Why the snickering?

[Easty621]

I have observed two things at orchestra concerts and I want to know why people keep doing it. The first is that whenever the tubist inserts a mute a substantial number of audience members tap the shoulder of the person sitting next to them and make a scene of pointing at the tuba player. It’s like they’ve seen a UFO. The second is that whenever a tuba has a solo (this happened when I went to Mahler 6) I can hear the audience members sitting around me start snickering to themselves. The tuba attracts way too much humor.

[Chuck(G)]

It's a funny instrument! Don't expect people to change their opinions or fellow orchestra members to suddenly develop respect for your musical abilities..<img src="http://i21.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/5c/d4/bd_1_bo.JPG" align="right">

[windshieldbug]

I have observed two things at orchestra concerts and I want to know why people keep doing it. The first is that whenever the tubist inserts a mute a substantial number of audience members tap the shoulder of the person sitting next to them and make a scene of pointing at the tuba player

I had a discussion with a contemporary composer regarding this once. At a climactic moment of the piece, he specifies muted tuba. I wondered about what the possible tone color this person was going for. They informed me that they did not intend the tuba to be heard at all, that it was solely for the prurient symbolism only, which the audience could not miss.

[Captain Sousie]

NO ONE sees us in the serious light beneath which our egos bask. No one.

Makes me feel kind of like a trumpet player

[Captain Sousie]

NO ONE sees us in the serious light beneath which our egos bask. No one.

Makes me feel kind of like a trumpet player

Nah. EVERYONE loves those guys. Just ask them . . . any of them.

too true

[windshieldbug]

People laugh at us because we look like a doofus

well... in YOUR case...

[windshieldbug]

we look like a doofus

Yo! Spelling Nazi! WE is a plural, therefore, if "We" look like anything, it's Doofi!

[Chuck(G)]

And for you double-bassists, here is an actual review of a really great performance:

One of Mozart's final pieces was a concert aria, Per Questa Bella Mano, for bass voice with solo double bass obbligato. It is one of the strangest pieces he ever wrote. Played by Love Persson, who stood beside Quasthoff, the double bass part is thrillingly, ludicrously virtuosic. For all Persson's heroic efforts, the effect was pure comedy, as the double bass's low-register chuntering dramatised the serene text, a hymn to fidelity.

Quasthoff explained the reason for this unique and baffling work: Mozart knew that the orchestra's double bass player had his eye on Mozart's wife, Constanze; the ridiculously demanding solo was designed as the sweetest kind of musical humiliation.

Quasthoff's sensuous vocal line was in complete contrast to the blood and sweat of Persson's playing until the end of the aria, when the double bass played the tune, and Quasthoff became the accompanist; the final comic turn in this perfectly pitched musical farce.

There you go--all that time and money spent developing one's technique on an instrument, only to be described as "ludicrously virtuosic" by some reviewer.

[Kevin Hendrick]

... WE is a plural ...

We is? (I amn't ...)

... if "We" look like anything, it's Doofi!

That wouldn't be Guillaume Doofi, would it?

[Chuck(G)]

If this doesn't even get one guffaw out of you, you've got no sense of the ridiculous.

<img src="http://webzoom.freewebs.com/tubonium/Sc ... itting.jpg" align="left"><img src="http://blogs.ocregister.com/mangan/arch ... utter.jpeg" align="right">

[finnbogi]

And for you double-bassists, here is an actual review of a really great performance:

One of Mozart's final pieces was a concert aria, Per Questa Bella Mano, for bass voice with solo double bass obbligato. It is one of the strangest pieces he ever wrote. Played by Love Persson, who stood beside Quasthoff, the double bass part is thrillingly, ludicrously virtuosic. For all Persson's heroic efforts, the effect was pure comedy, as the double bass's low-register chuntering dramatised the serene text, a hymn to fidelity.

Quasthoff explained the reason for this unique and baffling work: Mozart knew that the orchestra's double bass player had his eye on Mozart's wife, Constanze; the ridiculously demanding solo was designed as the sweetest kind of musical humiliation.

