Playing with Facial Hair

[1ADSarge]

I haven't played for a couple years now since I finished at the local University. Back then, I usually kept my facial hair shaved since I had just gotten out of the Army. Well, now I am a full-beard kind of guy and am curious as to how having facial hair will effect my playing. I am hoping to be getting my own tuba fairly soon and will be playing quite a bit between teaching and assisting my son with his band stuff and playing in a local brass ensemble. I appreciate any insight to this matter!

Cheers,
Jared

[Donn]

When I have had hair on my chin and neck, I did have a tendency to play with it when absorbed in thought, I guess it's somewhat related the reflex that causes people to put their hand to their chin when thinking about something. With mustache only, no such tendency.

[PaulMaybery]

I live in Minnesota and I love beards, had one for almost 35 years, and played tuba professionally as a free lancer. Mostly legit stuff. I got by and always wondered if things would have been better without it, that is as far a chops.

A few years back, after taking what I thought was going to be retirement, after several years with little serious playing I decided to make a serious comeback. I outfitted myself with all new equipment and dove into practicing 4 to 7 hours a day. I read everthing I could get my hands on, talked to experts, and systematically planned the next couple of years.

But, if I may regress, before making that decision, I was trying some 'cadilac' tubas at WWBW and working with our friend Roger Lewis.
Roger sugested shaving the lips clean, in fact he was rather insistant that if I wanted to really play, then the mustache at least needed to go. I though I could manage without cutting it off, but I could not get in the pedal register. So, when I got home from Indiana, I took a deep breath and shaved it. Upon picking up the tuba and giving it a toot, I noticed a big difference, and the pedal register I had struggled to play was imediately responsive. I was literally blown away. Everything was easier, and I had been working so hard. I still have a small 'stache' and chin whiskers, but nothing that sits inside the mp.

I realise some guys have coarse whiskers and others very soft. (Just ask women who have kissed bearded men.) I have heard that very fine whiskers are not so much an issue. But then it all depends on your playing expectations. I would say if you would like to get a beautiful vibrant solo sound like the big boys, then make your life easier and shave the thing.

A short story and then I will go: I was sitting in the Czech Hall (CSPS) in St. Paul, many, many years ago. We were having a special Czech dinner and listening to one of the area's "Old Tyme Bands.," Quite specifically it was what is referred to as a "Slovenian Trio"
A squeeze box, a drummer and a tuba. They were all farmers from the New Prague area, and stylistically very good. The tuba was an Eb sousaphone played on a stand. The player had a mustache, sun burned lips and the classic 'farmer's forehead,' and a cigar in his left hand. When he played there was this belch of sound with a rather indefinite pitch. Many of you have probably heard polka bands with this type of 'bass horn' playing. Our dinner guests were some musicians from the New York City Opera orchestra. One of them, the principal horn player, who was incidentally Czech, proceeded to humorously explain what it took to get, what he called that 'Bohemian imigrant sound." First off, never practice. Secondly stay out in the sun all day, Thirdly, smoke really bad and cheap cigars. and lastly, never worry about fingerings. So depending on you sound model, the mustache may be the way to go. On the other hand... well there are always cigars.

Bye for now.

Paul (who has a story for everything, if he doesn't, just for you he'll make one up, and/or highjack the post.) Maybery. "Time for a cigar."

BTW: For the record, this story is absolutely true, right down to the "seegar." Not even the slightest embellishment. Honest!!!

[1ADSarge]

Thanks everyone for the reply's! Great story Paul! I guess the question is, how serious of a player do I want to be. For now, it will be practice just getting myself up to the college level I was playing at along with paying some duet pieces with my 12 year old son and his middle school band stuff. I would realistically love to join a brass ensemble sometime this year or early next year. I think I know the answer but I don't want to face it! It may be time for a shave in my near future if I want to hit those low registers and obtain that level of performance I am ultimately seeking.

Cheers,
Jared

[Donn]

I might shave, if I catch any hint that anyone cares at all about my ability to produce pedal notes. Hasn't happened yet, and at this rate not likely to before my career concludes.

Part of the issue is "placement. Everyone doesn't put the mouthpiece up to the same place on their faces. My placement is rather low, and a mustache doesn't get in the way all that much, someone with the opposite tendency might do fine with a beard but no mustache.

Personally, the current rage for full beards on young hipster techies around here, might lead me to shave mine off if I had one. Usually combined with a fancy haircut, tight jeans with short turned up cuffs and a rigid posture with slightly mincing gait (might be the tight jeans?)

