Some GREAT Advice From Lee Stofer

[Ken Herrick]

"I encourage you guys who have an interest in doubling to "go for it", as I just finished doing two more weeks of, "Chicago" with a professional summer theater west of Chicago, IL. They were quite happy, and now I'm on their call list for bass and tuba."

Lee A. Stofer, Jr.

Any tubist who wants to help ensure a good paying career should think very seriously about doubling on bass. I have long wished I had been able to take it up seriously. I had applied to while at Interlochen in 63 & 64 but it was felt that my schedule was already full enough.
The first chance I got was while I was at Northwestern but that was only in "class strings" which only lasted one term.

In my junior year (doing part time studies and full time work) Jake decided he wanted an assistant and got permission to have one employed full time but with double bass as the principal instrument. He arranged with Warren Benfield to literally give me lessons. Unfortunately, the music business took a real nose dive and suddenly, instead of being very busy playing tuba full time with a few different groups, there was next to no work. As a result I had to leave Chicago and take up working in a downstate steel mill just to make a living and the whole music career got put on hold.

If only I had been able to, as Jake and Warren put it, "look like I knew what I was doing on bass", I would have had a job with the CSO at age 22 and wouldn't even have had to go the audition route.

My strong advice is to take up the double as early as possible and I strongly feel that a lot of today's tuba profs would be doing their students a great service to encourage them to do so. Of course many of them probably never did and that is one reason why there are so many good tuba players with very limited performance careers.

As Jake put it, you can learn the second instrument pretty quick as you already have the "musical skills" and only need to learn technique. It will actually help your development as a tubist on the musical side as it opens new areas of music.

[iiipopes]

I agree, from looking at it from the other end. I have made much, much more money over the decades with my bass guitar than I ever will on my tuba: bar gigs, shows, wedding receptions, country clubs, big bands, dance bands, combo gigs, church, etc. And all the "free" gigs I have done made connections for "paying" gigs later.

[Uncle Markie]

The tuba/bass double was out of favor because of the tuba/bass trombone double for a long time, Chicago brought it back. For the record, the original guy on that show in NYC was the late Bill Stanley - who played great on both. Ron Raffio does the gig on Broadway today in the current revival.
I was raised on "you can only serve one master" nonsense - which reality dictated I throw out the window.
Also consider doubling other brass - especially bass trombone and the euphonium. "Ragtime" requires a euph double, and the euphonium is handy once in a while in the orchestra, too.
I've doubled on cornet for years (mostly as leader) as well. It's not the "lip" it's the air column - how you blow the horns.

The more you know, the better the chances of eating on a regular basis.

Mark Heter

[AndyCat]

I'm a far better Tubist than Bass Bone player, but I probably earn 3 times as much playing bone, mainly in shows and orchestras.

Or perhaps they're right....

[DHMTuba]

Any tubist who wants to help ensure a good paying career should think very seriously about doubling on bass.

Hear, hear! My experience is that there's a lot more work out there for bass players. Especially if you're versatile (can play more than one style) and musical (pay attention to whats going on and match your playing to it).

If I may add a point - if you're a doubler, whenever you play a job on one instrument, don't keep it a secret that you play other instruments, too. I think we tend to categorize people by the instrument we've seen them play - if you play a job on tuba, you go into everyone's mental file as a "tuba player". The leader who hired you as a tuba player may need a bass player next month. They won't know you're a bass player unless you tell them!

You don't have to make a big deal about it, just make sure it's known. Business cards (you do have cards, don't you?) are a good tool for this purpose. My cards list all of the instruments I play well enough to gig on. I can't count how many times someone asked for my card at a job, and when they looked at it they said "Oh, you play tuba (or string bass, or electric bass), too?" Likewise, I've played jobs on bass where somebody who worked with me on a tuba job said "Oh, I didn't know you played bass!" Again, they won't know your doubles unless you tell them.

Note that I listed string bass and electric bass as different instruments. If you can get around on both, make sure that's clear too.

[rocksanddirt]

The other part about doubling (or more) is stylistic. Each genre of music has it's own style, and the more solid you are in various styles regardless of instrument the more gigs are open to you. But style is also how you dress, so in addition to the tube, bass, e-bass, amp, bone, fiddle, sax, trumpet, etc. One also needs to plan for different dress (tux, suit, sequined bustier, wife beater) depending up on the look of the rest of the group. this is less important than showing up on time and being able to play, but should not be over looked entirely.

