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Today is "early morning" for this thread. I worked until 2:30 a.m. overnight, and only got a couple hours sleep. So since I did not get to sleep my normal allotment per night, it is still early morning from my perspective as I go get my second cup of coffee; therefore I am entitled to post at this time today.

2nd cup down and contemplating #3.
First tuba thoughts today-

Just ordered Modern Flexibilities for Brass by Scott Belck -hope it comes today.

After my evening tuba studies/on-line (when it's to late to play) My first thought this morning: I'm spending to much time on flexibility and not enough time on strength/long tones. I will bring Caruso back into my routine.

I see the tuba as a cello. For those of you that are more advanced bassists including arco it is interesting to imagine playing on the finger board with a bow as you play tuba.

I wish there was more playing ideas tossed around tubenet than all the horn/mouthpiece fuss... but I am guilty as well.

I guess I'll skip the tuba convention. I have paying gigs that I will enjoy. Sure would like to try some of the new horns.
Wonder if I would find something I like better than my Nirschl- just creates more trouble/better stay away.

Early thoughts during coffee are random ... now I have to catch up on contracts for gigs, a woodworking project and spend time with my daughter home from college.

Life is good in my early morning tuba world.

Tim

First tuba thoughts:

"I should probably get my butt to wind ensemble rehearsal." and "Why are we playing Music for Prague first thing in the morning?"

"I should have picked flute" -Me as I carry my Hirsbrunner up and down the stairs.

Though breaking the rules of the thread by answering in the afternoon, my tuba-related thoughts are the same every morning as I have my first cup of coffee: I wish all I had to do this morning was a full, long, relaxed warm-up.

But....that would wake the baby. And my wife. And it would not end up being full, long, or relaxed as a result.

So, coffee and the Think System it is.

finishing my coffee before heading into my studio for morning practice session. Before finishing the coffee I'd been:

thinking about how I've ended up with three incredibly high quality large BBbs (one over the shoulder helicon and two concert tubas), because that's what all my music jobs have required for some time now.

thinking about how nice it would be to pick up that beautiful York EEb (work by Bloke) that has come up for sale again.

thinking (somewhat regretfully) about how I will spend that money instead on painting my old house this summer.

That my schlipf mute would arrive soon so I could practice without waking the wife and/or kiddo.

Right now, I'm sitting and trying to homework, but really just surfing web.

I have a Geometry assignment, 30 vocab cards, tests to study for (AP human, Biology, Hindi). Also a biology Research paper.
Will get started now.....

Had to leave home at 4:30 to go to the airport. I was afraid of oversleeping and missing my flight (has happened before), so I basically stayed up all night.

General tuba thoughts...
-- I used to be a better tuba player
-- No wait, I'm a better player now, I'm just out of shape
-- No wait, I'm about the same, but out of shape, and own a nicer instrument
-- Wait, wait, I know, I'm a better player, out of shape, and own a *bigger* instrument
-- I should have slept last night!

Great rehearsal last night. Played until 10. Sleeping my midnight. Already warming up this morning.

YORK-aholic wrote:Which time zone are we using for reference?

Like adult beverages, it's 7:00 somewhere where there is also a tuba...

Should I shave my mustache? Do I want to look like a doofus, or sound like a doofus?

7:26 AM.......

Which project can I wreck today?

Wait...............there's a 7:30 in the AM too?

Mark Finley wrote:... I'll put about 600 miles on my car.

Have you often been reimbursed more for mileage than for showing up to the gig??

Voisi1ev wrote:Should I shave my mustache? Do I want to look like a doofus, or sound like a doofus?

Try clearing off a little notch in the middle, just enough that the middle of your upper lip peeks out and a hint of skin above it. No guarantees, either that it help playing or look acceptable.

Big news coming. Maybe. Probably months down the road. New day for tuba players, worth waiting for.

It's before 7:30, but not before first dose of coffee. Nothing before breakfast & coffee.

bloke wrote:...increasing pressure from customers to get their broken instruments repaired.

I take it your customers don't have the interwebs to find out what you are really up to??

Especially that fat dimwit that drinks too much and smells so bad you are always talking about??

Is it better to make a fresh half gallon of coffee or to continue to drink the full gallon that someone on the previous shift made but in no way made a dent in? I have two coffee cups in front of me, one insulated, and the other a traditional mug. There's a ball of yarn in the mug because I'm test-knitting a lace shawl for a designer. Is it still lunch if my meal break is at 4 am? I eat breakfast when I get home from work, and supper before I leave.

I want to buy a rigid heddle loom, but for the same cost, I could get a new leadpipe, one that would allow me to put my tuba on my shoulder when I stand to play instead of using the strap/belt across my back and shoulders. Of course, with a loom, I could weave a wide, sturdy strap to support my tuba when I'm standing to play. I could weave them in different colors for different occasions.

I don't want to hear your whining about early morning.......LOL

Up at 5:00 a.m. every day.
On the roads by 6:30 a.m.
Cup one and two on the road.......
Will see two or three drivers who want to pass in no passing zones and not stop at school buses picking up lids. Easy call to state troopers of deputies on the road.
School by 7:30 getting ready for the lovely job of teaching baroque music history to 7th graders who need to get a clue.....
Cup number three as I listen to Errol Garner doing classics.......
Third period at 10:00 and teaching a 9th grade convert from clarinet to tuba........
It only gets better as I get out of school at 3:00 just to discover that I'm on the rotation for afternoon/evening patrol duty....
Get home after midnight just to repeat.....

I sleep 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM

then back to studying..........

Tom Mason wrote:I don't want to hear your whining about early morning.......LOL

Up at 5:00 a.m. every day.
On the roads by 6:30 a.m.
Cup one and two on the road.......
Will see two or three drivers who want to pass in no passing zones and not stop at school buses picking up lids. Easy call to state troopers of deputies on the road.
School by 7:30 getting ready for the lovely job of teaching baroque music history to 7th graders who need to get a clue.....
Cup number three as I listen to Errol Garner doing classics.......
Third period at 10:00 and teaching a 9th grade convert from clarinet to tuba........
It only gets better as I get out of school at 3:00 just to discover that I'm on the rotation for afternoon/evening patrol duty....
Get home after midnight just to repeat.....

I'm always more appreciate of my teaching gig in that we don't have weird duties like working the ticket stand at athletic events or this patrol you speak of.