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If I like tuba, does that mean that tuba likes me?

OBVIOUSLY, BBbis the best kind of tuba you can find out there!

I know there are people who say they sound “bland” or “vanilla”, but I like my YFB 822. It lets me sound like I did on my old Mirafone 185 CC, but slots in like I practice more than I get to these days.

TheTuba wrote:If I like tuba, does that mean that tuba likes me?

OBVIOUSLY, BBbis the best kind of tuba you can find out there!

I also agree, for 95% of the tubists out there who are NOT "Pro Orchestral" players...this means they are playing roots/jazz music or community band literature that is written for BBb tuba. Some of the most successful tuba players I know did it with 3 valve BBb horns in the jazz world go figure.

Have owned 6 tubas in my lifetime and all of them were BBb. From 3/4 to 6/4 size.

TUbajohn20J wrote:Have owned 6 tubas in my lifetime and all of them were BBb. From 3/4 to 6/4 size.

Whoah!

In high school, I was upgraded from cornet to BBb tuba, because that's all the school had. After a 10 year sabbatical from tuba (life got in the way) my wife purchased an Eb at an auction for $20. I have been playing Eb ever since and found it to do it all for what I play, including concert and marching bands, solos, quintet and orchestra.

TheTuba wrote:

TUbajohn20J wrote:Have owned 6 tubas in my lifetime and all of them were BBb. From 3/4 to 6/4 size.

Whoah!

I have that beat by a mile. Since picking up the horn again back in late 2013 I've owned 18 horns (all BBb) trying to find the right fit for my playing style. Either they are just clunkers or too stuffy of a newer chinese model. Ended up with what I have now and enjoy it.

I am a community concert band and occasional other gigs player. See my signature and the thread on my Bessophone.

"Other"

I own two BBbs and a trombone, but made my money on a military-issued G contrabass bugle. (technically "GG", I guess, since it's pitched lower than a BBb)

I used to consider myself an F tuba player, because during my undergraduate I focused a lot of energy into playing quintet, quartet, and solo repertoire. My CC really only saw active duty in the Symphony Orchestra, but then I started realizing that my PT-4 was miraculously in tune compared to my Mira"f"one 181 and so I used that for chamber groups. Now that I have realized that the only chance I have for future musical employment is going to involve my CC playing more so than F, I consider myself a CC player.

I read equally well on both, and I enjoy both for different reasons, but I want to get them sweet sweet gigs so CC is where I live.

Schlepporello wrote:For me, it's BBb or nuthin'. I tried to do EEb for a little while, but then I recovered.

You said it, Brother!!

It’s B-flat or no-flat.

Playing my Eb in a British brass band. If I were playing tuba in a concert band (not right now) I would use my BBb.

I don't do orchestras, get tired of counting rests!

BBb is my primary instrument.

I only own one tuba, but I like it, and it's a fat BAT BBb. However, after playing a King 2341 for a year I came to appreciate a smaller, lighter horn that plays really well. That got me to thinking strongly about going all the way and adding a 4/4 or larger Eb or F. I have performed on all the other brasses so am confident in learning new fingerings. Possibly the best path for me would be either one of the used Eb or F Tubas that Baltimore Brass always has for under $2G or just get a Wessex combo Eb/F travel tuba to see which fingering plays better in my head.
Pardon me for thinking out loud here.
BTW, Bloke - do you mind sharing how you tweaked your friend's 2341 and how it was improved? I did like that one I was borrowing, and it still speaks to me at times. Many thanks.

MN_TimTuba wrote:Possibly the best path for me would be either one of the used Eb or F Tubas that Baltimore Brass always has for under $2G or just get a Wessex combo Eb/F travel tuba to see which fingering plays better in my head.

I'd propose to forget about F, right off. I've actually used an F tuba for ordinary playing - I mean, nothing you'd have to audition for, just hacking around - and it was marginally OK, but it was the exception that proves the rule: an Amati 4V F helicon. With a relatively (I gather) productive low end. But I'm here to argue that ordinary F tubas are really a waste of time for anyone who is going to play, for example, the top line in band charts. The extra whole step of low end that you get with an Eb bass is huge. It means for one thing that you can expect a pretty solid, fat C, where the BBb contrabass is getting a little flabby due to max valve tubing. The big question (for me anyway) is really not whether I need an F tuba, but whether I can live with 3 valves on Eb. That commits you to the bass tuba role, there's no faking contrabass on 3 valves, but ... who am I kidding? there's no faking contrabass tuba on that thing anyway. What you do get is not just a lighter tuba, it's a slightly different instrument with a much more singing voice in its core range, like splitting the difference between tuba and euphonium, and when you're picking one, that's what you want to hear.

Anyway, I was really surprised that band players (supposedly) play F tubas, in that other poll. That just seems crazy to me. F tuba is about getting a very expensive instrument with many valves, to compete in orchestra auditions.

Primary instrument? Only 6/4 F tuba, ou can play low, high, solo, quintet - EVERYTHING on it. If You Are professional player F is enough for You i think

Primary and secondary are almost oblivious to me, since I don't really play tuba anywhere. I have a BBb and an EEb that I switch between every now and then. The BBb has a better low range and a fatter sound, but the EEb is more nimble and ergonomic (front valves)

I probably spend 60-70% of my total weekly playing time on my Miraphone Elektra. I probably use my F tuba for 90% of my work that pays.

I like the sound that I get out of my 3098 CC very much, but the Elektra is just easier for me to handle at this point in my life (musically and orthopedically), which is a trend that I only see progressing further in the future.

All my orchestral and quintet stuff I play on CC,
Jazz stuff I play on BBb, I have a 1937 four valve silver king 1256 sousaphone
Lessons I teach on BBb tuba, euphonium, and trombone.

bloke wrote:Tubas with 16' expanding bugles – "in C" – aren't particularly sharp-key friendly.
However, a 17' tuba - built-in B - certainly would be, and one particular orchestral excerpt which is asked at 100% of all auditions would certainly be easier to play.

No offense meant here, but I have noticed that in your posts you tend to "codify" certain things. Examples being when referring to foreign 6/4 york style tubas, criticisms of Wessex, the above, etc.

I'm not sure of the reasoning behind this but since you have been in the community for a long while and have experience with all sorts of tubas and tuba repertoire, your opinions on these things can be quite valuable, and new people who don't know what excerpt you are referring to may like to know what it is you are speaking about. I assume it could be either Ride of the Valkyries or Fountains of Rome based on the description, but i'm not even positive.