What's your principal instrument and why?

[GC]

I've recently decided to switch to Eb tuba on a permanent basis. I played BBb through high school and college, but sold my horn in 1977 and spent the next 24 years playing bass guitar 95% of the time. I started playing tuba again on a CC Cerveny, switched back to BBb after a year, and discovered how much I enjoyed playing Eb with antique instruments in a Civil War era band and with a British style brass band.

I chose a large Eb because I'm getting punier as I get older, and big Eb's can still get almost contrabass tone and volume. I can play anything I need to in most community bands, brass bands, and period bands on Eb. I sent my beloved 25J to Lee Stofer to sell on consignment (hint!), bought a 1925 Conn monster Eb with an excellent sound, and saved about 15 pounds in the bargain. I plan to stay with this as my main horn (though I still play bass guitar, euphonium, and trombone as needed).

Please feel free to tell your own story about your main instrument.

[Tuba-G Bass]

Everything I play is BBb, Tuba and Contrabass Trombone.
It's what I learned on and is what I am used to, no need to switch.
I own a british G-Bass Trombone, but never learned how to play it.

[k001k47]

CC: the key of the only horn own right now.

TBH I really don't pay much attention to the key it's in.
S'long as it sounds purdy ter me

[Davy]

CC Tuba, but Bb Bass trombone is a very close second

[tubatooter1940]

I played BBb through college. I then switched to trumpet and trombone for 20 years in bar bands.
I bought an Eb Soviet Army tuba in Siberia and got to play it enough to appreciate the light weight and solo capability.
I found my 1940 King Eb bellfront recording tuba on E-Bay and see no need to buy anything else since these days my principal instrument is guitar.

[WC8KCY]

My principal instrument varies with the seasons. Spring, summer, and autumn, I'm playing in ensembles on my EEb tuba. When Christmastime rolls around, it's unaccompanied solo work with the euphonium.

Playing the EEb tuba is a new development for me. I've always played borrowed BBb tubas until this year--I turned 40 and decided to buy a tuba as a gift to myself. I was going to get an inexpensive BBb from Dillon's, but when I called Matt there to order, he turned me on to the Holton Monster EEb I now own. It has proven to be an ideal compromise: I get a gorgeous, rich tone that would do a CC proud combined with the benefits of less mass and easy handling that come with an EEb. It's worked so well for me, I've decided to get an EEb sousaphone as a companion instrument.

[The Big Ben]

Still trying to become a competent tuba player on BBb because BBb horns are available easily in the USA and it's what I started with. Every time I see an Eb helicon, I think of learning to play Eb but need to learn to actually play the BBb first.

I did play treble clef baritone in jr. high for a couple of years. I've thought of getting a bari or euph and doing it in bass clef now that I know it. The idea hasn't gotten much traction in my pocket book though.....

[lgb&dtuba]

All the brass instruments I play, tuba, euphonium and trombone, are in Bb. It's what I learned to play and have never needed to use anything else for the music I play.

[Dan Schultz]

I played Eb exclusively for many years and switched to BBb about ten years ago. Today... I mainly play BBb tuba but enjoy the flexibility of switching to Eb once in a while. The experience with Eb has been excellent since it allows me also to easily toot on other Bb instruments and read treble clef music. There's usually not much challenge with tuba music but it's loads of fun to pick up a baritone and play clarinet or tenor sax music if I want a 'workout'.

[bigbob]

I played BBb through college. I then switched to trumpet and trombone for 20 years in bar bands.
I bought an Eb Soviet Army tuba in Siberia and got to play it enough to appreciate the light weight and solo capability.
I found my 1940 King Eb bellfront recording tuba on E-Bay and see no need to buy anything else since these days my principal instrument is guitar.

Shouldn't your new name be Guitar Twanger??.. <s>(just kidding).........................................bigbob

[1895King]

I started on Eb in the spring of 1961 in the eighth grade. When I got to high school that fall all they had was BBb horns. I played BBb exclusively, including my years as a music education major, until 1977 or 1978 when I purchased the first of around 10 Eb horns. I now have 7 and I generally use one of them, either my front action King upright or my small front action Conn that I apparently "stole" from Bob Kolada last spring.
I still have 2 BBb horns, my ca. 1895 King and a 20 year old Miraphone 186 but they take too much air for my lungs to handle them.
I'm working on putting together a recreation of the 18th Infantry Band as it was constituted at Fort Hays, Kansas in 1886 so an Eb horn is my preference.

[Bob Kolada]

Almost completely Eb tuba- my 1916 4 front valve Conn Giant and my pre-1915 small 3 front valve King. I play bass trombone (1062) a few times a week, Bb (187) a few times a month, and sousaphone (20K) and euphonium (Amati 331) a few times a year.