Quasthoff's sensuous vocal line was in complete contrast to the blood and sweat of Persson's playing until the end of the aria, when the double bass played the tune, and Quasthoff became the accompanist; the final comic turn in this perfectly pitched musical farce.

There you go--all that time and money spent developing one's technique on an instrument, only to be described as "ludicrously virtuosic" by some reviewer.

I saw this piece at a lunchtime concert last year, and it was a real comedy act.
To the uninitiated, it must be similar to seeing a tubist play the Czardas.
They also did Deh, vieni alla finestra from Don Giovanni, with the mandolin part played on double bass.

[Dan Schultz]

Why worry about snickering and snide comments? After all... it IS entertainment! That's what they came for. Most of those folks in the audience don't know squat about music, anyway. Especially tubas! Whenever I use my huge 'frankenhelicon' on stage (NOT for the philharmonic), there's always someone saying "what the hell is that?"

[Easty621]

All of that stuff that the elephant brought out are reasons why - when on stage - I try to keep motion to a minimum (My piston tubas have SEVERAL waterkeys...NO SPINNING !!!)...and try to avoid using mutes...(unless the CONDUCTOR notices that the tuba part is muted).

The only problem is that whenever the tuba player puts his/her tuba up (if he/she has a really shinny tuba) the bright lights reflect off the bell and into the eyes of the audience members, which is almost always followed by a look back there by the audience. And you know what they are thinking, "that dang tuba player."

[TubaRay]

It always amazes me at how often we hear of the Hellenburg, or Hellenberg, mouthpiece. That's almost as common as the "vintage" instruments of Ebay.

[windshieldbug]

That's almost as common as the "vintage" instruments of Ebay.

"... in extremely good condition for its age!"

[Rick Denney]

It always amazes me at how often we hear of the Hellenburg, or Hellenberg, mouthpiece. That's almost as common as the "vintage" instruments of Ebay.

Or "Hirshbrunner", which at least follows the correct pronunciation.

The names of people are a little different, because that's messing with someone's identity. I really do get tired of my name being spelled like the restaurant name, even though I'm entirely used to it. I expect those who we talk about frequently probably get tired of their names being misspelled, too. It's usually easy enough to tell whether it's an honest typo or a mistake of ignorance, the latter of which is correctable (and usually appreciated, at least by grownups).

Rick "amused but not annoyed" Denney

[tubatooter1940]

Why any tuba player would want to be taken seriously escapes me. The huge horn is a hook. People want to hear you blow it and who cares if they are predisposed to laugh. They are paying attention and that's all any good musician needs starting out.
We can then impress them with our power and speed or milk the laughs all the way to the bank.

[TubaRay]

That's almost as common as the "vintage" instruments of Ebay.

"... in extremely good condition for its age!"

Well, of course.

[TubaRay]

It always amazes me at how often we hear of the Hellenburg, or Hellenberg, mouthpiece. That's almost as common as the "vintage" instruments of Ebay.

Or "Hirshbrunner", which at least follows the correct pronunciation.

The names of people are a little different, because that's messing with someone's identity. I really do get tired of my name being spelled like the restaurant name, even though I'm entirely used to it. I expect those who we talk about frequently probably get tired of their names being misspelled, too. It's usually easy enough to tell whether it's an honest typo or a mistake of ignorance, the latter of which is correctable (and usually appreciated, at least by grownups).

Rick "amused but not annoyed" Denney

And thank you for those comments, Mister Reek Dennie. I'm so glad I'm a spellllling exspert.

[lgb&dtuba]

To the uninitiated, it must be similar to seeing a tubist play the Czardas.

Steve Sykes played a concert with us a few years ago, the only concert as such we've done in the past 10 years, and played Czardas. He told a pretty funny story about it to the audience and that had them laughing. Then he played it. After that they gave him a standing ovation.

The man was funny - the tubist was a virtuoso.

And as nice a guy as you'll ever meet.

JIm Wagner