I don't know...

[Scrap Warrior]

Hello everyone! I am new here, so I don't exactly know where to post this... But anyways, lets cut it plain and simple.
I am a sophomore tuba player in high school and I want to play tuba in college. So much to the point that I want to major in music.
I want a tuba for college that way I won't have to deal with having to borrow one from the school.
I just wanted to know any suggestions, or ways that I can pick out my own tuba for college.
Our school uses new King 2341 tubas, and thats what I play on every day.
Ive been to All-Region twice, here in Texas, and I am currently working towards Area-State.
So if there are any suggestions, please help me.
Any help would be appreciated!

-Also, if this helps out, I play on a gold 24AW Bach mouthpiece...

[SousaSaver]

Do you take private lessons? If so, have you asked your instructor what he/she thinks?

What do you like? What is your budget like? Are you in the market soon?

[Scrap Warrior]

Do you take private lessons? If so, have you asked your instructor what he/she thinks?

What do you like? What is your budget like? Are you in the market soon?

I have a private lesson instructor, but he doesn't play tuba.
Im not looking to buy a tuba instantly, just an idea of what to think of.
I like piston valves. And a weird fascination for silver...
Budget will be whatever it would be when I get to college, nothing expensive.

[TubaNerd88]

Do you take private lessons? If so, have you asked your instructor what he/she thinks?

What do you like? What is your budget like? Are you in the market soon?

I have a private lesson instructor, but he doesn't play tuba.
Im not looking to buy a tuba instantly, just an idea of what to think of.
I like piston valves. And a weird fascination for silver...
Budget will be whatever it would be when I get to college, nothing expensive.

Wait until you get into college and begin taking lessons with the tuba instructor at said college. He/She will make sure you find the right horn that meets your needs and also sounds good for you. Buying a tuba of your own is very similar to buying a car. It has sentimental value and should last you for a while. Take your time.

[Stefan]

I agree with the others about having help picking a tuba. Maybe even wait until you get into college before buying. I don't get the fascination with Silver. People limit themselves especially in the used market when insisting on Silver. If it is only for aesthetic reasons, you will find that it is a lot easier to keep a lacquered horn looking nice than a silver. They are more expensive. I wont even attempt to talk about possible tone differences. Anyway, get whatever color you want - it's your tuba. Just be aware of the pros and cons.

Stefan

[Roger Lewis]

Get out and play as many horns as you can. Find the model that "shakes hands" with YOU. They are all a little different and some just plain don't work for everybody so it is a very personal quest that you are on. I can recommend underwear to you, but you may not like the little hearts on the briefs. That is almost what you are asking us to do here. I would point you towards the Miraphone 1292 as a very versatile instrument and the 1293 if you like a little more sound. The Meinl Weston Thor is also a fine instrument and I personally love the way they play, but they are not for everybody.

When you look at the long picture, the last thing you want to do is show up for your first lesson with your college teacher to be, with a model of instrument that he/she personally doesn't care for. And then you will wind up selling that horn and getting another to please the teacher and losing a lot of monoey in the process. It's better to know up front what tools you will need to make sure you have the best chance for success.

This is just my recommendation and I wish you all the best in your search.

Roger

[Keith Sanders]

Wanting to get or searching for a tuba can be an exciting and long event. That being said, I will try to give my honest opinion on actually getting a tuba and my experiences in going through the process.

A lot of people may or may not agree with the things I am about to write, but these are my personal opinions. As a tuba player and recent music degree graduate I do not think that buying a tuba should factor in for most students. This is regardless of where they study and who they study with. I am not saying that getting a horn is a bad thing, but needs to be a WELL-EDUCATED thing. This would require most people to "gasp" wait till after they graduate college. Now hear me out on this one. I believe that Todd Macliante(sp) will agree with me on this one. No school tuba player needs to own their own instrument, but they should have access to a great, working instrument that will not hinder them. This will come in many forms, whether just a King Sousa like RIck played in school or the Conn 25Js we played at my high school(I graduated in 2003, not too long ago and these Conns were awesome!!). I went through my undergrad degree and the professor told me that I might benefit from playing a CC tuba and thought it would be a good idea to buy one. Luckily my college had a couple Conn 3Js that I learned CC on. We had great BBbs there also, and this is no big music school but rather a school geared more towards engineering and technology. Looking at the financial debt I have now from getting a student loan to buy the instrument I got(which was a Mira 1292) in addition to the loans to help pay for school, I would have never done it. All I would have needed was someone to let me know what I was playing on was good enough and didn't really need to upgrade. Any horn at my college would have been good enough if I had known better.

