Do you shift / pivot while playing?

[MartyNeilan]

I have always been taught to avoid making any sudden and drastic embouchure shifts or pivots while playing; to be able to play from the bottom to the top of the horn and back with gradual embouchure / jaw / lip adjustments but no major "pick up and move" shifts or pivots. (I am not talking about double pedals or piccolo range, just within the approximate 3 1/2 - 4 octave "money" range of the horn.)

However, there are those who vehemetly argue for having a fixed pivot in their normal range. I am personally against this and teach my students not to shift as well, but I would like to poll TubeNet land. I currently have a new conductor (suppossed former tuba player) who insists that I have to shift while I play and repeatedly faults me for not observing me shift my face when changing registers.

BTW, Phil Teele has an excellent book (albeit for bass trombone) on having a huge range with no shifts.

[TubaRay]

My approach is to use one embouchure for the entire range, with the extreme low register being somewhat of an exception. I spent a good deal of time earlier in my life working a system to achieve the one embouchure approach. It seems to work pretty well for me.

Although this approach is not something I emphasize in my teaching, I definitely don't attempt to teach a pivot system. Obviously there are those who do, and do so successfully. I choose not to teach the pivot.

[daktx2]

i have been told multiple times by that shifting isnt a bad thing as long as the sound is not affected. the same thing goes for cheek puffing and such. as long as it doesnt hurt flexibility or sound, go for it.

[Getzeng50s]

i am only now learning of the "shift" for low register playing. I wish i knew it existed during my undergraduate career.

[MaryAnn]

I'm trying to get rid of my shift which I think is a bad habit for me (I did not say "for you," just for me.) I think with just a little more work on technique I will get rid of it completely, as it seems to be a strength issue.

However, I find that a few degress of pivot helps tremendously for the very high and very low ranges. On french horn I can jut my jaw for the low range and the mpc just moves out a little from my fact....but the tuba is sitting on the chair, and jutting my jaw is going to move my head backwards, not the tuba forwards. So I find that tilting the bell backwards gives me the angle I need to get the jaw out there, and the reverse for the high range. I'm not one of your tuba pros but I do have about four octaves this way.

MA

[Chuck Jackson]

Old Indian Saying:

"If sound good, who gives buffalo dookey what one do"


Sitting"I knew Basie before he could count"Bull

Seriously, who really cares. Are you getting the job done? That's all that matters. No one person's "mold" is made so that anohter will fit it perfectly.

Chuck