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So is it true that Arban's complete method for tuba is for CC tubas?

I'm playing a BBb, so which should I buy the trombone/euphonium or the tuba one?

Thanks!
-Raghul

Yes, the tuba Arban's book edited/whatever by Wes Jacobs is transposed for CC. Buy whichever edition you want the only difference is the valve or key you start a page on, but most exercises go through all of the keys. The keys might be different (can't remember) for the solos and whatnot at the back of the book, but if you're playing those it won't matter because you should be beyond the level where key matters.

I think the Carl Fischer trombone edition is better than the tuba one, as I recall the tuba one either having some stuff missing or maybe it was just moved and I couldn't find it. I have both and I have routinely just grabbed the trombone one when I go to work out of it. This preference could just be that I used the book for years before I even knew about/there was a tuba book and am just used to what I've had.

So, again, but what you want or can afford.

Just buy the book that says "tuba." CC and BBb fill the same roll (i.e. contrabass tuba parts) so anything written for CC specifically can be done on a BBb. The Arbans I used just said tuba. (I think it was Complete Method for Tuba) And I played through the book on BBb.

The Tuba Arban's book by Jerry Young & Wesley Jacobs has been transposed to make the exercises work for CC Tuba the same as they do for BBb instruments with the original. So exercises that were made to start on open notes like F on a Bb instrument will start on G in the Tuba book. The Tuba book doesn't have the Solos "Like Carnival of Venice" like the Trumpet and Trombone books do, they are fun to work on even if you never intend to perform them, and it pisses trumpet players off when you play parts of them on Tuba better than they do on Trumpet. There is some Duets in the back of the Tuba book that aren't in the Trombone version. Not everything in any of the Arban's books are done in all keys, the Trombone and Trumpet books are heavy on flat keys while the Tuba book has the exercises in some Sharp keys that aren't found in the Trombone and Trumpet Versions. I actually have a copy of the Original Trumpet Version (that I use mostly for Treble Clef, Euphonium Practice), the Trombone Version, and the Tuba Version. There is some benefit as a Tuba Player of owning both the Trombone and Tuba versions since they don't both contain all the same material, in all of the keys. If you don't mind playing things down an octave from where they are written as a Bb player I would start with the Trombone Edition, and consider getting the Tuba Edition at some point in the Future for the additional keys and materials not found in the Trombone version. I haven't seen the edited version of BBb Tuba but as suggested that would probably be a good starting point also. There is some benefit to owning multiple versions since not all of them contain all the materials in the others. I realize they are expensive and I certainly got mine one at a time over several decades of playing, but now that I have them I find myself going back and forth between them for different materials that aren't included in the other versions. FYI the Trumpet version is available as a free download on IMSLIP and is in the public Domain so you can download it and print out individual exercises as you wish (if you're going to try to print the whole book just buy a copy it will be cheaper in the long run).

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Get the free trumpet one first.

Stryk wrote:Hmmm - why not just use the trumpet book? An Arban tuba book seems kind of silly when there are other good options - trumpet and trombone.

I did find the Tuba book Transposed for C Tuba helpful when I was getting used to CC Tuba, since I already had played the Exercises from the Trombone book and was familiar with them, looking at them and playing the exercises transposed for the CC Tuba helped quite a bit. I would recommend the Tuba book for anyone learning CC Tuba.

Stryk wrote:

Radar wrote: I would recommend the Tuba book for anyone learning CC Tuba.

To each their own. I would think it more valuable to reinforce reading down an octave with a trombone book, or learning to play in treble clef with a trumpet book. Those are real life reading skills you will encounter playing.

Isn't that a little "advanced??"

I vote for learning tuba with a tuba book.

Definitely better to get the trombone book and read it down an octave. That way you’re used to it for things like the Rochut book, instead of reading Bordogni.

Stryk wrote:

Radar wrote: I would recommend the Tuba book for anyone learning CC Tuba.

To each their own. I would think it more valuable to reinforce reading down an octave with a trombone book, or learning to play in treble clef with a trumpet book. Those are real life reading skills you will encounter playing.

I think you missed the part where I was already familiar with playing from the trombone book down an octave on a BBb Tuba. That's why I found the Tuba book helpful when learning the CC Tuba fingerings. I was able to put the visual notes on the staff together with the fingerings I already knew. I agree learning to read the Trombone book down an octave is a good skill to have, especially when they hand you a string bass part to play. So far with there no brass bands in our area I haven't found a need for reading Treble clef on Tuba, but I do use it alot on Euphonium.

Coming to tuba recently from decades of playing trombone, I’ve been reading so much trombone stuff down an octave that I can do it much more easily than reading music for tuba directly, so I recently ordered a tuba edition of Bordogni, to work more on reading music for tuba in its native transposition.

TheTuba wrote:So is it true that Arban's complete method for tuba is for CC tubas?

So all these years that I have been playing from this book on my BBb and F tubas has been wrong?

Doc wrote:Young man, when I was your age, we used the Trombone book, and we liked it!

Thank you, but...

TheTuba wrote:So is it true that Arban's complete method for tuba is for CC tubas?

I'm playing a BBb, so which should I buy the trombone/euphonium or the tuba one?

Thanks!
-Raghul

Since you are playing BBb, you might be interested in the version of the Arban book edited by Joe Alessi and Brian Bowman, and read it down an octave. It is the complete method and includes the materials that were left out of the more common trombone version (edited by Simone Mantia) that I grew up with.