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Hello everyone!

A little background info. I began playing the tuba in 4th grade and played through college. I marched Drum and Bugle Corps and majored in tuba for half of my collegiate career before switching to voice and theater. I have picked up and played a few time since about 2002, most recently in 2009 for a musical I was in- nothing hard, but it wasn't all that hard to pick up and throw down a quick melody on stage. I recently purchased a horn and began playing again(last fall), but quickly got discouraged at how little of my ability remained. And then the holidays hit, blahh blah blah etc... I am serious about reworking my chops, but am having a hard time starting over. My upper register seems to come a little more naturally but my lower is difficult. Slurs are all over the place and my control is terrible. Along with that I find I can only play for about 30 minutes before my lips feel like they are going to fall off. I am looking for a little guidance to start over, what to play, where to start, etc...

Any help would be really appreciated.


Thank you all!

Clarification - you left off in 2002, could play OK anyway in 2009, but 2015 not so much? Is it really different now, than in 2009, or are you just approaching it different? What's your objective?

Take out your easiest music, and be very patient with it. I play my mouthpiece along with familiar songs on the radio, when time (or my stamina) is limited. If you can't buzz a melody, you won't like what comes out the bell, either.

Donn wrote:Clarification - you left off in 2002, could play OK anyway in 2009, but 2015 not so much? Is it really different now, than in 2009, or are you just approaching it different? What's your objective?

Excellent point of clarification. Yes. In 2009 I was asked to play a small melodic line in Jesus Christ Superstar while playing Herrod. It sounded and felt fine, and was easy to pick it back up. In 2015, it felt much more difficult to produce sound and was a much bigger effort playing anything. I notice that my embouchure felt much less comfortable than i was used to, and it was a bigger struggle for me to play. I think I got discouraged when it was clear that I wasn't gaining back my abilities quicker.

My objective is to play casually and to regain my ability. I do not want to make a living but I would love to pop into a community band or orchestra, or play with some friends. Maybe even join a senior drum corps at some point.

swillafew wrote:Take out your easiest music, and be very patient with it. I play my mouthpiece along with familiar songs on the radio, when time (or my stamina) is limited. If you can't buzz a melody, you won't like what comes out the bell, either.

thank you!

This doesn't come up very often, but ... the 2009 and 2015 experiences were apparently on different tuba and likely mouthpiece, and I wonder if it could be something as simple as an unsuitable mouthpiece, or even ergonomics. My guess is probably not, more likely just some difference in what you're doing, like now that you're taking it more seriously you're trying too hard and trying to make music with muscle. I like swillafew's advice, but to be fair, some of us do OK without really being into buzzing tunes.

The answer is simple. Get a teacher!

Thank you all for your suggestions.

The mouthpiece I am playing on is the same one I have used since about 1996, albeit a new one as my old one got lost in a cross country move. I am playing on a GP Conn Helleberg 120 and an Arnold Jacobs Heritage. I purchased a used late 70's Czech Amati Kaslice (original post here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67673" target="_blank ) and had it serviced, replacing linkages and spit valves, and had the whole thing deep cleaned. I guess it just feels a lot harder to produce a good tone and play. I will look up Tuba teachers in my area (NYC) and keep plugging away.

Thank you everyone!

Ah, so 2015 was actually a lot more like 2009, your tuba and everything is fine, but 2016 isn't going with the plan. Everyone's different, but I bet you aren't the first person to have this experience, and to come through it. Keep us posted.

I did the same thing you are trying to do now. Started after a long time off. Firstly I started at home practicing what I did back when I stopped, and the got me some of the way. Then I joined a local orchestra, and that helped quite a lot. But what really did the trick, was getting a teacher. He corrected all my faults, gave me the correct stuff to practice and opened a lot of doors.

So in short, get a teacher from the start. It is worth it.

iumentum wrote:I did the same thing you are trying to do now. Started after a long time off. Firstly I started at home practicing what I did back when I stopped, and the got me some of the way. Then I joined a local orchestra, and that helped quite a lot. But what really did the trick, was getting a teacher. He corrected all my faults, gave me the correct stuff to practice and opened a lot of doors.

So in short, get a teacher from the start. It is worth it.

I agree. I picked up the tuba again after a 40 year hiatus. I went back to Rubank Elementary Method and started working my way through it. I joined a local band and now have joined a bigger community band and am part of a brass quintet. But I have only improved through the efforts of others who have helped me with my playing, my sound and my interpretation of music. It has made all the difference.

Thanks a lot everyone. I will stick around. I am slowly working through basics. Hard to remember how i started way back in 4th grade and how I got to where I was when I stopped.

lost wrote:<profile picture>

Man, that's a great profile picture. I think about that tuba all the time. It's a lot of work to play in tune, but the sound is awesome.

albertdobyns wrote:... I purchased a used late 70's Czech Amati Kaslice (original post here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67673" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank ) and had it serviced, replacing linkages and spit valves, and had the whole thing deep cleaned....:

Great Look ! And that´s C(C) tuba(?).

It's actually a BBb. It needed some work(about $200 in a shop in VA instead of the 3 grand quoted me in NYC), but plays like a dream now. Had the rotors totally reworked. It has a nice deep round sound. Upper register has a beautiful tone to it. It was a hell of a bargain.

Dream! Four valves and BBb are just enough for everything! Be Happy !

One of the best things you could do is to play on the mouthpiece alone, buzzing simple melodies in the middle register at a middle dynamic (mf-f). Focus on playing on the center of the pitch with as much buzz in the sound as possible. A great resource for buzzing is the book, To Buzz by Alessandro Fossi, which comes with a CD of piano accompaniments to all of the exercises. Buzzing with the piano will help you focus on intonation.

Here are a couple of links to find Mr. Fossi. The first link is a series of YouTube videos Mr. Fossi did demonstrating some of the exercises. The second link is to his web page where you can order the book. It will take 4-6 weeks for shipping, but if you ask, they will send you a PDF and mp3s via email so you can get started right away.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ale75fo/se ... ry=to+buzz" target="_blank

http://alessandrofossi.net/product/to-buzz-book-tuba/" target="_blank

As a disclaimer, I have no connection with Mr. Fossi, other than being a fan. I purchased these materials and use them regularly. I discovered them after I returned from a long layoff (15 years) and wanted to see what new teaching methods were available.

Thank you for the help!