Sometimes you just feel silly playing the tuba

[Nick Pierce]

I sympathise with those who grew up in schools where the band program was ridiculed.

We have one of the top marching bands in the state, and we still get little/no respect. (We do get a little respect from the cheerleaders.)

Who cares what everyone thinks, be yourself, regardless of what they say: especially if the cheerleaders like it.

Or are they the dumb blond kind?

[BriceT]

I sympathise with those who grew up in schools where the band program was ridiculed.

I play at a school where football is all anyone cares about.They have been National Champions for the past 3 years, so the only thing the district and community cares about is sports. There is very little funding for our 350+ member band compared to the football team. I still can't understand why they choose to by a 15 million dollar stadium and cannot afford to buy some new tubas which are desperately needed.

[kmshimfe]

I had the bell of my Conn 30J fall out of the horn during a performance when I was in highschool.

[Nick Pierce]

So a couple friends and I are going to an ice cream shop to visit a friend who was working at the time, and as we're getting out of the car I realize that my horn is in the back of the car! Need I say more?

Pictures to come, when I figure out how to get them off my phone.

[MikeS]

Well, I'm probably going to regret saying this, but... Yesterday evening at Brass Band rehearsal we started with a full complement of basses but were short on cornets. I played second cornet for the first half of the rehearsal. By break the cornet section had filled out and I went back to my EEflat bass. Within about five minutes I had made the following observations.

-My cornet's valves are silky smooth and dead quiet in operation. My tuba's valves constitute an adjunct to the percussion section. There's probably a reason other than bad Karma that I sit next to the drum kit.

-My cornet plays in tune with minimal effort; an occasional goose to the third valve slide for 1-3 combinations is required but that's it. No alternate fingerings, even at the eighth partial and beyond. My tuba requires about five "normal" alternate fingerings. It also is happier when I make some adjustments based on the key signature (i.e. second valve slide out about 3/8" if the key is Dflat or flatter). Our section contains some pretty fair players but if we are all playing concert Gflats there is going to be a bit of adjustment going on.

I enjoy playing music on both instruments. I guess sometimes I feel a bit silly that I have to "negotiate" so much more with the tuba to make it happen.

-By the way, my cornet has no equivalent to the Besson combination strap holder/demasculator protruding out of the bottom bow.