Use of Tubas in Church

[OldBandsman]

Just to add another positive note...
I've been playing in church for a couple of months. I sit next to the choir and play the bass line on the hymns. We have a flute player who joins in on the melody. If the melody is real good on tuba I'll take a couple of verses.

Easter we end the service with Halleluia Chorus with lots of folks down front singing. I had wonderful time running that bass line.

I've been getting compliments from people in the pews.

I think it's great to make joyful noises!!

John

[dmmorris]

........do you guys think acompanying her with tuba would be a good idea?

I do this regularly. I love playing bass line on hymns. The tuba gives you a nice palette of timbres…..depending on the type of song, or the part your covering. Tuba allow you to schmaltz-it-up more than you could on bass if your doing melody on an occasional verse. I’ll even occasionally toss a mic down the bell and go through an amp eq’d so as to emulate the punch of an electric bass doing walking lines if the song is one of those “cheesy-contemporary-Christian-pop-praise-songsâ€

[Will]

I love how people are speechless after I play a solo on the tuba in church. They always say they never knew how beautifully a tuba could sound and play.

[LoyalTubist]

TUBA--Large brass instrument. Not very pretty. May be a sousaphone, tuba, or other forms. Don't use them unless you don't have anything else to take its place. And try not using more than one. Remember, worship music is for the glory of God. A tuba cannot serve that purpose.

Bill- Your copy was smudged. It's supposed to read "TUBA PLAYER -- Not very pretty... "

I have to show this to Hanh!

[LoyalTubist]

Before leaving for church on Sunday morning (or any time if you can get TBN) turn your TV set to a Sunday morning worship service of either a local church in your area or one of the better known churches nationally and see who uses even one tuba. I think what the guy said in that book caught on!

[LoyalTubist]

I know of churches in my area that have instrumental programs for kids, since some of the schools are dropping theirs.

[iiipopes]

Yes, a local Lutheran school starts them in 4th grade. I started in 5th, and all of the area public schools have dropped 5th and are starting in 6th.

[LoyalTubist]

I didn't say schools. I said churches. They do it on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday night.

[iiipopes]

I didn't say schools. I said churches. They do it on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday night.

Sorry! I thought you meant parochial schools. Either way, I'm glad to see music taught.

[LoyalTubist]

I usually say what I mean.

[LoyalTubist]

I wonder if this explains some of the really bad church orchestra arrangements that have made their way across my stand over the years.

Nope! Those are the direct result of Larry Goss trying to arrange orchestral parts from a piano score without considering how many people he's got doubling parts.

We know the parts well.

[Daryl Fletcher]

[geomiklas]

In 1996 at our church, we put on the Christmas Cantata Christmas At Home. The choir director listened to the sound track and wanted a live orchestra. The problem came when he tried to rent the orchestra parts and found it cost inhibitive, and that the orchestration would not be well-represented with our volunteer instrumentation. The choir director then asked me to transcribe the sound track. We had two flutes, two violins, two trumpets, alto horn, trombone and tuba. The transcription sounded great! along with the organ, piano, and a synthesizer filling in parts.

Two months ago, we started up a church orchestra for Sunday evening services. Our orchestration hasn't changed much...one flute, three violins, one cornet, two trombones, and tuba. Everyone in the congregation is appreciative of the added dimension that the instrumentation give to 20+ minutes of hymns.

GM

[Shockwave]

The sound of the trumpet plays a big part in the bible, as a description of the sound of god arriving on the mountain, or knocking down the walls of Jehrico. It usually doesn't refer to specifically a trumpet being sounded, but that the sound was like that of a blown horn that is translated as trumpet. Actually back then they blew a rams horn, which makes a quite mellow, low pitched sound compared to what we consider a trumpet. So god's preferred sound is low pitched, mellow, and powerful enough to shake the ground.

So if you want to impersonate god, play a tuba.

-Eric

[LoyalTubist]

Something was said about Lari Goss. I think I have played every part for tuba or 4th trombone he ever wrote. Here is something from his website:

http://larigoss.homestead.com/Information.html

[MartyNeilan]

The sound of the trumpet plays a big part in the bible, as a description of the sound of god arriving on the mountain, or knocking down the walls of Jehrico.
-Eric

Let us not forget another one of the Biblical marching band directors, Gideon.
Read about it in the translation of your choice in Judges 7:16-22

[LoyalTubist]

Something was said about Lari Goss. I think I have played every part for tuba or 4th trombone he ever wrote. Here is something from his website:

http://larigoss.homestead.com/Information.html

I have to laugh. On this site, he refers to choir and musicians, the ultimate putdown for a singer!