[Karl H.]

I'll piggyback Bloke's comments. I've always heard (and 30+ years of experience has proved) that bass players can always find work.

I'll add that electric bass is probably the easiest to learn of all the instruments.

Karl "OK tuba player; high school-caliber euphonium; but gig-ready electric bass player" H.

[tubatooter1940]

Tuba is my best instrument but I have made much more money over a longer period as a guitar/vocalist song guy for parties and beach bar/eatery gigs.
You have to take any work that's out there and the demand for entertainment around here is usually for a single musician or D.J. who can jumpstart a party.
I would like to find work playing bass guitar but the recession has venues hiring singles or duos instead of bands.

[Art Hovey]

The great thing about upright bass is that you can get away with minimal technique. Most of the traditional jazz bands that I work with actually prefer a simple, no-frills bass style, which is what I can do, rather than a lot of fancy stuff, which real bassists do so well. They even let me bring a tuba along for a change of pace.

I rigged up a bass trombone with four rotary valves and a slide a few year ago, and used it occasionally in an amateur symphony orchestra and some big-band gigs. Then after a long dry spell on that instrument I lent it to a high school kid who was being pressured to switch from tuba to bass trombone. Immediately I started getting calls again to play basss trombone in a swing band. I told them that I could do it on tuba, and they loved it and have kept calling me back. My point is that doubling has opened doors for me as a tubist.

[Roger Fjeldet]

A professional tubaplayer often plays several horns in different keys and sizes.
Many started out on a big tuba and added a smaller one for solo and ensemble when they learned that a musical career was possible
Moving from a Large Bb tuba mouthpiece to a small Eb or F-tuba mouthpiece is about the same step as from a small F-tuba to an Euphonium or a basstrombone mouthpiece.
I learned to play the basstrombone at the age of 40, so I guess a younger player would master the shift much quicker
Of course I spend a lot of time practicing slide-technique.
I have also (of course) moved on to a contrabasstrombone and also added a bass-sackbut to the playing collection.
These trombones allows me to play music and genres I could not play on the tuba, and have added very useful experience on my daily tubaplaying.
And you got to have a new reportiore that demand a lot of working - Love it!!

Roger

[Bob Kolada]

I used to play a lot of bass guitar in high school and occasionally for a few years after that. However, I've only played it once in the last few years. I mostly play Eb tuba (Bb and sousa a few times a momth), bass, and contrabass trombone now. A bass sacbut would be awesome, but I barely play what I have anymore! I own a euphonium and a few tenor trombones, but that is not to imply that I can play tenor trombone...
Most of my practice time is spent on contrabone and tuba. In fact, I think I'll go play the trench-digger (if a bass trombone is a chain saw, then a contrabass is a...) right now!
I would like to start playing Bb more- a decent 3 banger would be just fine (trade a 12J for my 190F anyone?). The 1291 clone is tempting, but I like the model enough that I would prefer the original. I do like the Schillbrunners though, and they are priced more along how I think they should be...

[swillafew]

I played Chicago in 1984, playing electric bass and tuba. Many of the players were doublers. At the time I was dumping my tuba to take up the bass altogether. I returned to the tuba for the love of it, but the bass guitar is where the $ is. I also dabble in enough axes to make a sane person wonder.

[Richard Armandi]

Hi Folks,

I echo all the positive things mentioned about doubling, especially on String Bass. Jake recommended it to me at my first lesson with him (at the tender age of 13!) and I'm sorry I waited until I was 25 to do so. I started regularly working immediately and have enjoyed an extremely varied, interesting and satisfying career ever since, playing in just about every style and venue type imaginable. To say the Bass has enhanced the Tuba is putting it very mildly. The range and depth of understanding the various styles of music that inevitably occurs (If you're paying attention!) inform each other and put the emphasis where it belongs: on musicianship. The ability to actually make a living in our chosen profession in an increasingly difficult environment is a nice plus as well. I've enjoyed playing 'Chicago' during several runs but also all kinds of doubling and non-doubling gigs as well. Go for it!! The worst that can happen is personal/professional growth while having a blast!!!

My best to all of you.

Rich Armandi

p.s. A plug for the upcoming Jamey Aebersold Jazz Workshops starting this weekend (proudly serving on the faculty for my 21st year).. we can change your life!! Check out: jazzbooks.com for more info.