The most important 'tool' in quality playing??

[ken k]

While not strictly a tuba playing technique, but rather a musicianship technique that is most important is "Listening"

I just had a talk with my band yesterday about listening...

also did you know the words "LISTEN" and "SILENT" use the same letters.....

pretty interesting I thought.

ken k

[Chuck Jackson]

Your brain.

[WoodSheddin]

Motivation

[TubaRay]

I finally found something with which I could agree with Sean. Motivation! Motivation is quickly followed by, or accompanied by attitude. Without these, the others are not likely to make as much of a difference.

That's my opinion.

[The Impaler]

Interesing topic. I just spent this week's sectionals with my band students talking about how and what to practice. I gave them all an 18-20 min. routine to do over the Christmas break to help them prepare for the spring. For my brass players, here's what I gave them:

1. Buzzing
2. Long Tones
3. Flexibilities
4. Articulation

Now, these attributes are in this order for the purpose of practice, not in order of importance. Is one more important than the others? I don't know. What I do know is that I've never heard of a great brass player who spent all his fundamental practice on only one element. They all seem to find a way to work a bit of everything into their routine, and I think that's the key to developing great brass players, or becoming one.

[Rick Denney]

This post is beginning to sound like a corporate motivation poster....
I'm sure glad Chester Schmitz never told me to work on my "Motivation" and "Attitude" when I was trying to improve my playing. Not that those aren't important, but I'm a better player because he focused on flexibility. Charlie Schlueter thinks "long tones" are a waste of time....

Gene Pokorny, in his master class at the Army conference last year, made it really clear to me for the first time why we do long tones. It's because if we can't play a tone long at a constant (and intended) dynamic level, we can't play one with any dynamic shaping. And if we can't play a long tone without unintended vibrato, we can't play one with intended vibrato. Good stuff, that.

But I agree with you and the original poster. I played long tones for years without the sound I wanted and without solving my other big problems (flabby embouchure leading to airy sound and fuzzy articulation). The problem was air, but the long tones didn't reveal it.

But the flexibility exercises sure did. The more I do them, the more I improve, in all aspects including tone.

Rick "who also agrees that motivation is not a tool, but the commitment to use a tool" Denney

[Bob Sadler]

Interesting, I played arban's "blow in one end and move the buttons up and down" exercises forever with a crappy sound and no apparent progress. Then I played the initial whole note warm-up exercise in Roger Bobo's Mastering the Tuba and the point of "long tones" and "air" hit me like a bolt of lightning. As I've worked through the Bobo book (lots of flexibility exercises there) a number of lights have turned on about "air" - in particular that it is wasted by an untrained and inefficient embouchure. Taking a deep breath and thinking musically are necessary but not sufficient for musicality. (of course for those who do have a trained embouchure, deep breath and musical thought IS all that's required)

Bob

[TubaRay]

I believe I would disagree that having fun is the most important tool. As an example, I have limited time available for practice. Therefore, virtually all of my practice time is spent on fundamentals. When practicing these things, I rarely have fun. The fun part is being able to play the way I want to BECAUSE I paid the price in my practice sessions.

On the other hand, I believe most people, especially the young ones, will probably NEED to have some fun in their practice sessions or else they will not be able to find the motivation to practice. I don't really see fun as being a TOOL. I suppose one might call it a tool to use in order to obtain the proper tools.

[Lew]

I usually start practicing with long tones and end with lip slur exercises, but my tone is still very variable. Sometimes it sounds good, other times it can sound airy and strident. Of course maybe it would help if I practiced at least daily consistently.

[Joe Baker]

It's this:


The more I use this tool, the better I sound (although the effects are temporary; the next day I find that I sound just as bad as before, if not worse).
______________________________________
Joe Baker, who actually doesn't drink much, and can't recall ever doing so before playing.

[Leland]

IMHO i think one of the most important tool is, have fun with what your doing.
but that's just me

It's music, ain't it? Isn't it supposed to be fun?

It's not just you.

[Leland]

Once I'm having fun and feeling motivated, flexibility studies and long tones made the biggest jump in my playing ability. Scales and finger studies built upon that.

And, this is surely just me, but scales and scale-related studies began to be fun after drilling them enough. Once I started phrasing them and playing them with a musical intent, they got to be pretty interesting.

[Leland]

Of course maybe it would help if I practiced at least daily consistently.

That's when I sound the best, after several hundred days of playing. I would at least play or buzz enough to where I felt good & warmed-up (usually around 45 minutes, including breaks between exercises), and that would tide me over until the next day.

Funny that I say that now, because I haven't played since mid-November...

[Ted Cox]

I never post, but I couldn't resist and had a few minutes before I leave to play the Nutcracker, (my 25th year).
If I had to sum up the most important element in playing the tuba or any other instrument into one word I suppose it would be acceptance. Let me explain. You can only grow beyond where you are if you accept where you are in the first place. You can only begin to stretch your limits if you can see and embrace them. It isn't willpower or anger at your limitations that strethes them, it's acceptance. Getting angry at yourself for being where you are serves no purpose other than to fuel your frustrations and reinforce your perceived limits. Staying focused on what you can't do prevents you from discovering what you can.
No matter who you are, you can do more than you think you can do. Believing your doubts is one of the most insidious mind tricks that your ego can play on you. Doubts are not real; they are just illusions created to keep ourselves from taking risks because we are so afraid of failing. When you believe you can't, you can't. Come out of your thoughts - your doubts of "I can't do that", your worries of "am I doing this right?" your fears, your frustrations of "why can't I do this as well as he can?" and your ego resistance of "if I can't do this perfectly then I won't do it at all" and just be, accept.
Doubt your doubts and they vanish. Feel your fears and they fade. Let go of your worries and they fail to materialize. Just think less and be more.
Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Our character is basically a composite of our habits. First we make our habits, then our habits make us. Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.
Don't limit your practicing to just working on "fundamentals"
think bigger, expand and grow and forget the old saying, "practice makes perfect". Practice IS perfect. What habits in your practicing could be changed?

Ted Cox
Principal Tubist
Oklahoma City Philharmonic

[Steve Inman]

I never post, but I couldn't resist and ...

[good stuff snipped]

Don't limit your practicing to just working on "fundamentals"
think bigger, expand and grow and forget the old saying, "practice makes perfect". Practice IS perfect. What habits in your practicing could be changed?

Ted Cox
Principal Tubist
Oklahoma City Philharmonic

Ted -- thanks for making your first post.

Best Regards,

[WoodSheddin]

The posters mentioning Brains and Attitude are very much valid but not really what I meant. Clearly without the Motivation nobody is going to sit down and put the hours in, so I'm looking past that. Assuming one has the attitude and commitment - what 'practice-element' (if you will) do you class as the most important for the player to improve? Again, I'll restate that this is within a well-rounded practice routine and not by itself!

All ya gotta do to be the world's greatest musician is play in tune, in time, with a great sound, and in the right style. Do those 4 things better than everyone else and you will win everytime.