Sound issues

[curtisthornton]

I've recently come to the conclusion that i have a bright sound, or at least on the horn i have access to, which makes my lower register sound more like a bass trombone than a tuba.

I've played a couple of other tubas and i didn't have this problem. Any suggestions on getting a darker more mellow sound with what i have to work with?

The tuba i play on now is a king 2341.

The "good" sounding tubas were a King 2341s and a Meinl Weston 2145

[Wes Krygsman]

I have 2 suggestions for you.

1. Have a clear sound concept in your head that you are going for every time you pick up your horn. Know what you want to sound like. It sounds like you do have a darker sound in your head than you are getting, but it does not match the horn your have in your hand. Remember that you can't make a 3/4 or 4/4 sound like a 6/4 tuba. I used to play on a newer style King 2341. I was trying to play it bigger than it was, trying to sound like a 6/4 CC tuba. My teacher would have me try to back off a little bit on my playing approach (not my air volume, just my air speed really) and relax more and it helped immensely with that tuba. I now finally play a 6/4 CC tuba and that is the sound I had in mind all along, and the funny thing is, the relaxed approach works better for it as well. So in short, don't try to force a smaller tuba to sound bigger.

2. After knowing what sound you are going for and what the tuba you are currently playing can do, practice getting that sound. Sound easy? It is a simple concept but harder to pull off. I have done long tones just about every day since I began playing tuba, always trying to achieve a pure tuba tone. Long tones are slow whole notes played to get the best most relaxed comfortable constant air stream available, but instead of concentrating on the physical side, let the tuba in your head sing louder than the tuba you are playing (sound familiar? Arnold Jacobs said this), and just match it the best you can. In other words concentrate on your idea of pure tone coming out of the instrument.

Good luck and happy practicing.

[curtisthornton]

Well of i played a lot of trombone in high school and really didn't play tuba seriously until about a year ago. I do have a teacher, i just forget to ask her questions and figured this would be a good way to get a few suggestions and then bring them back to her. But maybe the relax thing could work, because i have been getting a little light headed while playing lately.

[swillafew]

Dark sounds need a strong embouchure and a tremendous amount of breath support. Blow warm air on the palm of your hand, and notice what your palate, lips, and cheeks did. Now do it on the horn.

[toobagrowl]

Wes is right on the money regarding sound concept. Having a clear sound concept in your head is THE most important component for sound production. My favorite tuba sounds are ones with a clear "bite" or "edge" to them, but also with lots of depth and weight. Tommy Johnson on a Mirafone 190 "Kaiser" CC tuba is a good example - listen to the music in E.T. sometime - incredible! Some would consider it a bright sound (bite, clarity, centeredness) and some would consider it a dark sound (very deep, full, weighty). Either way, it is for sure a DEEP sound!
I like to think of getting the DEEPEST sound rather than the DARKEST because that way the sound will be full, deep and clear all in one. If you only think of getting the darkest mellowest tone your sound may be "pretty" up close but may not project out into the hall very well and may end up sounding dull, woofy and muffled to the audience. I personally think more tuba players should put MORE "bite" and depth into their sounds

[k001k47]

Bigger buzz.