TubeNet

Hi-
I am a trombone player interested in doubling on tuba. To find out what it is like I have managed to borrow a B&H Imperial BBb 3 valve (old enough to have a euro shank receiver) which sounds lovely but requires a lot of air (not surprising).
My problem is working out how to hold it, and I'd love some advice. It is much too heavy to play standing up (I am reasonably old) so I sit down. I've seen photos of people playing and they have the tuba resting on their thighs. If I do this the mouthpiece is about 10cm above my mouth (or if on an angle too far to the side).
So I rest the tuba on a stool in front of me which works but doesn't feel at all secure and it is hard to keep my trunk upright.

Can anyone give me any suggestions apart from getting a smaller tuba? I'm sure people play tubas that are even bigger than the Imperial.

Thanks-

Rob.

You might consider a tuba rest. Probably a bit more sturdy than your stool, as well as height adjustable. My son uses one from Baltimore Brass (http://www.baltimorebrass.net" target="_blank) that works very well for him.

My Besson BBb still has the ball on the bottom. Fits well into the hole in the middle of the Hercules tuba stand and keeps it from going anywhere. I'm not necessarily a fan of the tripod legs though. Gives you some options when playing concerts and the provided folding chairs are either small or the seat is slanted towards the back of the chair.

A tuba rest is essential. There are two decent models currently sold - pick one. If it's good enough for Pokorny, it's good enough for a beginner.

Yes, you can hold a tuba any number of other ways. But...why?

As a trombone player you are probably already aware of this, but just in case.

Trombone players can move the horn slightly to facilitate changes in register. So do trumpets, etc.

Tubas and horn players have a less mobile horn, so they move the head.

What ever solution you come up with should allow one or the other approach, or you might struggle in some ranges that should be easy.

I use shelf liner across my lap so that I can hold my tuba at a height and angle that works best for me without any fear of movement.

I ended up with a "youth" tuba stand because it had the height I needed for my small size. However, I don't know at what angle you play trombone, that is, angle of the mouthpiece with respect to your face. Tubas are much less flexible in changing the angle than any other brass, and it's something to consider if you run into problems. I always find what angle is natural for mouthpiece buzzing, look in the mirror, and then fix the way I hold the instrument so I get that same angle. That angle, for me, is not straight out; the mouthpiece has to angle down quite a few degrees. This is hard to do with a tuba designed to point straight out; I have to both bend my neck and get the tuba stand as far underneath the chair as possible, so the tuba is tilted out somewhat. It's not perfect but I'm not going to move the leadpipe, because there is no one anywhere near here whom I trust to do such surgery on my beloved.

How to hold that big BBb? Hold gently above a sturdy shelf and let it down slow enough to not dent it. Then find a horn you can play without struggling. A sousaphone in a sousaphone chair would probably play better. When I was 15 I picked up euphonium as a double just to get my hands on a better instrument than I could otherwise at the time.

Goodness. Sorry to be so slow in responding.
Lots of good ideas here, but it sounds as if what I need is a smaller horn- apart from anything else I can hardly carry the Imperial around.
MaryAnn's comments are particularly useful- with a trombone all that angle stuff is much easier (but still very important, of course).
I have to be very careful with double buzzing on the tuba both with the large mouthpiece and the difficulties with angles.
Tuba stands sound like a great idea, but I don't want to get one just for a borrowed tuba.
BTW Tommy Pederson's "Elementary etudes for bass trombone" sound very nice on tuba.
Cheers