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The area I live in isnt big even though its a college town, and in the south you're only going to hear one thing. Football. Luckily this little college town managed to salvage enough interest to start a community orchestra. As small as it is it still draws a good crowd when they do their performances throughout the year. The thing is they have no bass line besides a couple of bass trombones, euphoniums, cellos, and bassoons and I just joined a community band after a long time away from the horn and am playing on a BBb now. My question is since they have no kind of audition requirements or instrument requirements, if the conductor was to pick something from lets say Prokofiev for an example or any orchestral piece, would a BBb still be able to take the roll of a CC in some pieces? I've heard that some ensembles are using BBb over CC.

BBb or CC does not matter. In fact, Prokofiev tends to lie better on a BBb.

I played in the Community Symphony (RIP) in Austin and was an alternate for the Mesquite Symphony near Dallas back in the deeps of time, and rarely brought anything but my Bb tuba. I had occasion to play an F, but I never missed having a C.

Remember that German orchestras routinely used Bb and F tubas as the standard until not very long ago. I bet their amateur orchestras still do.

You have the responsibility to play the parts correctly no matter what instrument you bring, but assuming that, nobody except tuba players who know the instruments by sight will be able to tell whether you brought a Bb or a C tuba. They probably can’t even tell the difference between a bass and a contrabass tuba, unless played in sequence.

Enjoy the opportunity—it’s rare for amateurs.

Rick “envious” Denney

I play in a small orchestra like that in Sequim, WA The Sequim Community Orchestra. The tunes are ones left over from when the conductor organized a high-level youth orchestra and they are just fine for us. If you already own a horn you can play in tune, you are pretty much ready to go. (If you have a jones to get something new and shiny, who am I to tell you no?) I use a 3/4 size BBb (Olds 099-4) and it works great. If it were a bigger group, I would want a 4/4 horn. Since I also play in a 50 piece concert band, I also have a 4/4 1241 King BBb. I am learning how to "play the tuba" which in order to do, you need to play with a group and be a good member of the orchestra. I spend a lot of time sitting there not doing anything because the strings are being coached but I figured out if I listened to the conductor, I would learn more about the music and be ready when the time comes. I think that is a part of the "good member of the orchestra" thing.

Bb should be fine, unless you get into the repertoire originally written for Opheclide or Bass Saxhorn; then you will wish for an Eb, F or maybe a euphonium.

Rick Denney wrote:I played in the Community Symphony (RIP) in Austin and was an alternate for the Mesquite Symphony near Dallas back in the deeps of time, ....

You'll be pleased that the Austin area now has a few community (pay to play, as bloke says) orchestras. Still not many spots open for tuba players, of course.

The couple of amateur orchestras I have had a chance to play in (trombone) had decent brass and wind sections and bad strings. So I spent most of my time sitting there listening to strings rehearse. I quit both in fairly short order. It could be fun with the right group and a good MD, though.

The Big Ben wrote:................. but I figured out if I listened to the conductor, I would learn more about the music and be ready when the time comes.........

This! No matter what group you're in.

Sadly true that there isn’t always a tuba part in orchestral music, but there may be opportunities for creative substitutions if your conductor is game. I helped fill out a small (string) bass section, and it was fun to play a challenging part and learn to match tone and attack with the strings. I’m willing to bet your community orchestra doesn’t have a contrabassoon, so that could be a part to fill. You might need to educate your music librarian that a serpent or opheclide part is for you.

Yane wrote:Sadly true that there isn’t always a tuba part in orchestral music, but there may be opportunities for creative substitutions if your conductor is game. I helped fill out a small (string) bass section, and it was fun to play a challenging part and learn to match tone and attack with the strings. I’m willing to bet your community orchestra doesn’t have a contrabassoon, so that could be a part to fill. You might need to educate your music librarian that a serpent or opheclide part is for you.

