Age Versus Tuba Playing Stand Use

[gwwilk]

It occurs to me after reading the most recent thread about tuba playing stand use that this may be an age related phenomenon. When I was younger (I'm now in the over 65 age category) I saw no need for such nonsense as tuba playing stands. Advancing age has led me to reverse my position so that I now see a tuba playing stand as an absolute necessity for my practice and playing. The reasons are well laid out in other threads dealing with this topic, so I don't feel compelled to review them here. Bear in mind that this isn't a scientific poll, just a straw vote.

How do you vote?

[scottw]

Turning 65 next month, I've used a playing stand for a number of years. I got tired of sore knees [had 'em replaced!] and legs from balancing the horn on my lap, slipping off position [even with non-slip mesh so recommended], lack of movement, the knowing that I was one slip from a very bad accident. The stand lends so much stability and freedom of movement. It's 6 lbs. worth carrying!

[Michael Bush]

47, and use a stand with big tubas, not with 4/4 and smaller.

[bort]

I'm 31, and have used a stand sometimes, and not used a stand other times. It depended on the tuba I'm playing more than anything else.

I have a friend who is probably around his mid-70's now who did not use a stand, though I think finally "caved" (his description) to get one for his Fafner. Otherwise, the mouthpiece would have landed square in his forehead. Honestly, I think if not for the height/size issue of the tuba, he would not have wanted a stand for the weight alone.

I also had a friend in college with a Yamaha 822, and he used a stand all the time, since he was playing so much (like 8 hours a day).

[oedipoes]

Aged 30.

I use my BBC tuba stand for playing the Besson 994 BBb in brassband.
Don't use it for the Willson 3100 RZ-4 anymore, found a comfortable position without.

Wim

[ralphbsz]

The option that is missing in the survey is: "It depends on the tuba".

My son is 12, and 5'1".

• With the Jupiter 378 (3/4 size), he doesn't need a stand at all, and he can play it standing up for half hour no problem.
• With the Yamaha YBB-321 tuba, he initially needed a stand; in the normal position on the cheap plastic stacking chairs in his middle school band room he couldn't reach the mouthpiece (it was on his forehead). He has now found a way to play it with a different chair (I think he borrowed a percussion throne) that requires no stand. Standing up with it is possible but not fun for long.
• The one time he played a Miraphone 186 for half an hour, sitting down on a chair with it would have been a complete non-option, the bow would have been way too low. He would have needed a stand for that, and we didn't have one with us that day.

Fortunately, the BBC stand can be adjusted pretty low; using that in combination with a higher chair will hopefully work well for larger tubas and smaller players.

Obviously, the above observations are only about one student, and are clearly not applicable to players of different size and strength.

[Tuba-G Bass]

I am in my 40's, 5' 11" and haven't skipped any meals

I use a BBC playing stand with my Rudy 5/4 and my 1291 copy
I have a K&M stand as a backup, but the legs take up a lot more room.

[TubaSailor]

I'm mid-50's, and use a stand with my Rudy 5/4, but not with my Miraphone 181. It's really been a necessity with the Rudy -I'm 6', and still the horn needs to sit about 2" below most chairs, and tends to slip if I try to hold it like a cello - between the knees. I also find the stand allows the horn to resonate much better - probably just because I can hold it without putting any damping hands, arms, etc. against it. I also find the stand allows my right hand to relax and move much more easily than I can without the stand. No tension! Short answer - (personal opinion) it's probably not age related as much as horn size and ergonomics related.

[gionvil]

I am 42 and I play a very heavy Holton 345 CC without any stand. I am confortable with holding the instrument on my legs, with the help of an anti-skid rubber blanket, but trousers get worn rather quickly in the spot where I hold most of the weight... I think that the worst thing for my back though is not holding the instrument, but putting down the tuba during rest bars and lifting it up again, specially when room on the stage is limited.

[Ben]

Your poll does not suit me very well. I use a stand with my 164 (not nearly as heavy as you might think, but its huge, bulky and I don't need to support that much weight). I can easily rest the 163 & 184 on my left leg, and my 155 on my right without the horn's weight/bulk affecting me. The tuba stand I use is also annoying, and I have it adjusted to a particular chair in a particular concert space, and I am too lazy to want to readjust it for every horn

[Dan Schultz]

I'm a shade over 65 and have used a stand since I got back into playing fifteen years ago. I don't think is an age issue as much as a 'wiser' issue.