I have owned a few horns and could have just saved during college and then bought something really nice and made a well-educated decision now instead of while I was working on my degree. But, I also am now at the point where I don't think you HAVE to play CC for a music degree(I personally prefer a BBb instead, and that's why I am getting one now after college)....that there will make most ignore what I think. I don't think any kid(yes nowadays most people in the 18-21 range is still a kid, I said most not all) in college has played enough to make a huge financial decision like buying a tuba. Ask anyone with children, a child will make you put every financial decision under a microscope(unless your made of money). Sure I spent a lot in college on a horn, now have debt, and also wouldn't dream of shelling out that kind of money again unless I was playing with Big-Time Symphony Orchestra in Big-Town USA. But most of us won't, so no need to shell out that much money. I love playing and music, as I will be looking for a band director job in the spring, but I don't need a high end tuba to play in my smaller regional orchestras.

I don't really know how much sense this post made, but I guess it boils down to you shouldn't have to think about buying a tuba until after school. But if you want to nobody here can stop you. And you have things pretty good if your school has newer 2341s!! I'd be happy with one of those right now!!!

Just my $0.01 cents.

Keith Sanders

[b.williams]

Keith and others good sound advice.
Ask your band director if you can use the school horn over the summer.
Good luck.

[windshieldbug]

Listen to these guys. We're all talking from experience. Play as many horns as you can for as long as you can.

The reason that there are so many tubas out there is that there are so many GOOD styles.

And, unless you're lucky enough to be born with a sliver spoon, whatever you get, however you get it, will be with you for a while.

Silver/Piston; what are you basing your preferences on? Playing one or two horns? With what mouthpieces? Getting input to start is valuable. But trying out different horns, over time, is maybe even more valuable.

Back in the day I was lucky enough to get a school Mirafone to start, and a slant-valve Marzan as my own first horn from someone who was changing majors (Not my first choice then, but the price was right!). Only in complete hindsight do I realize how lucky I was... and the incredible long odds I beat!

One of my studio mates had a nice, great-looking Belgian-made Sear. And they both sounded like crap, but they looked good doing it.

Take it slowly, and try a lot of equipment- mouthpieces and horns. Squeeze out every minute you can. In the end it's only how good you sound, not all of the things that go with it!

[GC]

Take your time. Don't rush into anything. Never buy an instrument sight unseen based on somebody else's recommendations. Save as much money as you can in advance, and budget some for a good case/bag, accessories, and music to work on.

[TUBAD83]

Wanting to get or searching for a tuba can be an exciting and long event. That being said, I will try to give my honest opinion on actually getting a tuba and my experiences in going through the process.

A lot of people may or may not agree with the things I am about to write, but these are my personal opinions. As a tuba player and recent music degree graduate I do not think that buying a tuba should factor in for most students. This is regardless of where they study and who they study with. I am not saying that getting a horn is a bad thing, but needs to be a WELL-EDUCATED thing. This would require most people to "gasp" wait till after they graduate college. Now hear me out on this one. I believe that Todd Macliante(sp) will agree with me on this one. No school tuba player needs to own their own instrument, but they should have access to a great, working instrument that will not hinder them. This will come in many forms, whether just a King Sousa like RIck played in school or the Conn 25Js we played at my high school(I graduated in 2003, not too long ago and these Conns were awesome!!). I went through my undergrad degree and the professor told me that I might benefit from playing a CC tuba and thought it would be a good idea to buy one. Luckily my college had a couple Conn 3Js that I learned CC on. We had great BBbs there also, and this is no big music school but rather a school geared more towards engineering and technology. Looking at the financial debt I have now from getting a student loan to buy the instrument I got(which was a Mira 1292) in addition to the loans to help pay for school, I would have never done it. All I would have needed was someone to let me know what I was playing on was good enough and didn't really need to upgrade. Any horn at my college would have been good enough if I had known better.

