Getting back into tuba shape

[bort]

Find a way to play every day. Even only 15-20 minutes of scales is better than nothing. Your lips are muscles, and inactivity is bad for the muscle memory.

Maybe there's a creative solution to this. Can you practice somewhere else? Your school? Your church? Your place of work after hours?

[tubafatness]

If you go now, the humes and berg site is apparently selling their mutes for $0.00!

http://www.humes-berg.com/viewItems.asp?line=25

I would go with the practice mute. I'm thinking of getting one, as well. Then again, I can afford to practice during the day, as my job allows me to work whenever I want to during the 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM work bracket. But, I'm still looking to buy one, so that I have the option of practicing at night.

[MartyNeilan]

Quit whining.

[MikeMason]

Get a 6 inch tube.Attach to mp.Buzz along with the Brass Gym to and from work.Play etudes,esp.low register stuff from 8-9 each night.Problem solved.

[Dan Schultz]

I know folks who can pick up a horn after not playing for weeks on end and sound fabulous! Not me!!! I usually play two hours every day with different groups. If I layed off for a week, it would take me another week to get my chops back into shape. I think you need to find time to toot every day... even if it's only 15 or 20 minutes. At lease carry a mouthpiece with you so you can buzz whenever you get a chance. That 30 minute commute might be the ideal place to buzz away.

[The Big Ben]

Get a 6 inch tube.Attach to mp.Buzz along with the Brass Gym to and from work.Play etudes,esp.low register stuff from 8-9 each night.Problem solved.

Yeah. That's a little more specific than I was going to suggest.

Take a mouthpiece with you and buzz when you can. If your workmates know you play the tuba, they won't think you are a little weird buzzing during breaks. They will *know* it and cut you a little slack.

[MikeMason]

He has ADD,specific is good

[rocksanddirt]

Buzz a mouthpiece in the car.

play a few mins each eve.

don't flip out.

[Alex F]

Pick up one of those small old beater Eb tubas from Ebay or the like - you can get one for a few hundred $$ in good shape. Dan Schultz or the folks at Dillon's can probably hook you up with one. You'll get a small tuba you won't have to worry all that much about, something to blow on, and a chance to learn a new set of fingerings. Then you can keep it stashed at work or in your car and whip it out for a bit when you're done for the day, thus getting some practice time before you get home dead tired.

[MileMarkerZero]

How long do yall think it would take to get the lips back into shape?

Not long if you stash a mouthpiece in your glove box and buzz the bass lines of the songs on the radio to & from work.

[Chris Smith]

What I have found with my tuba playing is that there is no set answer in minutes or hours to how much time anything takes. Play everyday and your chops will get better. But getting them back into shape is not the idea imo you need to be getting better at the tuba. If all you do is maintain what you have now its not lost time but if you get worse then you are wasting time that you will have to catch back up. If you really want to you can find time but no one is going to do it for you.

*off to practice*

[eupher61]

5 minutes at a time on the mouthpiece is better than nothing. You can actually accomplish a lot in 5 minutes of buzzing, if you approach it right.

[Dean E]

. . . . I noticed my playing tonight on my CC was horrible, i mean better than when I was in HS but way below my last recital (i think), and my tuning, especially at the ends of phrases was horrid.

Two thoughts--not exactly related to lips and buzzing:

1. First, make sure that your horn does not leak air or have misaligned valves or rotors. I mention this because of an experience after I laid off playing for nearly two weeks while traveling for work. I came back home and immediately went to a sight-reading session with my orchestra. I was having a horrible time hitting notes. I was kicking myself for not taking a mouthpiece to buzz on that trip. However, when I got home I noticed there was a missing rotor bumper and that the same rotor was misaligned by probably ten degrees.

2. Second, take care of yourself by doing aerobic workouts to increase your breathing efficiency. I would recommend a minimum of twenty minutes a day running, biking, swimming, or working out on gym machinery such as the stairstepper, Nordic Track elliptical machine, or treadmill.

[Nick Pierce]

For some reason, too much mouthpiece (over 5 minutes) alone makes me super dizzy

Good. Doing more will improve the dizzyness and the buzzing, which will improve your playing.

[MikeMason]

The tubing I suggested will help that.

[TMurphy]

What kind of mute do you have? A practice mute is different from a straight mute--much quieter. I highly reccomend the Denis Wick practice mute...I have one, and if I plug it in the horn and shut the door, people in the next room don't hear me. I would definitely check it out.

-TM

[tofu]

[TubaRay]

I hope I don't shock everyone, especially James, with my response. I think James has a difficult situation. Here are some of my thoughts:

1) No place to practice that fits his schedule. This is a really significant problem.
The suggestions of possible practice sites are good ones. They just don't
happen to be helpful.

2) Too tired to practice after work. Hey! He works at discount tire. Have you
ever watched how physically hard those guys work. He must be in pretty good
condition just to make it through the day.

3) Practice at his worksite. He works at a Discount Tire store. How likely is it
that he would be permitted to practice there after the store close? I'm
thinking that wouldn't be very likely. I'm guessing since he is a college student,
he probably hasn't worked his way very far up the Discount Tire ladder.
Therefore, this doesn't sound like a very likely possibility, even though it
might otherwise work.

4) James lacks the work ethic? Maybe, but I think this is probably not the case.
I have jumped all over some of his posts. I have been critical of his writing
ability. I have been very negative about his quickness to over-respond to some
posts. Although I am not often in his corner, in this case I think he probably
doesn't have much, if any, problem. I think very few people have the level of
dedication that I know Wade has. He has gotten where he is due to having a
truly outstanding work ethic. Yes, James, you might try to emulate Wade.

Finally: To James, I offer the following advice. If you are truly sincere about finding the time and place to practice, you need to continue to brainstorm. You may need to go home and practice before 9:00, and then eat supper. Perhaps there is a friend who could lend you a place to practice(They would have to be a pretty good friend). Lastly, the advice some have given about using a little practice time daily, is very good advice. I have been using this for years. I have been a band director with very little time or energy left at the end of the day. I do about a 17 minute routine aaalmoost every day. I am very dedicated to it. I am very rarely caught with very weak chops. I just spent the last five days camping. I took my tuba with me and daily went throught(you guessed it) my daily routine. It consists entirely of fundamentals. It is strictly work. It is not fun. For me, the motivation comes from knowing that I will be ready when I need to be.

So: Let's give the guy a break this time. Keep those suggestions coming. Perhaps we can help somehow.

(By the way, James, I was out in the somewhat vicinity of Abilene this week. I spent time in Junction, and also drove up through Brady and Brownwood.)

[KevinYoung]

Yeah, I think you're totally screwed! You should probably consider selling your horns, too.

Dude, c'mon!

So you've had some time off. So it sounds like *** when you play. Wanna know how to fix that? Stop worrying about it and put yourself in a situation where you do play everyday! The chops will come back, they always do.

Early in the morning, on one of those desolate farm roads outside Abilene city limits, you'll find a great place to do your daily routine. I've done it. Did a daily routine off of I-44 in Missouri a few months ago while traveling!

Do what YOU have to do, and NOT what SOMEONE else has to do!

-k

[tofu]