How tall are you (and tuba players on average)?

[sailracer90]

I am 5'7" there is one guy in the tuba studio here at lsu that is 7'3" and another thats 6'10" if that helps, haha, their names are both andrew, we call em the andies

[eupher61]

well, there's Fritz Kaenzig, who's considerably below 6' tall...Floyd Cooley isn't particularly tall, is he?
I'm just a tad under 6'.

[Bob Kolada]

I am 5'7" there is one guy in the tuba studio here at lsu that is 7'3" and another thats 6'10" if that helps, haha, their names are both andrew, we call em the andies

Damnit....

[tofu]

well, there's Fritz Kaenzig, who's considerably below 6' tall...Floyd Cooley isn't particularly tall, is he?
I'm just a tad under 6'.

and don't forget Dan Perantoni who makes Fritz look large!

[LoyalTubist]

I'm 5'10". Until my 51st birthday, I weighed nearly 220 pounds. I'm now down to 165.

I read somewhere that most tuba manufacturers consider 178 cm the optimal height for a tubist. That's me!

[Tuba-G Bass]

5' 11" and luckily I have lost 35lbs since starting CPAP in February,
a whole lot more to go
Most of the Tuba players in my area are the same height.

[Mark E. Chachich]

I am 6' 6", 205 lbs.

Mark

[Wyvern]

5' 11" weighing 15 stone

[Steve Marcus]

I'm 5' 3 1/2" (every half inch counts when you're this short), but that doesn't stop me from loving to play the largest tubas! (he quipped, wishing that he had the requisite large sousaphone to join in the next "Jumbo Summit")

Actually, my height was a somewhat self-imposed reason for an unwanted delay in starting to play tuba. I loved the sound of the tuba and its role in ensembles. I secretly wanted to play tuba from a very young age. But I was mercilessly teased for being the shortest kid in class. Playing the tuba/sousaphone would have only exacerbated the situation.

I've tried as an adult to make up for time lost with the tuba in my younger years. Every minute that I practice or perform with the tuba is precious to me. I have taken the advice of Gene P., Roger L., Rex M., and others by purchasing a Baltimore Brass tuba stand rather than rely upon tacky-surfaced shelf liner placed on my thighs to support the tuba. (I had had a bad experience with a K&M tuba stand some years ago--it wouldn't go LOW enough to allow the tuba to be at the proper height for me. So I abandoned the idea of a tuba stand until fairly recently.)

As a reference, here are photos with me and my Nirschl 4/4 (some call it a 5/4) CC tuba. I have had success (I think) playing 6/4 tubas in rehearsal and performance and loved the experience. But I will never let go of this Nirschl. Several who have tried it have stated that it has the warmth and fullness of a 6/4 tuba with the clarity of a 4/4 horn, and it plays more easily than some 6/4 tubas.






And just to show that a short guy can handle a big horn, here I am playing a loaned Conn 46K Jumbo Sousaphone with my Dixieland band:

[Wyvern]

Steve, I have seen the video of you playing that 46K and you sound great!

Pleased you so enjoy your Nirschl 4/4 - sounds like a perfect fit for you!

All the best,
Jonathan

[tubabuddha]

6' 7" for me

[J. Laux]

I am 6'5"