In the old Community Symphony in Austin, we started with one string bass player, a retired Austin Symphony pro. She told the conductor she wouldn’t stay unless I doubled the bass parts wherever possible, so that she wasn’t all by herself. I played many bass parts after that. Not too different from playing band transcriptions, actually.

Rick “not to be confused with the Austin Civic Orchestra, a much bigger and better group in those days and now staffed by a certain well-known collector” Denney

I did find out last week that the if I was interested in joining them, both the vice president of the board and the MD would like to hear me play a piece they're going to start rehearsing for their concert next month....yeah no pressure at all on that...

mmburntcheez wrote:I did find out last week that the if I was interested in joining them, both the vice president of the board and the MD would like to hear me play a piece they're going to start rehearsing for their concert next month....yeah no pressure at all on that...

Do they want you to play it in mono or stereo?

Jeff "These things matter, you know" Benedict

The Big Ben wrote:Do they want you to play it in mono or stereo?
Jeff "These things matter, you know" Benedict

Why not go all the way!?

windshieldbug wrote:

The Big Ben wrote:Do they want you to play it in mono or stereo?
Jeff "These things matter, you know" Benedict

Why not go all the way!?

What is that even called?

and uhh...
just why?

cWEED wrote:

windshieldbug wrote:

The Big Ben wrote:Do they want you to play it in mono or stereo?
Jeff "These things matter, you know" Benedict

Why not go all the way!?

What is that even called?

and uhh...
just why?

Why not?

Jeff "You have questions? I have answers." Benedict

mmburntcheez wrote:The area I live in isnt big even though its a college town, and in the south you're only going to hear one thing. Football. Luckily this little college town managed to salvage enough interest to start a community orchestra. As small as it is it still draws a good crowd when they do their performances throughout the year. The thing is they have no bass line besides a couple of bass trombones, euphoniums, cellos, and bassoons and I just joined a community band after a long time away from the horn and am playing on a BBb now. My question is since they have no kind of audition requirements or instrument requirements, if the conductor was to pick something from lets say Prokofiev for an example or any orchestral piece, would a BBb still be able to take the roll of a CC in some pieces? I've heard that some ensembles are using BBb over CC.

I spent 30 years with a DC-area Community Orchestra that is one of the better non-paying groups in the area (they do pay the principal strings) and often would be staffed here and there by wind players from the various DC military bands. I joined the group while in college - the orchestra called my school (University of Maryland) looking for someone to come audition that night for a spot to play on an upcoming concert. They asked for Symphonie Fantastique, the Vaughn Williams, the Hindemith, and a piece of my choosing. This was at 3:00 PM for a 7:00 audition. As a sophomore, I had NONE of that stuff worked up - I didn't even have copies of the stuff. And since this was the mid 80's I was the ONLY tuba major at that point. So I showed up and the Director said he wanted to hear the Berlioz first. I told him "I'm sorry, I don't have any of the requested works for you and didn't have time to obtain and prepare them on 4 hours notice. I can play things for you I've been working, a few etudes and a solo". He said ok, and I played them - he asked me to try a few things differently largely to see if I was willing / able to make adjustments (I was) and then offered me the spot. Later I figured out they were just asking for things they had heard of with no real real regard for much else.

In all that time I can tell you it didn't matter what instrument I played as long as it sounded good. Horn selection was always up to me - if it was too loud, I would get the hand. If a solo didn't align with what the conductor wanted, he would tell me. Personally I found finger patterns on CC to be easier than BBb once I got a CC horn. If you go in, play your best and treat the opportunity as professionally as possible you'll be fine.

I have always wished for a section audition.....many fine soloists are not the best section players, and many very good section players are not the best soloists. And to me it makes sense to just bring someone in for a rehearsal, music given to them ahead of time, and see what happens. In community groups it often happens that a person is just recruited because their skill level is known. Pro groups too, sometimes.

Most community orchestras don't play demanding pieces to begin with. I'd say BBb or CC would be perfectly fine.