My Life Story: Please Read I need your help!!!

[bort]

Well, my un(?)solicited advice, move somewhere far away and start over. Moving will help you reset and keep fresh. And 22 is young. When you're 22, it feels old. But really, it's very young. What you do between 18 and 22 doesn't matter a lick compared to what you'll do for the next 60+(?) years. No one really cares if you got drunk a lot, smoked pot, whatever. If you're past it, then let it be in the past.

You know what you want, now go get it. Get a job, live cheap, and save for *a* tuba. Get a Chinese tuba perhaps, they're decent and you'll have something to play while you save for something more. When you're ready for a different tuba, trade/sell it and upgrade.

It'll be tough and it'll take a lot of effort. But if you really want to do it, you'll grit it out and make it happen. Just don't give up, and though it's good to realize where you went wrong, don't dwell on it, and look forward.

[TubaTodd]

Let me be the first to say....HOLY $H!T it takes some guts to bear your soul publicly and honestly for all to see and comment on. I'm impressed. I echo bloke's advice. Although I would probably enjoy being a professional tuba player, I probably enjoy paying my bills more.

I'm not sure that right now is the greatest time in the world to get back into the tuba playin' biz.

As much as my college age ego says be a musician at all cost....you eventually have to pay the bills. I wish you the best of luck in trying to balance out your life. You're on the right track.

[Rev Rob]

If you are skilled with your hands, or enjoy the creating things with you hands, consider learning how to repair tubas and other brass instruments. Mr. Oberloh, Bloke and Tuba Tinker are a few of the tuba craftsmen/players who come to mind. There are a lot of fine old tubas that can have new life breathed into them - if there is someone who is able to restore/refurbish them to play again. This is one way to get a tuba to play - buy an old one and fix it up. Give this some consideration, too.

[tubbba]

...
Get a job, live cheap, and save for *a* tuba.
...

... save for *a* *USED* tuba.

If you can use this tuba to fund a better/newer horn, then you're on the right track.

If not, maybe you never were. But, at least you've got a job and a hobby that can be fun and makes extra money.

My opinion, which is worth about as much as the time it took to type it.

[bort]

Used is good. Or, like I said, *a* tuba is better than none. As counterintuitive as it seems, you can quite possibly get 90% as nice Chinese new 186 clone for less than a used "real thing" would cost.

Buy tuba. Play tuba. Be happy.

[tofu]

Used is good. Or, like I said, *a* tuba is better than none. As counterintuitive as it seems, you can quite possibly get 90% as nice Chinese new 186 clone for less than a used "real thing" would cost.

OTOH - it seems to me that folks trying to sell a Chinese horn in the used market take a real bath. Perhaps over time that will change, but due to the wide variations in quality of these horns right now folks who are buying used from a distance want a steep mark down to compensate them for the additonal risk of a lemon. A used Miraphone 186 is going to retain most of its value when you go to sell it yourself assuming you take good care of it. They have a reputation for consistent quality and that adds to the value. The value of a horn isn't just what you pay for it, but also what you get for it when you sell it.

Stay positive. The past is done. Learn from your mistakes. Successful people learn from their failures and all successful people have had multiple failures. What you can control now is what you do going forward. That's what is great about life. Every day when you wake up you get another shot at getting it right. It is why there is such a love of Amazing Grace.

[MartyNeilan]

OTOH - it seems to me that folks trying to sell a Chinese horn in the used market take a real bath. Perhaps over time that will change, but due to the wide variations in quality of these horns right now folks who are buying used from a distance want a steep mark down to compensate them for the additonal risk of a lemon. A used Miraphone 186 is going to retain most of its value when you go to sell it yourself assuming you take good care of it. They have a reputation for consistent quality and that adds to the value. The value of a horn isn't just what you pay for it, but also what you get for it when you sell it.

ANYONE who buys a new tuba "takes a bath" if they sell it in the immediate future - Thor, Baer, you-name-it.
I have been able to sell every used instrument I ever purchased for at or above my original purchase price (which was usually highly negotiated.)
I will second the so-called Schillaphone 186 copies. Under two grand, good horns with good intonation. If you are planning in selling it in six months, then it is not a good investment. If you want a playable, versatile horn for not a lot of green, then it is.

P.S. Going back to school for music is not all it is cracked up to be. I worked IT for ten years and hated it. I went back to school for a music ed degree. When I got out, the only job I got was a small private school with a music program that previously consisted of movies and parties. No instruments, no music, no budget, no discipline. My attempt at a football band consisted of four people, two of which were myself and the lunchlady. This was an epic fail, and was well documented on TN. After my brief stint there, I never did land a public school position; I wound up in a city with a very high rate of unemployed music teachers and a low rate of job openings. (Kinda like most cities these days.) I never even got a local interview, despite applying every semester. The one interview I did get a few counties away, their question was, "Why should we hire you with no experience when we have a pile of experienced resumes?" A year later, I was back to doing what I did prior to going to school. Now, I just make less money than I did before school and pay student loans every month for a degree I will most likely never use. Did I love every second of getting my music degree? Absolutely. Was it a good move financially? Absolutely not.

[Arkietuba]

Dude, I'm still at UCA and we used to be great friends before all of that happened. I haven't heard from you in forever and wondered what happened. If you're sincere about this, I'm willing to help you out and pick up where we left off. I may not be able to sell you a tuba or anything but I have connections around here. I'll be graduating in the fall but for the time being, I'm here for ya man!

Oh, btw...the marching band pays a stipend to be in it and we just got 18 or so brand new sousaphones too! The money could help pay a down payment on a horn or something...just sayin

[deputysgttuba]

Your public confession shows a lot of fortitude and resolve to change your life in a positive direction. If you want to stay clean, do not associate with the people that you backslid with.
Find some field other than music performance or education that you are almost as passionate about and use that to pay your living expenses (live as inexpensively as you possibly can) and save money for the future and major purchases such as a good used tuba. Find a good tuba teacher that can help you get back on track and help you prepare for future auditions, whether educational or professional. I have a full time "real" job (law enforcement) and have enough work on tuba and guitar to keep me busy most weekends and earn a little extra money.

[awaters]

give some thought to whether or not you have a substance abuse issue.