I have owned a few horns and could have just saved during college and then bought something really nice and made a well-educated decision now instead of while I was working on my degree. But, I also am now at the point where I don't think you HAVE to play CC for a music degree(I personally prefer a BBb instead, and that's why I am getting one now after college)....that there will make most ignore what I think. I don't think any kid(yes nowadays most people in the 18-21 range is still a kid, I said most not all) in college has played enough to make a huge financial decision like buying a tuba. Ask anyone with children, a child will make you put every financial decision under a microscope(unless your made of money). Sure I spent a lot in college on a horn, now have debt, and also wouldn't dream of shelling out that kind of money again unless I was playing with Big-Time Symphony Orchestra in Big-Town USA. But most of us won't, so no need to shell out that much money. I love playing and music, as I will be looking for a band director job in the spring, but I don't need a high end tuba to play in my smaller regional orchestras.

I don't really know how much sense this post made, but I guess it boils down to you shouldn't have to think about buying a tuba until after school. But if you want to nobody here can stop you. And you have things pretty good if your school has newer 2341s!! I'd be happy with one of those right now!!!

Just my $0.01 cents.

Keith Sanders

I totally agree with Keith. I have seen many a kid with a high-end pro tuba bought by the parents to take to college and later he/she decides to change majors....the parents now get to keep an eight thousand dollar paperweight. Another thing to consider is the cost of going to college which is constantly rising. I suggest that should be your primary concern--making sure you have the bucks to pay for school--learn everything you can about your instrument and what all is out there...and be patient! Good luck.

JJ

[swillafew]

Keep playing that King at your school. If you have any extra money, get some lessons. Don't hurry buying a horn for any reason, please.

[SRanney]

...I want to play tuba in college. So much to the point that I want to major in music.

Let me play the bloke for just a minute:

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/deg ... .htm?wid=1

Note the college degree loser #5.

[Scrap Warrior]

Thanks a lot guys, it has kinda been stressing me out lately.
I guess I don't have to worry about it as much. (dunno)
I have some thinking to do! (and some more region music practice could help too)(and carnival of venice )

[swillafew]

That "loser degree" article is far too kind to the losers; by all means focus on those winners.

[iiipopes]

There is another reason to delay purchasing a tuba. At 18 years old, a person's cardiovascular system is not fully developed, as full physical stature and maturity has not been achieved. Therefore, a horn that "fits" now may not fit when a person gets to be a junior and really decides tuba performance will be the preferred career path, and conversely, a tuba that doesn't "fit" now may be the better horn a couple of years hence.

[tubeast]

Being a highschool sophomore is a very reasonable (and maybe the oldest) age to make up YOUR mind about becoming a professional musician. At 21 years of age, I received great advice from my private teacher, and I´ll be grateful for long times to come. Back then, I felt I succeeded in tuba better than I did in mechanical engineering. (And, quite frankly, this still feels true for the first half of my studies, looking at things from 18 years of distance). So I considered changing majors towards music.
He said: "You know, You´ll be competing with kids that have decided (or were forced to give in) at age, say, 14, to pursue a professional career in instrumental performance. No chance You´ll catch up with their time and effort."
And right he was. Instead, I chose the tuba to be a main source of recreation during studies.

At Your age (15?),it may be a great chance to take a different path and actually excel in music at an early age, with an opportunity to be a successful professional tubist.
If You decide NOT to pursue a musical career, I´d still encourage You to own a good horn and work off Your butt to be worth owning it.
You´ll have something to fill Your and others´ hearts with joy for all Your life.

To sum it up, I´ll second what most here have written already: Enjoy the good quality of the horns that You have at hand. Spend money on good lessons. See if You can ENJOY practice sessions that last the whole day. In case You choose to keep tuba as a hobby: still go for the highest quality horn You can afford, at the latest time You feel You HAVE to buy one (not necessarily now, I think). It´ll pay off in the longrun.