The most fun you've ever had...

[twoconnguy]

Sophomore year of high school, I was relegated to the Varsity band instead of the prestigious Concert band. For the first time I was first chair tuba and the Varsity band acted as the pep band for hockey and basketball. Both teams made it to the state tournament, and the basketball team won it all for the third year in a row. I've never played that loud for that long again. When we were leaving the arena, some guy yelled down from the rafters," Man, you sure play a mean tuba!"
Most fun musically was at band camp, when I got to play "American Overture for Band" for the first time. For some reason that piece was a real joy to play and made me feel like a musician, not just a tuba player.
Lastly, most Sunday nights for the last 21 years, either rehearsing or playing a concert with The First John Philip Sousa Memorial Band. The band's philosophy is "playing what the audience likes to hear, and doing it with sincerity and a sense of great fun."

[Tom]

While in High School I did a couple summers of band camp at one of the big universities in my state. One of the summers that I was there, the band I was assigned to played a piece by Kirk Vogel called John Muir Suite. For those that don't know, John Muir was a naturalist that founded the Sierra Club and was among those responsible for setting aside Yosemite as a National Park.

Anyway...my parents dutifully came to the final concert after which the camp was over and everyone left to go home. My parents enjoy all sorts of music and have always been supportive of my endeavors, but they don't really "know" music and, in the case of my dad, never were in a music ensemble at all - ever. I remember my dad - who was probably just trying to be polite - asking about what was on the concert. I told him about the John Muir Suite and how it was a descriptive work of the life of Muir and how one of the movements was called Glacier Bay and that I thought he would really like it. My dad, who grew up in that part of the country, absolutely lit up - he was actually really excited about what he was going to hear.

After that concert he told me how much he liked it and went on to describe in REALLY great detail what he had heard throughout the piece and how fitting the sounds and the scoring where to what was trying to be conveyed. He had obviously found the piece engaging and had an enjoyable experience. The drive home was 6+ hours and that's what he wanted to talk about - so we did.

To this day when music comes up in conversation or they attend a performance my dad STILL mentions the time I played the John Muir Suite. That was about 20 years ago. So, even though it was not really a special ensemble I was performing with and even though it wasn't an especially noteworthy composition, that's it for me.

[barry grrr-ero]

Mahler 2, 3, 6 & 7 - hands down. Redwood Symphony on the S.F. peninsula. Small audiences, by and large. Mahler 9 at Stanford was fun too. I played so loud at the climax of the first movement that the third trombonist just stopped and looked at me. Mahler marks there, "with the greatest possible force". He got it. I've played Mahler 6, both as a tubaist (tubist?) and percussionist on different occasions. Both are fun and challenging.

Conducting really good versions of "Stars & Stripes Forever" and "Radetzky March" is pretty fun too. I'm very particular about doing those works MY WAY, and I got compliments.

Barry Guerrero

[largobone]

Dance breaks in the show band are where it's AT. One time at a show choir competition, the band hurried to the warm up area ahead of the choir to get some notes in before-hand and we got to the big dance break when all of the sudden the choir comes in through the door and just jumped in and started dancing. We essentially started a rave in the warm-up with spontaneous dancing and the choir singing along to the song. CRAZY powerful moment and very uplifting before our finals performance at one of the last comps of the year. We won the competition with 3 more points than the next group (typically within tenths of points in these finals shows).

[Three Valves]

Dance breaks in the show band are where it's AT.

That, and jamming in a large, tiled bathroom with the drum section!!

[Three Valves]

I love band stories...

[tubeast]

Another favorite:
Youth band spends weekend recording a CD, in a remote place to avoid traffic background noise.
Small plane approaches building and interrupts intense recording session due to engine noise.
Pilot decides to spend some time in the area and just won´t fly away.
The following spontaneous group improvisation by some band members was hilarious:

Trombonist, producing descending growl: Braaaaoooop! ...
...Percussionist, using pair of cymbals: CLASHHHHH...
...two trumpet players imitate German ambulance signal horn, in parallel seconds:
AAAH-EEEH, AAAH-EEEH!...
...Piccolo flautist goes: BLIP - BLIP - BLIP --- BLEEEEEEEEEEEEP!...

After recovery from laughter, Sound engineer asked us via intercom to repeat that for him to record and keep as a Souvenir

[tubapix]

One time at Band Camp...

