From tuba to bass trombone?

[iiipopes]

I have also played with the spectrum, from the low brass professor at a regional university that is retired Navy and could play his Greenhoe anywhere he wanted to, but chose to teach instead to the infinite benefit to thousands of low brass students, to well-meaning hobbyists who sounded like the jake brake on a truck. I really appreciate a good bass bone player, especially since as tubists we usually sit in close proximity to them.

[eupher61]

The worst advice I was given when trying to double was to get the biggest damn bass bone mpc I could find. At the time, the biggest was a Bach 1 1/4 GM--extra wide backbore.

The problem, obviously, was airflow. What that big ahole (take it to mean the person giving the advice and an analogy for the backbore) did is give me no chance to get a good bass trombone sound, much less endurance. I eventually went to a 1G, which was a little more difficult to play but gave me a better sound.

The last gig I played on bass bone, and almost the last time I played it at all, was Barnum and Bailey's some 18 years ago. 9 shows over 5 days. By the time Sunday came around, the last 2 shows, I was playing with my left elbow on my left thigh, holding the horn with my palm up so I was working the F trigger with my index finger, 2nd trigger with the thumb. Total, absolute, devestating pain. Fortunately, there was a hot tub at home at the time, and I was soaking just the arm in that every night, or it would have been a lot worse.

Looking back, I had no business playing that gig, but it was an experience I'll never forget nor personally regret; but, it wasn't the best played bass trombone in B&B history, to say the least.

I can still play bone, do so very rarely but on a tenor my sound is decent and slide technique is absolutely no problem.

[tbn.al]

Sorry about making you seem so young! Now that I have gone back and re-read your post, I realize I'm just a punk kid!

Now you know why I don't put up a picture. The old bald head doesn't fit with the immature posts. I have only been playing tuba 5 years, so I'm really a youngster.

I went back and checked the cup depth on all those mp's and was really surprised at the results. The cups on all 3 are the same depth and the rims are all between 29 and 30mm. They don't play the same at all. Don't know what to make of it. The Bach 30E appears to be more bowl shaped and the Schilke 60 the most conical. The Marcinkiewicz has has the same throat but the Schilke the larger backbore. The Bach is by far the heaviest and the largest throat. Go figure. I like the Bach for cellar work, the Schilke for orchestra and the Marcinkiewicz for jazz.

[TexTuba]

I am a tuba player who decided he wanted to learn the bass trombone. I believe it's a great doubling instrument and will help in the long run with teaching opportunities and/or gigs. I use a Griego .25 and that's as close to a tuba mpc. you're going to get! I have found that it does not mess up my chops, but it does take time to adjust from one to the other. And it should, considering that they ARE two entirely different beasts. I personally say go for it! Good luck and have fun!

Ralph