little research to see how they typically do it, and if it's specialized equipment, you might shop at a German music shop for it...? Just ideas. I'm not really a fan of Sousaphones (blasphemy, I know!)

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/marching ... mbone-lyre" target="_blank

Put it on the mouthpiece...

PMeuph wrote:http://www.musiciansfriend.com/marching ... mbone-lyre" target="_blank

Put it on the mouthpiece...

Trombone players don't even use these. They bounce all over the place. The clamp slips. And you'd have to use one sideways on a tuba.

aqualung wrote:

PMeuph wrote:http://www.musiciansfriend.com/marching ... mbone-lyre

Put it on the mouthpiece...

Trombone players don't even use these. They bounce all over the place. The clamp slips. And you'd have to use one sideways on a tuba.

1. True. Very few do.... (It works really well on the Pbone though)

2. You can use tape, zip ties or elastics to secure it.
(If you're playing outside, a kelly mouthpiece is a good investment, so you might even want to glue it permanently to the mouthpiece.....)

3. See #2.

4. Regardless of the instrument, the optimal placement is always "12 O'clock."

5. And you don't start start a sentence with a conjunction...

____

There is also such a thing as "Neck" lyres...

http://www.amazon.com/APM-PEP-800N-Univ ... B003B0DH2O" target="_blank

Memorize the music? That's what I did, even with a souzy, all those years ago. I can still play the standard Souza arrangement of the National Anthem in either Bb or Ab from memory after all these years.

I used to use a trombone lyre, fastened around the mouthpiece shank. It held the music straight in front of my vision, so after bending it down about 20' degrees, then bending the latter portion up about the same, I was able to bring it down so I could look at the music and not fall over anything. I'll try to post a picture in the morning...

One more vote for memorization. I never take charts to Souzy gigs. Nothing is better for getting your knowledge of forms and theory really working for you!

A lyre may not work for full size music, just sayin'. More likely, it WON'T work.

Even quarto size, for that matter.

Although, since you're talking about flip folders, that shouldn't be a problem.
How easily mobile do you have to be? If it isn't marching, get a folding camp stool and a folding music stand. Even just the folding music stand would be helpful if you have your strap adjusted well. And it sounds like you're well adjusted, which is more than can be said for most of the crowd hangin' round here.

Memorization is fine if you have time and the music ahead of time. Hard to play from memory when you're sightreading.

Adding a lyre holder is no problem at all. I´ve had this done to several horns for about 30 € each at a local instrument repair shop.
Just make sure You tell the repair Person a good place where to solder it.
It should be a no-brainer, but the standard places these are soldered to tell me otherwise:
- Forget about symmetrics. Form follows function.
- The lyre´s post should be short, as straight as possible, pointing straight up in playing position to avoid vibrations while You march
- the lyre holder (box type with screw) might as well be soldered to the bell, it doesn´t need to be on the leadpipe.
- the longer the box, the more rigid the clamping effect
- About 30 mm length of box with TWO screws, one at each end, would be preferred by mechanical engineers.

Cheers

Hans

Well, it's Saturday morning and I have a little too much time on my hands - so here it goes.

Seems like a lot of fuss about using an upright outdoors - and for the "life of me" I can not understand why. Okay, maybe some of the sound does benefit the birds and other denizens of the sky, but the bell is rarely pointed directly upright anyway. So let's deal with the physical issue. Given holding a Sousaphone on my shoulder or a tuba with a strap or harness, I would opt for the tuba any day. In my youth I worked with one of "Your Father's Mustache" banjo bands in the greater NY area. I played standing and shuffling around 5 hours a night and 7 nights a week (with a random night off every week or so) My tuba (recording bell York) was by far a better instrument than my Conn Sousaphone. Both weighed in nominally at 25 pounds. I tried the Sousaphone several nights and wound up with a terribly sore shoulder and worn out from trying to match the sound that I got from the tuba. I put the Sousa away and afterward always opted for some sort of tuba. The tuba with the strap distributed the weight of the instrument across my back, not just at the point of contact on my left shoulder. To me a much more comfortable alternative.

As far as the lyre went: the holder was in a perfectly good place on the bell and worked just fine when I would do the occasional band parade. Those holders can be put almost anywhere by a tech - or even DYI.

Later I spent time in Europe as a university student in Denmark. I caught the parade for the changing of the guards every day. The 3 tubas in the band were all upright tubas. Two front action rotaries and one upright piston. (incidentally the bells of the tubas always faced into the block of the band.)
The principal tubaist became a lifelong friend and at the time, when I mentioned the Sousaphone issue, he looked at me as if I were crazy. He had never experienced a Sousaphone that was anywhere near the quality of a tuba, and certainly he did not feel that it was more comfortable or easier to carry. In their opinion - using a Sousaphone was really a "step down."

Historically the wrap around tuba (helicon) was initially designed for use on horseback - a practical idea. In those days, the helicon with the requisite rotary valves was simply a tuba wrapped differently. (We see them listed for sale on the web) Sousa's original idea for the Sousaphone was to add a 90 degree bend in the bell so that the front facing helicon bell would be directed upward "raincatcher" to produce a nice warm "ambient" sound. Some time later the whole idea for the Sousaphone was corrupted and yet another 90 degree bend in the bell - making it direct the sound forward. (Not at all Sousa's aesthetic for the tuba sound) Why the industry did not simply go back to the helicon - I will never understand - but I am sure much of it had to do with "marketing" and "brand recognition" where the "Sousa" name was a significant issue.

So the choice of course is really up to the player and there are at least two points of view and some history to consider.

Since I am a bit of a "tone snob" I always seem to opt for the best sounding instrument for the job, and other than my Chicago Holton 6/4 "raincatcher Sousaphone, which I last used with 'Keith Brion and His New Sousa Band,' you will pretty much find me behind a tuba-tuba.

Paul (who always seemed a bit of a 'contrarian') Maybery

Funny! My 1935 York CC -- made as a CC for Philip Donatelli -- has both strap lugs and a lyre holder. Too bad today's tubas don't have these old-fashioned things. Go to a repairman and have him put a lyre holder on the leadpipe or wherever is convenient for you to see and buy a lyre. Probably cost you all of 20 bucks. Tusabtuba