Happy International Tuba Day!

[opus37]

My story is similar to a lot of you. I started out playing cornet in 5th grade because I asked to play an instrument and not having a clue, asked my mother what I should play. She said clarinet or cornet. I didn't know which was which so I randomly chose cornet. Being there were 12 cornet players and no baritones or tubas, those that were 3rd chair 3rd cornet and hadn't quit, were upgraded to baritone or tuba. I was the tuba upgrade that year. I played through high school and must have been pretty good because the band director bought a Getson Meir Weston model 25 (that should date me) for me to play in my senior year. I was asked to play in the city band during that time which was a great honor. (Only the best students got asked.) College was focused on my engineering studies, with very little time to play an instrument. About 15 years later, a friend gave me an old Eb sousaphone he found. It really didn't play, so I sold it (now I wish I still had it). My wife bought me a 1912 Martin Eb at an auction for $20. It played, so I cleaned it up and played in the local Shrine Band. Years went by with little playing until they needed a tuba in church for the Christmas program. I then learned about Tuba Christmas and my friend insisted I come back to play in that old city band. Then I retired and my wife let me buy a new tuba. Lee Stofer sold me a Kanstul 66 which was a great improvement for me. I started playing in local community bands, church quintets and my old city band. Then people started giving me tubas. I have been fixing them up and have been trading, using or selling them. I had 9 for a while. I'm down to 7 and am working down to 5 or 6 that I do use. Tuba has been part of my life for better than 50 years in one way or another. As long as I can pick one up and blow into it, I suspect it will continue.

[seanburke]

I grew up in the kind of family that went to perform at folk festivals and was singing on stage with my parent's bands from a very young age. Kind of did the eight year old thing and took up guitar and found it really easy. One of the kids in my class had a dad who was a brass player in the navy band, and one day he came in and showed everyone all of the brass instruments. I LOVED the trombone and was infatuated with and desperate to play it for the next two years.

When I got to my secondary school we got to choose which instrument we wanted to play, and all the band instruments were demonstrated for us. I saw the head of music playing a trombone and my eyes were locked on the prize - I was going to play the trombone (at this point in time I don't think I even cared about what a tuba was at this time). I put in my form and before I knew it I was learning the trombone. Dream come true.

Not... I got to the age of about 11 or 12 and wanted to play some rock guitar riffs again (probably to try and impress girls or something) and hardly practiced trombone for the next 6 months, but managed to get by playing 1st parts in all of the school ensembles with what I'd already learned coupled with a little bit of talent. Fast forward a few more months and my guitar playing was getting pretty good and I had started a few gigging bands, while still doing some trombone on the side. At a lunchtime at school I was playing touch football and through an unfortunate turn of events, broke my right collarbone. This was rather problematic, being a trombone player.

I decided I would just go to my next lesson knowing I won't be able to play trombone for a couple of months and coming to terms with the fact that I would be learning theory for a while. When I turned up, though, my teacher had an instant solution. He told me not to move from his room and disappeared for a few minutes, only to return with a Yamaha baritone horn. I learned all the fingerings with my left hand and was back in band (now on baritone horn) the next week. Once my collarbone healed I was trying to decide on which instrument I should learn. I ended up doing both for the rest of my schooling, however Euphonium (I'd managed to get a bit bigger and play well enough to warrant an upgrade) was the one I was excelling at. I ended up auditioning and winning spots at both local universities by the time school finished and headed off to study music.

I got to uni and was told that they didn't have a concert band, so I needed to play trombone in the orchestra. We had auditions (where I was competing with about 7 trombone majors) and I ended up playing bass trombone for one piece in our concert on a pea shooter, but the uni always brought in a tuba player for the concerts. Not liking the idea of having so many trombones to compete with who were so far ahead of me, I bought a BBb tuba and started learning. At this point my parents expressed their concern for the exponential growth in size of the instruments that I was accumulating, but I wasn't too stressed - I was having fun. One night I was practicing late at uni and the orchestra conductor heard me, came into the practice room, and asked me if I was confident on tuba. I lied and said yes, but it was the best lie I ever told. The seatings for the next semester came out and I was listed as the tuba. The program for this semester was Elgar 1, Kakadu by Sculthorpe and the Overture to Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, and my lie came back to bite me. Every week rehearsal would be stopped just so the conductor could tell me I "sound terrible" or "can't make the damned thing sound anywhere near a tuba". I don't know about your experiences but being publicly told you are terrible at the instrument you are trying to play was one of the most frustrating situations to be in. Fast forward a few weeks at the concert and I nailed the part (partly because I would stay back after rehearsals and fix what I'd been pulled up on that night). At the pub afterwards the conductor walked past me and gave me a thumbs up and I was so excited.

I haven't really looked back to my other instruments too much since then, and I've not needed to. Tuba makes me too happy.

[pecktime]

I started on saxophone at 17, no music lessons before then, after i was inspired by my brother taking up piano. I wanted to play double bass but couldn't find a teacher so sax was my second choice.

When I turned 30 after 12 years of gigging and gaining a Bmus in jazz performance (possibly the most useless degree in existence) I signed up for a credit card and maxed it out on a double bass.

When I turned 38 I bought a Wessex bass saxophone and started playing ragtime and trad jazz. I realised that I was pretending to be a tuba so i bought myself a King 1241. Great horn but I blamed the horn for my crappy technique and acquired a Yamaha 621CC. That was 5 years ago, and My technique is still not where I want it (even after lessons!) but i'm gigging on tuba every week and the bass sax is a bit sad. I am playing the bass sax today on a gig so i'll see if I can remember what the buttons do.