[Bill Troiano]

I think I posted regarding this before. Coarseness must be a major factor. Back in my Guy Lombardo days and several years beyond, I had a mustache. I had no problems playing with it. I eventually shaved it off. I grew another one (goatee) around 2005 or so and after about a week, I developed the issue where I would lose almost a half step a day on my low range. So, I would buzz it short and watch my low range deteriorate over days and shave again. After a year, I shaved it off and I was amazed at how much more clear my tone was and how easy it was to play into the pedal register. I don't consider myself to be a hairy guy, but over the years, the facial hair must have grown thicker and/or more coarse. Yet, some continue to play well with full beards. There are pictures of Roger Bobo with a full beard at some point in his LA days. It seems to be OK for some and not for others. Coarseness must be a major factor.

[Rick Denney]

You will have no pedal register. Hair requires a bit of pressure to get sealing, and that's too much in the pedal range.

Rick "who has no pedal register" Denney

[MartyNeilan]

My wife and I have been members of a motorcycle ministry for nearly a year. Most of the men have a lot of facial hair (a few of the women too, but I wouldn't tell them that.) My serious playing days are largely over, so I normally have a horseshoe mustache with the hair trimmed just above the lip to still allow playing - see the picture with my 11 year old daughter at a recent rally to benefit a new veterans park and museum. However, if I want to play my absolute best I "flip it upside down" as seen in the second picture after a (very hot) concert a couple months ago.
P.S. My wife's name is Mindy. They very observant will know why I am pointing that out.

MartySavannahVetransRideCrop.jpg

MartyBeard.jpg

[PaulMaybery]

Hey!!! Facial hair grows back. It's not like dismemberment. I liked the results better without. What can you loose by giving it a shot. Though at times I do let mine creep back. For me about two weeks gets it back to my close trimmed gorgeous "stache."

Actually it was Bobo, back in his LA days, (while the Phil was on tour in Minneapolis) who way back lectured me on shaving it. I used him as an example to which he pointed to his chops and showed me that the hair did not cover the red of the lip.

[GC]

I miss my beard. I consider keeping my face covered to be a public service. Four days of growth and I can't even hit a low Bb, much less pedal tones. I keep a jawline beard only, and I've had people ask if I was going for the Abe Lincoln, leprechaun, Amish, or Israeli looks.

[1ADSarge]

Haha! I love my beard so it would feel like a dismemberment but ultimately, I may try the Abe Lincoln look even though the wife will most likely shave it off once I go to sleep

Cheers,
Jared

[Three Valves]

I miss my beard. I consider keeping my face covered to be a public service. Four days of growth and I can't even hit a low Bb, much less pedal tones. I keep a jawline beard only, and I've had people ask if I was going for the Abe Lincoln, leprechaun, Amish, or Israeli looks.

You forgot the Whos in Whoville.

[MaryAnn]

All I can say is now I know why I have such an easy pedal register.

[1ADSarge]

I tried playing today on a Mirafone sousaphone with my Mirafone C4 mouthpiece and WOW, I didn't have the ability to hit the low registers very well at all! I am guessing it is the combination of me not paying for a couple years and having facial hair. Well, as soon as the Tuba shows up from Greyhound, it'll be trimming time

Cheers,
Jared

[Donn]

Well, to be fair ...

• the C4's unusually small throat might be a "hair" less cooperative on pedal range - I tried it just now, and it made all the difference between "really can't" and "can't really", but mileage may vary
• the pedal range isn't the first thing to come back, usually
• I guess it may not be entirely resolved just what we're talking about here. On the tuba (as opposed to for example pipe organ) pedal means the range corresponding to the 1st partial, which for a BBb sousaphone would be the second Bb below the staff, and below that. Very low notes that don't appear in any band music I've ever played. It may mean something else to some people, but we have to agree on the meaning of words if there's any point in this exercise, so let's just agree they're wrong. If anyone has really meant to say that facial hair prevents them from playing ordinary low notes - for example that you'd see in old Sousa march parts - then I hope they will clarify.

[k001k47]

I feel like I've already made this post but. . .
I never had issues with half a year of hair growth. Then again, the hair follicle density around my chops isn't very high, and I like round rims.

[swillafew]

Had to share:

Mustache didn't hurt a thing until I started learning a new horn.

PT-50 mouthpiece on the new one is a little bigger than I was accustomed to using. I had a very rough time playing anything lower than an F.

Shaved the mustache, added six steps down the diatonic scale to the pedal A.

[Voisi1ev]

I shaved a van dyke off like 6-weeks ago. Low range got a ton better over night. Shaving sucks though, I don't have a lot of serious playing over the summer, so it is coming back until the fall.

[emcallaway]

Personally, my playing needs all the help it can get! Even if it was only psychological, it'd still be worth it to me.

In the case of painful stubble, it's very much worth it as it's one fewer thing to distract me.

[Donn]

See!? It isn't worth it! It might be a win some of the time, but if you use the wrong foam or an old blade or something, look out.

I do take a nick out of my mustache, if I think of it, right at the center of the upper lip, where last year I had a short little mustache hair go on a violent rampage during a concert, ended up rather bloody.