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How much weight do folk put on having the 'correct' horn for a job? For example would you want to (choose to) play say, a 3+1 comp Eb or Bb in brass band but still play F and C in orchestra? Or something 'just right' for French rep etc etc...
Would you rather have say 2 horns you knew inside out to play in all situations maybe?
I know it will vary depending on the level of the player and what the audience or rest of the band expect but what do you as a player choose?
Just wondering how folk see it...
MP

I stick to F or CC depending on which it lays better on. I play the BBb part in brass band on CC (was playing Eb part on F), with no complaints from the BRITISH director.

I use a kazoo for everything.

TubaTinker wrote:I use a kazoo for everything.

TubaTinker wrote:I use a kazoo for everything.

It's the player, not the horn, I always say.

The room you play in is no small part of it. Last year I brought the smaller of two horns to a church gig and really regretted it. The next church gig, the smaller one was the only one that would fit in the space available for the player.

russiantuba wrote:Bloke, I ended up not playing with that band due to that reason.

I'd be sort of disinclined regardless of the reason - "I guess you'll do for now" is not the kind of welcome you'd expect to hear from someone who knows how to run a band.

Anyway ... OP kind of asked for it by mentioning "brass band" (presumably British) as one of the contexts, but that's a kind of unusually hide-bound institution, isn't it? If you want to play in a really competitive British brass band, you'd probably want to bring the kind of tuba that's expected there, regardless of any strictly musical considerations, so this case isn't very illustrative of the more general question.

James, I would have gone just out of curiosity of what other people were using. I would not at all be surprised to see a lot of other "that'll do" equipment, and suspect that none of it really matters. You hire musicians, not instruments. Worst part -- I'm sure the other tuba players 1) don't care and 2) would have been happy to have a great tuba player in the section.

If it were me, and if I went and really didn't like the conductor, I'd pop in the smallest F mouthpiece I could find, play the most focused and direct German sound possible just to see what happened (a good sound, but the opposite color from what he wanted). Afterwards, I'd thank the conductor for letting me sit in and let him know that yeah, it didn't work out. Then I'd tell him he can't conduct for ****, but "it'll do." Okay, I wouldn't really do any of that. But it would make me feel better to think about it.

Since I'm not a freelancer right now, I chose a horn that got to the sound I need pretty easily for the tour that I'm on. I'm using a newer King for it's 'oom pah' characteristics. When this tour ends I'll be looking to buy another 4/4 CC as a freelancing 'do everything' horn, and maybe sell this horn that I actually like a lot. I have some bell front Kings that do some things pretty well, but certainly not everything. There is a lot of wisdom in knowing what horn to bring to which gig, knowing what the conductor likes, how the place sounds, etc. I would use a similar bunch of horns as Bloke if I were freelancing in one place.

Wouldn't be surprised though if you have to pay, to be one of these bands that enter competitions.

I built a top action CC tuba just to keep Brass Band directors quiet . I don't tell them it's in CC and they are happy.

Donn wrote:Wouldn't be surprised though if you have to pay, to be one of these bands that enter competitions.

Ah, the DCI model.

I own and use BBb, CC, Eb, and F tubas, euphonium, and bass bone, and I have three basic reasons for doing so. 1) I currently teach students across the tuba and euphonium, and I'd like to add trombone students to the mix, so being able to teach an instrument from a foundation of personal knowledge is a huge advantage 2) I play a lot of contemporary music, and you need to be fluent across a relatively wide spectrum of instruments for a lot of the repertoire (and that spills over a lot into the other music I play--having the Eb has done wonders for a lot of the chamber music I've performed over the last few years, and just a few weeks ago I performed a piece with the euphonium that I otherwise would have struggled through on F or CC tuba). 3) Because of the topic of my doctoral document, I need to be aware of the technical characteristics involved in playing all four keys of tuba and euphonium, so I want to be able to speak about all five instruments knowledgeably.

For a long time, I was a CC and F guy, whole stop. That changed when I bought my Eb, and I have since expanded out into the other instruments. It isn't exactly a cheap route to go, but it's not terrible if you buy used (the only instruments I have bought new are the Eb and euph--the Eb wasn't terribly expensive, all things considered ($8500), and the euph was only $1200 (Wessex brand)). The BBb was a gift from an old teacher, and the bass bone was purchased for me by my parents, so I've accrued these instruments over time and with a little bit of work. It's definitely a small hassle to keep current on each instrument--I have to plan out my practice even more than usual, so that I don't go too long without touching one of the horns. But in the end, it has payed off in the ability to pick just the right horn for the job. In that way, then, I'd agree with what Bloke and some others have said--it's a choice between picking two horns and working to make them fit situations that might not be good fits musically or technically, or working to be able to play on a wider range of horns but have an easier time actually performing the music. I chose the latter, but it really all comes down to which side of the coin you (and your wallet) are happier with.

russiantuba wrote:I played in a very competitive band for several contests. My tuba choice didn't matter in that. At one point we had all 4 keys of tubas present and was probably the best in tune the section was. (In fact, the band Michael referenced at one point in a picture had all 4 keys of tuba).

Producing a wide variety of sound colors, again, is crucial.

Many brass bands need players to show up and play, so it seems, at least in this area, conductors are more willing to not care about tuba key to get players willing to play and not be paid.

To the band in question, I have seen BBb and EEb tubas cover the Eb parts and BBb and CC tubas cover the BBb part.

Doesn't matter what you play, it matters what you sound like!

Currently, we have two CC tubas on the BBb part, and an F, Eb, and CC on the Eb part. I think the CC on the Eb part just sounds wrong. Why have a separate part for bass and contrabass tuba, and play the WRONG tuba? Difference between F and Eb isn't too drastic. Same with BBb and CC. But the difference between a bass and contrabass... Sorry. Not going to go that route.