Facial Hair and Tuba

[Kpen]

Hey TubeNet, I was wondering on what y'all think about having facial hair as a tubist. Personally, I would love to keep my mustache and beard, but I am unsure of the consequences it could have on my playing. What are your thoughts on the matter. Also, what kind of facial hair would be inconsequential to playing tuba? Thanks!

[toobagrowl]

If you already have a beard and mustache and it works for you, then great. Have you tried shaving clean to see what it feels like when you play?

As for me, I'm usually clean-shaven. Sometimes I will do a practice or rehearsal with some stubble and I'm still fine with it. But years ago I tried growing out a beard for about a month or so to see what it was like. It started to really irritate me, my face always felt itchy/scratchy, and I didn't like how the whiskers near my mouth interfered with my embouchure. I finally got tired of it all and shaved it all off

[Jerryleejr]

I’ve tried both and noticed no noticeable difference YMMV...

JJ

[jpwell]

Beard n mustache don’t work for me.

[MikeW]

Shaving doesn't work well for me. If I shave real close I break out in boils when the beard tries to grow back. After a few days I have enough growth to be flexible enough to play on, but trying to keep it at that length is a real chore. My only option is to wear a full beard and play real wet to get an air seal. Looks gross, but at my age who's looking anyway (the beard is presentible when it's dry).

[timayer]

I've had a (generally short) beard and mustache since I was about 19. I've shaved it off a couple times in the past 15 years, and I've never liked how it felt to play clean-shaven (despite doing so throughout middle and high school - I don't know what to tell you). Whenever I've shaved it off, I always immediately started growing it back, so I never gave my face time to get used to playing clean shaven, and maybe that was the problem. But I like playing with short facial hair, and I've never considered it a hindrance. Although I'm also not playing in a major orchestra, so maybe it was.

[Tremozl]

I don't have any problems as long as I keep it neat. I have a mustache and goatee, shave the upper lip a bit, and use a 3mm (1/8") attachment on a clipper I have.
If I let it grow to 6mm then I begin to have problems, especially in the lower ranges.

I have a friend who can't play with even the slightest stubble, so he always shaves clean.

[Bill Troiano]

This often talked about subject amazes me in that some can play with facial hair and some can't. It must have something to do with the coarseness and thickness of the hair, mainly over the upper lip. I played for many years, with a mustache, when I was in my 20's and early 30's, and through my Guy Lombardo years. When I shaved it off, I did it merely for the looks. I don't recall any difference in the way I sounded or played. Fast forward to the late 90's, and I grew a goatee. After a few weeks, I noticed difficulty in producing a good sound in my low register. I began to keep it trimmed a lot, like the younger guys do today. I always had to keep it trimmed, or lose a 1/2 step on my low range every few days. I had it for a couple of months. One day, I shaved the whole thing off and I was amazed at the improvement in my overall tone and my low register seemed clear and easy. I'm not a thick beard kind of guy and I probably couldn't grow a decent looking full beard if I wanted to, but I guess my hair is thick and coarse in the goatee area. The upper lip area is the issue. A beard shouldn't have any affect, at all, and it's easy to trim the area right below the lower lip, if necessary.

So, no more facial hair for me, as long as I continue to play tuba. I have no desire to do the full beard thing without a mustache as a lot of players do. But my experience, and others, in having facial hair, shouldn't deter other tuba players from trying it. There are plenty of tuba guys with thick, full beards who play wonderfully. If you want to grow a beard or goatee, give it a try and find out for yourself.

[Donn]

The position of lips vs mouthpiece can be different, from one player to the next, which has something to do with it. I have the facial hair, but then I'm another player who hasn't been invited to take a seat in a major symphony, and that could be the reason. Or, you should see my snaggle teeth, maybe that's it. Anyway, not a huge expanse of upper lip in the mouthpiece, for me, so the moustache isn't in the way.

[Three Valves]

I’m going for the Amish/Who down in Whoville look...

[GC]

I went off tuba for 24 years and kept a full (but trimmed) beard for 20 of those years. When I started playing again I found that I had no low range with a hairy upper lip, so I went to the Amish/Lincoln/Leprechaun look. Four days of stubble, and I can't even hit a low Bb, much less pedals.

[Ernieball]

For me playing with more than about three or four days growth is really uncomfortable ... I'm jealous of those that say it makes no difference!

[Lee Stofer]

I've tried playing with facial hair, didn't seal well using a large mouthpiece, have been clean-shaven ever since.

[KingConnTuba]

I've tried playing with facial hair, didn't seal well using a large mouthpiece, have been clean-shaven ever since.

Same here. I tried and said forget it, tried without a mustache and concluded I looked even more stupid than usual.

[KingConnTuba]

Yep!

[IsaacTuba]

Personally I don't notice a difference. I've had a beard for a few months and then I shaved it to see if my results changed -- it felt a bit strange but nothing new. I grew it back out and by playing remains the same. Still have my high and low notes, down to double pedal D.

I think this kind of thing really depends on your facial structure, some people may be lucky and have a beard with no downsides on playing. I have another friend with this same luck, he has a pretty grown out beard and he sounds just as great as he did when he was shaven.

[iiipopes]

I've tried playing with facial hair, didn't seal well using a large mouthpiece, have been clean-shaven ever since.

Year before last, I did the "No-Shave November" for cancer awareness (one grandmother succumbed to lymph node cancer). It about ruined my playing with inability to "seal" the mouthpiece, causing cracked articulations, degraded slurs, and missed intonations. Everything came back when I shaved the beard off just before Memorial Day last year.

[MaryAnn]

Being a pretty official member (I think) of the TNFJ, I think I can say that don't have no stinking problems with facial hair.

[Patrase]

When I need to play in a serious context (for me that's limited to brass band competitions) I very closely shave my beard to almost nothing. Definitely improves the low register for me, playing Bb tuba. Wife hates it, but will sacrifice my looks for better performance

[Alex C]

If you have a mustache and/or facial hair just below the lower lip, you cannot create a good seal between the mouthpiece rim and the face. Air will leak out at some level. That might not be an issue on trumpet or horn but on tuba.... I think it is. Mr. Jacobs used to wear a pencil mustache just above his upper lip but when he played something important he shaved it off.

So decide for yourself, or be a lawyer and wear facial hair without thinking about it.