Getting back into the tuba after almost 30 years

[TubaDrummer]

Hi There fellow tubist!
I recently got my horn out and tuned up and am excited about playing again. I put my horn in the hard case 30 years ago and have been playing drums. I miss my tuba days and would now like to get back into it.

I took lessons in high school with Randall K Holmes of the USAFA and he helped me get my first horn. I really didn't know what to get as I really never liked any of the school horns. He was able to get a good deal on a new Mirafone 184-5U BBb. I played that horn through high school wining many honor band opportunities and 3 scholarship offers.

The scholarship I accepted my first year was to CalArts to study with Roger Bobo. I literally found his personal phone number in the T.U.B.A. directory and called him and told him I wanted to come audition for him in California. My parents loaded up the motorhome and off to L.A. we went. My audition went well and Roger wanted me to come to CalArts the next year. He made it clear I would be needing a CC tuba before school starts. More than any other reason, Roger liked the CC over the BBb because they generally play easier. He picked out my 186-5U CC and had Larry Minick put a 5th valve slide trigger on it and shipped it to Colorado. I had one week to get used to the horn and learn new fingerings for my senior concert but I was dead set on playing it!

My year in California (1980) studying with Roger was just amazing. Very humbling as well realizing how far I really had to go to be a great player. I played in several ensembles at CalArts and also had the opportunity to sit in on a regular basis with the USC Tuba Ensemble led by Tommy Johnson.

Roger was not going to teach at CalArts the following year so I came back to Colorado and spent the next 2 years at CU Boulder studying with James Harvey. I played in the CU Orchestra both years and was an alternate for the Boulder Phiharmonic. I played in the Denver Chamber Orchestra when they needed a tuba and played in several quintets. After college I kept playing for a few years in the Arvada Center Orchestra, the Centennial Philharmonic and the Chenango Brass Quintet.

In the 90's I went all out in exploring my musical interest playing the drums. The 186 was pretty much left in the case till recently. I am 56 now and growing tired of playing rock shows and bars. So its back to the practice room and I really look forward to playing the tuba again!

[Ken Crawford]

Welcome back to the tuba! I hope you enjoy it. "Coming back" is fun, but be patient with it if some things don't work like you want them to right away.

[Donn]

Do you have a prospective performing ensemble in mind?

[edsel585960]

Welcome back! I too took a 20 year hiatus from playing. It's been 10 years since I picked the horn back up. Been alot of fun. Enjoy!

[DonShirer]

Looks like that horn was in your blood all those years even though you didn't realize it. (Would that be a bass-al metabolism?). Anyway, the best of luck with your rediscovered talent. When I retired, I started playing the tuba again after 50 brassless years, and have really enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

[Mark]

A lot of us here have a similar story, with the exception of studying with Bobo. I'm envious.

[TubaDrummer]

interesting story.

I can imagine that Mr. Bobo's casually-demonstrated-in-lessons extraordinary abilities could be quite overwhelming...but 99.9999% of all other working tuba players (none, that I've heard in-person or on recordings) have ever (and never will) achieved that level of mastery.

' glad you've pulled that tuba (a great one) back out of storage !

Yeah he set the bar pretty high.... I was a young "hot-shot" player thinking I may be the next Bobo. The more I learned (and listend) the further I realized I had to go. It was a great experience. One that I would never trade.

Its good to see that my horn stood the test of time. Its in great shape and its good to know that even today with all the tuba choices out there, my old 186 is still a great horn. Things sure have changed though.... Us "L.A." guys back in the day had nothing to do with big piston valve horns. Or 5/4 or 6/4 for that matter. The 186 was the big CC and the bigger CC the 188 was just being released.

[TubaDrummer]

Do you have a prospective performing ensemble in mind?

There are many community orchestras here in the Denver area. I am just going to start out small and get my feet wet. I do not have any high expectations of myself this time so its all going to be for fun! I love quintet also so that would be a possibility. I have only been on the horn for a couple months. Its amazing how it all comes back and thankfully, muscle memory!

[TubaDrummer]

Looks like that horn was in your blood all those years even though you didn't realize it. (Would that be a bass-al metabolism?). Anyway, the best of luck with your rediscovered talent. When I retired, I started playing the tuba again after 50 brassless years, and have really enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

Funny you say that as when I put my horn in the case back in the 90's and pursued my percussion experiment, I really thought I would never play again. I had the opportunity to sell my 186 several times but in the the back of my mind, I thought if I did that, it would close the door for me to play again for sure. I could never sell it. I think going to orchestra concerts and sometimes not hearing good playing, and tired of the rock scene playing drums, my passion for the tuba has reignighted.

[roweenie]

"Two trumpet players - in the same room at the same time - who can cover those parts" are much more rare than "one tuba player who can cover the tuba parts".

+1

[TubaDrummer]

If you latch on to a good brass quintet, don't turn loose if you can possibly make scheduling adjustments to continue to stay involved.
"Two trumpet players - in the same room at the same time - who can cover those parts" are much more rare than "one tuba player who can cover the tuba parts".

(sorry...being Christmas time and all...) Sadly, one of two extraordinary (virtuoso-level) trumpeters in my quintet decided to do away with himself a few years ago. They were replaced with another person, but the level of mastery and ability to "immediately play anything written down by anyone" is no longer there. That chamber ensemble, in its current form - formerly, having been a literal "quintet machine" - has been quite an adjustment.

Certainly sad...
2 Excellent trumpet players for a quintet is hard to come by. Especially since I seem to only grow and learn (and really enjoy playing) when I am NOT the best player in the room.