I prefer the King over the Conn for quintet, but I have to pick and choose what I am going to use it on due to the 3 valves and also that most people "don't get" false tones. I think a cimbasso would be my favorite for quintet, but whatever... I will be doing most of my quintet playing in the spring on bass trombone for a few not necessarily musical reasons.

I've never owned a contrabass tuba, and maybe never will. I want to learn F (tuba- I really want to get a 653 or a Rusk York someday; and cimbasso), and I'm interested in those G hybrid contrabass trombones.

my small front action Conn that I apparently "stole" from Bob Kolada last spring.

Hmm?

[Chadtuba]

Eb cause its what I owns at the moment. I bought it cause I fell in love with the 983 and then came across a deal on one so I just had to get it. I enjoy playing it and it does most everything that I want. I do pull out my Conn Eb sousa when I'm playing pep band with my students and I make money playing my bass bone (not a lot of money but enough that it has payed for itself). I would love to play my euphonium more, but at this point I'm just happy to play at all.

[Carroll]

I chose euphonium because it it what i enjoy... principally. I end up playing trombone more, for money... and trumpet more, for teaching. I became a euphonium player when I got booted out of the trombone studio in undergrad. I do get to play euphonium at church (solo) in a pro wind ensemble, in my quartet, often in jazz combo, and in community band. I have to play trombone in big band and mostly in combo. I keep a trumpet by my podium and demonstrate concepts multiple times per class - everyday - in my band classes.

[chhite]

After spending a dozen years on BBb, and my playing in a rut, I decided to switch to CC for two reasons; a mental and physical challenge and to possibly find a new voice or sound. I was successful with both, but only after aggrivating my wife with multiple tuba purchases and sales before finally finding the best horns for me. My 4/4 Rudi CC fits the sound in my head as well as successfully portrays my concept of sound in ensembles, both large and small. Most of my quintet playing, at the moment, is either marches or popular/jazz and the CC better conveys my idea of the bass voice playing walking lines and sometimes playing the role of both bassist and drummer with the rhythmic kicks. I have tried using my 5/4 Rudi F in the same role but I wasn't as pleased with the result and neither were the other group members. It may be something I try again in the future but it's not high on my list of priorities.

[TUBAD83]

When I was in college, two things were going on that played a role in my decision to switch to tuba: I was not quite "cutting it" as a euphonium player and there was a severe shortage of tuba players at the time. I was approached by the director of bands and my teacher about playing tuba ( a 186 and a brand new sousaphone was thrown in to sweeten the deal)--an offer "I could not refuse". Took to it right away and have been BBb ever since. I had recently thought about switching to CC, however, since I play in a brass band now (dealing with treble and bass clef tuba parts), it would be easier just to stick with BBb.

[bort]

I play CC tuba...

I got to college without a tuba. They said "we only have a CC tuba you can borrow."

Picked it up and "grew my legs" with a CC, so never had a need to switch.

[iiipopes]

Well, if you talk about how much I earn with each instrument gigging, standard bass guitar is my main instrument -- my custom 4-string bass with fanned frets based (pun intended) on that standard workhorse, the PBass. But talking brass, I play mostly in bands, not orchestras, so BBb it is, although at times I've used CC and Eb, but I've never played an F tuba in concert. I'm also too lazy to use 2+3 more than I just really have to, considering most of the repertoire is in the standard band flat keys. I've even considered tuning my bass guitar up one fret...nah, I'm not going there.

I have considered, one of these days a couple of decades from now, "downsizing" to an Eb, say something along the lines of a Cerveny or St Pete 5-valve with @ .709 bore and a 16 inch bell, but that's a couple of decades from now, and turn over the "heavy lifting" to someone else, if I'm still around.

[jeopardymaster]

I switched to CC my Freshman year but in my 3rd year I acquired a very nice Cerveny BBb for larger orchestral stuff. (Later sold it to buy a computer -- was THAT ever a stupid move!) Switching back and forth has never been a problem, but I feel more secure on CC. I played Bydlo on a school F during my Freshman year (was perfectly happy playing euphonium but the director ordered me to use the F). Never got a real grip on it, and still can only trust myself with an F if I'm playing Bydlo. Now I'm F-less again and apt to remain so. If I need one I'll use the Eb and/or the tenor instead; if pressured again, I'll say "of course it's an F. Hell, it plays ALL the notes."

[TexTuba]

I play on an F tuba exclusively since that is the only horn I have at the moment. My primary ensemble is a quintet and it works very well for that. It also works well for polka. In the concert band setting, I sit next to "TubaRay" who plays on a 5/4 Rudy Meinl CC. Because of that, I don't need to work much.