What happens at Band Camp - Stays at Band Camp

[PaulMaybery]

Playing with Mel Torme at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. "Blues in the Night" has a rather extended tuba solo with just Mel singing over it. I recall the details. The chart was ms and 13 pages - and falling apart. In rehearsal, I turned the first page and it all fell to the floor. Mel had the stage hand get me a second stand and kindly asked the bass trombone to steady things should the pages begin to fall again. Not being one to leave things to chance, I smuggled the part home after the 1st rehearsal and taped up the pages, and took the time to memorize the solo. We never actually rehearsed the entire piece and only the opening of the solo. Orchestra Hall was "sold out." and when the tune came up in the program I could feel a surge of adrenalin and was ready. What I did not expect, was that at the beginning of the solo, I noticed a small dot of light in the balcony sudden enlarge like the sun and engulf me in a wash of bright light. I was blinded and could not see anything but the shine from Mel's cuff links, which since he was snapping his fingers to the beat were moving up and down in time. Good thing to have memorized it. After the show I had a chance to talk with Mel in the dressing room and he was kind enough to explain of his connection with Minneapolis (as he got his start there as a kid playing drums in the back up band for the Andrews Sisters.) He also explained his affinity for the tuba and how enjoyed writing for it in his charts, many of which were extremely challenging, being really more horn lines than ever playing time. Since it all worked out great I was on a high for weeks. I still recall it as the most remarkable episode in my playing career, and also a lesson well learned on being prepared.

[Steve Marcus]

Playing with Mel Torme at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. "Blues in the Night" has a rather extended tuba solo with just Mel singing over it...Since it all worked out great I was on a high for weeks. I still recall it as the most remarkable episode in my playing career...

Paul, if yours is the performance of this that I've seen and heard on YouTube, bravo! It's magnificent.

[David Richoux]

1. Way too many to list, but most of the tours with The California Repercussions to 14 countries and 5 states had many fun and exciting performances. Brazil and Munich Oktoberfests were notable. Audiences range from Cuban rain forest elementary school kids to Japanese National Television to whoever happens to be on the street when we play.
2. Playing in the Zenith Brass Band at the Mountain View Shoreline "New Orleans by the Bay" in a parade along with the Dirty Dozen. Both bands ended up on the main stage together, playing different songs this festival went on for about 10 years under the direction of Bill Graham.
3. During Seattle's first HONK Fest, an outdoor showcase was rained out so we had a 3 hour long indoor drum and brass mass jam session - it just kept on getting better and better! HONKs are now in 7 or 8 cities around the world. The Boston, Providence, and NYC honks are happening now through next week.
4. Learning to play trombone in 2 months and playing the Reno high school stage band festival - with a trombone duet feature! Fun and terrifying at the same time. Audience was mostly other bands, a bit chill.
5. Tuba and bamboo flute spontaneous duet performance while playing in an improv music organization called Friday Night Music - we made some amazing music that went on just long enough... audience was just those in the home recording studio.

[pjv]

At Chuck E Cheese during Brawl Night.
But thats just me.

[imperialbari]

You started camouflaging a bus?

[Arthur]

Kind of an offbeat one for me but playing the Star Spangled Banner at the Liberty Bowl in 1983 accompanying soprano Marguerite Piazza. She was one of my dad's favorite opera singers and she was gracious enough to autograph a copy of the tuba part for me. My dad still has it framed in his office. It was about 10F that night and we were using a 50/50 blend of valve oil and Everclear, but it was fun.

[LCTuba89]

Playing with in combined band of LaGrange HS and Sulphur HS at the Orlando All American Music Festival in 2007. We performed Yosemite Autumn by Mark Camphouse, and we also got to go enjoy Universal Studios a day before that as well. I'm hoping we can play that piece in the community band this season, very fun to play.

[opus37]

I play with a 30 piece orchestra for a Christmas program each year. I get goose bumps with the inspiration of the music and filling the sanctuary with sound. It really makes Christmas special.

As for an individual event, I played the 1st tuba part (on a 1911 Martin) for John Steven's Benediction in my old high school during a Memorial Day program. I played with old high school friends in a venue that has so many memories for people who I have known for 50 years or more. It went well and it was the highlight of the program. People were amazed that a tuba could sound like that.

Then there is the other night when I was playing with a band for an assisted living audience. Music is old marches, pep band music from the 60's and 70's, polkas and show tunes. The librarian forgot my music so I played what ever I wanted throwing in ad-libs and doubling the euphonium parts when I wanted.

[Steve Oberheu]

Orchestral: playing Mahler 9 under Bernard Haitink in Japan at PMF.

Chamber: playing as part of a 6-tuba choir in a jazz/avant-garde kind of setting with Les Nouveaux Monstres; completely in the dark; in Switzerland.

Dirty Catfish Brass Band: joining Galactic onstage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOSrDQhMVQ4" target="_blank

[Tubaryan12]

All of my time in marching band (high school and college) when it wasn't raining.

[Three Valves]

All of my time in marching band (high school and college) when it wasn't raining.

Cold I can live with.

Rain sucks!!

[timayer]

I always have the most fun in rehearsals. It's more relaxed; you get to repeat things and experiment a little; mistakes don't get you down as much; etc...

The most fun moment I've had is the first time playing the opening to Tchaik 4 in a concert hall with a full orchestra.

The most fun rehearsal process I've had is Liszt's Les Preludes. Just a flat fun piece to play. Never got tired of it.