[Karl H.]

...it's probably not age related as much as horn size and ergonomics related.

+1

(Always liked sailors...)

And just for the record: 53 years (very) old, 6' 2", 211 lbs.

Horns played regularly with no stand: Nirschl Grand Orchestral CC, Alex 163 CC, HB2P CC, MW 2182 F, Alex 155 F, and occasionally a Willson euphonium. Also played for years on a Mirafone 186 BBb...

On the other hand, as a beginner I played a King sousaphone propped up on one of those old sousaphone chairs (wonder if they still make those?). I always thought that one of the reasons I fell in love with the tuba was that, because the stand supported the weight, I was always comfortable and able to focus on the cool sound.

I guess if I found a horn that I HAD to have but didn't fit me any other way, I'd resort to a stand (maybe).

Do I get a sore back or shoulder tightness? Sometimes. But I think/know that most of my pain comes from marching with a sousaphone, hours and hours of cycling, and fairly weak abdominal muscles. Nothing that a few crunches/push-ups/planks can't cure...

I keep thinking about buying/using a stand, but I'm just a little too lazy to be bothered: my body gets along fine with the various horns I play. If I only played around the house, or I decide to forgo any more crunches, or develop any serious back problems, I'll probably get a stand.

To each his own: Live long and Prosper!

Karl "who would love to see objective proof of a stand's ability to improve tuba sound. Seriously." H.

[Rick Denney]

It occurs to me after reading the most recent thread about tuba playing stand use that this may be an age related phenomenon.

1. The voting will be biased by the age distribution of those who respond, which is probably unrelated to the question.

2. The real question is not how old the person is now, but how old they were when they started using a stand.

Rick "in the 50+ category now, but in his 20s when he first used a stand" Denney

[swillafew]

I only saw these in the last year or two, I thought people were writing about Tuba Tamers (Wenger) initially; I used that in 6th grade.

Aside from that, blowing into the horn tires me out faster than anything. I take a break from trombone when the lips tire. I take a break from tuba when the lungs tire. The trombone is harder to hold than the tuba.

[GC]

I have a fairly short torso, so I have to hold most horns off the front of the chair to keep the mouthpiece from hitting me in the nose or forehead. I started this in my '20's, and I still do this the same way. If a horn is not really, really heavy, I don't need a stand. I find playing on a stand more stressful than holding the horn with my legs. If I ever go back to BBb, I might consider using one. It's not likely to happen, though.

Now that I'm 60, I'm more likely to simply switch to another instrument if the weight gets to be too much for me.

[Ace]

I'm 75 and have no trouble holding a tuba in my lap. However, I sometimes have a bit of trouble lifting and spinning (emptying) the instrument.

Ace

[Lars Trawen]

Yes, I use a tuba stand, I have to.
I'm now 68 and bought my current tuba 15 years ago, a Melton/MW 200 Kaiser.
It's so big and heavy that it's extremely uncomfortable to have it in my lap.
I tested all available tuba stands at that time but found none that could be enough low adjusted, same level as the seat.
Therefore I found a piano-stool to be very useful, not the round one but the rectangulary.
Sitting right across the stool with one leg on each side I can place the tuba on the seat between the legs to carry the weight.
So, in this way it also works as a tuba stand. A piano-stool is available in most cases. If not I use a normal stand.
Today I have both Tubassist and the BBC stand but I prefer the latter one. It's easier to carry.

[jeopardymaster]

Maybe I'm nuts, but I think the horn sounds better on a stand than on my lap. It's a resonance thing.

[Dan Schultz]

Maybe I'm nuts, but I think the horn sounds better on a stand than on my lap. It's a resonance thing.

++1

[chronolith]

Turning 38 and I use a DEG stand (most of the time)

I started using a stand as a way to bypass bad chair issues at various venues (chairs too small to sit a tuba in front of me, slippery plastic chairs). My Neptune is just to big for me to rest on my legs.

I discovered that the stand allows me hold the instrument as lightly as possible and keeps me from straining to hold it, which sometimes introduces unintentional vibrato. It also means I am not interfering with the physics of the instruments vibration, or at the least minimizing it. Having the instrument at a constant height also helps me maintain a good posture while playing.

I use the stand with my big tuba but also my 181 for these reasons.