[ken k]

I was rummaging around in my grampop's attic one day when I was 8 years old and found my dad's old Cavalier trombone. the following year in 4th grade I started lessons. The Cavalier was one of those old silver trombones with a brass slide. When you left the water out of the spit valve a green sludge would come out. Nevertheless I continued on and got a used King Tempo in 6th grade (still played that horn in college marching band!). Anyway I played trombone through high school and college, although I switched to bass trombone in college and then took a few tuba lessons along the way. I ended up playing contra bass bugle in a D&B corps for a few years which really built up my tuba chops. After college I found that I was getting more gigs on tuba than trombone, so I started a brass quintet and we got to be pretty good and then the phone calls kept coming for tuba gigs. I do still play some trombone but not as much as tuba, and honestly I enjoy paying the tuba more

ken "Equally bad on trombone and tuba" k

[weops]

After two years of violin lessons my family moved to a town with no string program. My Mom made me play my fiddle for the band director. He listened, smiled and pointed to the corner of the band room, where sat a big old brass sousaphone. I played it for two years in Junior High and made good progress. But in 9th grade I quit Tuba to play soccer, basketball, track etc. That Band Director was disappointed, to say the least - he had taken an interest in me and devoted a lot of time and effort.

I entered college as a Joournalism major never expecting to play the Tuba again. While going through the Registration line I came to a table listing some instruments needed for the Jazz Band. They needed a player for a few optional Tuba parts on some Sammy Nestico charts. I told the Director I hadn't played in four years, but would try to get back up to speed. Surprisingly, it didn't take long. I took up Bass Trombone so I could be a regular member. Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton's Bands came through for Concerts and clinics. (I told one of Kenton's Trombone players I wanted to be a musician - he said: "Do you like riding in buses?") . That was 1975. I finished my Associates Degree in Journalism, got a Bachelors of Music and a Masters from Juilliard and have made my living playing the Tuba ever since.

I thank the many great and generous Teachers who helped me. Years ago I ran into that Band Director (Eugene Barnard) who had introduced me to the Tuba. He was retired - and I thanked him. He has passed on, and I still feel indebted to him for my life in music.

Thank your Teachers. They will appreciate it!

[ken k]

Jimmy Celebrates Cinco de Mayo, Star Wars Day and International Tuba Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrOUMkKgsvM" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

I'm no fan of Star Wars (or Rutgers ), but that's pretty amazing.

Hoo RAh! Hoo RAh! Rutgers Rah!!!! (my alma mater)

kk

[ken k]

It's a diabolical plot !!!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=it ... ORM=VDQVAP" target="_blank" target="_blank

(Star Wars reference)

[acjcf2]

I started in third or fourth grade (can't remember) on a metal clarinet as I could make note on a trumpet. Mid way through fifth grade I took a stab at trombone but master the slide positions so I was handed a baritone horn. I like that so played through the end of elementary school and mid way through 8th grade (Jr. High Band).

I was asked by our Jr. Band director to meet him in the band room for 8th period. He handed me a new Conn 10J tuba, saying the fingering was the same as the baritone just an octave lower. I ran some scales and told him yeah, I'll do this.

I played tuba into Sr. High Band when a scheduling conflict mid way through my Jr. year forced me out. The Sr. High Band director told no March in the fall, no concert band in the spring. I said to Hell with it during my senior year (1974). Ironically, that band director was demoted two years later and former high school student taking over the program.

1975-79 was time spent in the Marines and then the fire service (1979 - 2008).

While attending a Christmas Eve service at church in 2009, I commented to my wife that the Brass Ensemble was nice but they lacked a bottom end. She says what do you mean? I replied; "they needed a Tuba." She says;" what's that to you?" I says; "I used to play tuba in high school and if I could get my hands on one, I'd like see if I still can." I reached to the ensemble coordinator and the pastor and two months later my Jupiter 378 was gifted to me. I joined a community band in 2011. I bought my Mack tuba the following year. I and 11 other folks started another community band in 2015. I bought my Dillon tuba this spring.

Having fun in semi-retirement.

[acjcf2]

I started in third or fourth grade (can't remember) on a metal clarinet as I could not make note on a trumpet. Mid way through fifth grade I took a stab at trombone but couldn't master the slide positions so I was handed a baritone horn. I like that and played through the end of elementary school and mid way through 8th grade (Jr. High Band).

I was asked by our Jr. Band director to meet him in the band room for 8th period. He handed me a new Conn 10J tuba, saying the fingering was the same as the baritone just an octave lower. I ran some scales and told him yeah, I'll do this.

I played tuba into Sr. High Band until a scheduling conflict mid way through my junior year forced me out. The Sr. High Band director told me no march in the fall, no concert band in the spring. I said to Hell with it during my senior year (1974). Ironically, that band director was demoted two years later and former high school student came back and took over the program.

1975-79 was time spent in the Marines and then the fire service (1979 - 2008).

While attending a Christmas Eve service at church in 2009, I commented to my wife that the Brass Ensemble was nice but they lacked a bottom end. She says what do you mean? I replied; "they needed a Tuba." She says;" what's that to you?" I says; "I used to play tuba in high school and if I could get my hands on one, I'd like see if I still can." I reached out to the ensemble coordinator and the pastor and two months later my Jupiter 378 was gifted to me. I joined a community band in 2011. I bought my Mack tuba the following year. I and 11 other folks started another community band in 2015. I bought my Dillon tuba this spring.

Having fun in semi-retirement.