Making money as a tubist

[goldenmoose]

Hey Guys,
Living in Orlando provides me the oppurtunity of playing at the many theme parks in the area. I can go to school and still make money playing the tuba.

[Dylan King]

For long and many an hour I practiced to be an orchestral tubist. Two things led me on a different path. The talent and great numbers of the competition and my desire to do more than just sit in the back of the orchestra. I still play jazz and rock gigs here in LA and a symphony and studio gig from time to time, but am now supporting myself scoring cartoons for Warner Bros. Animation. I can still play tuba on my own cues, but get to write and conduct my own music as well. UCLA Extension has a great film scoring program for little $$$. Scoring for picture isn't as hard as it might seem and I think tuba players have a one-up on other composers because of our bass-oriented mind and orchestration skills, helped in part by counting rests like they're going out of style.

[Stefan Kac]

Traditional jazz ("dixieland") gigs are a good way. Many bands striving for an "authentic" sound will prefer tuba over string bass (or they should... )

(I guess I should add that I'm not really "supporting myself through music" right now, although I came awfully close in the twilight of the Clinton economy, and it was all from these gigs)"

[Dylan King]

I have never seen a tubist on the street corner playing jazz for change. That may be the way of the future.

In the time of the tribulation, tubas are going to be quite difficult to carry around. I suggest learning harmonica or Jew's harp.

[tubatooter1940]

Da Fat Mac,
You have to take what's out there.I wasn't the worlds most employed
musician in Lower Alabama so I started my own musical group,volonteer-
ed my living room for rehersals,burned the phone lines down all over my
chosen territory to book us.About the time our sound started coming ar-
ound,the work picked up and we priced ourselves a tad below the com-
petion which added a little security and we ate regularly.
It's a tough life and you well may look over your play list and hate ev-
erything on it,but it beats the hell out of selling insurance.
The Fartman

[Steve Marcus]

I have never seen a tubist on the street corner playing jazz for change.

Come to Chicago and hear Aaron Dodd on Michigan Avenue--outside of Orchestra Hall and elsewhere.

[Leland]

I'm whoring myself out by playing drum corps in the Marines.

Heck, why not -- it's the style of performance that I still dig, and I'd like to do it while I'm healthy enough.