Do you play wet or dry? (or some combination)

[ShoelessWes]

Some people play wet, some people play dry. Some people wet their lips. Some people wet their lips and lick the mouthpiece rim. Some people play bone dry.

What do you do?


(Didn't make this a poll, because in tuba playing there seem to be a lot more variables than on the other brasses to what and what extent you wet things...)

[Dan Schultz]

I guess I'll have to say "wet". At sixty-six years old, I often have drool running all down the front of my shirt. 'Specially if I'm sitting behind some hot F horn players!

[The Jackson]

Always wet, my friends!

[Dan Schultz]

RUDE OFF-TOPIC SIDEBAR:

Dan,

I've been meaning to speak to you... I'm *really* disappointed that you didn't make the 4-hr. r/t to say "hi" to me over at the Southern Indiana Horseshoe this weekend.

real comment: There was a red-vested "dixieland band" of locals there (as well as our band) to add even more to the Mardi Gras-theme festivities. Every time we marched past them, they would start playing what we were playing (which was fun). Briefly - the last time, we stopped and spoke with them...' very nice guys (duh...they're musicians ).

There were TWO tuba players there the second night:
- a (60+...?? year old) guy with a small-bell Besson 3+1 Eb (small receiver), and
- a (35 - 50...?? year old) guy with a silver (4+1, probably CC...??) 4/4-size tuba

Does anyone know the names of those guys (Louisville metro area)...and/or are they on tubenet? The Eb gentleman gave us a card, but it didn't end up in my possession.

Dang, Joe! I had gigs Friday night and Saturday at 8am and at 5:30pm. Plus a rehearsal today (Sunday) at 2:30.

I don't know who the Dixieland guys in Louisville were but I'll check around and see if I can find out. My sister is in Jeffersonville and knows a lot of the tourism folks in Louisville.

[arpthark]

Sounds an awful lot like the Rascals of Ragtyme:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/129498667063208/" target="_blank

Quentin is the older fellow, I've played next to him at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville four or five times. He's incredibly nice and plays an older compensating E flat tuba.

The other player might be John Gutermuth, he plays a silver PT-4P. They're both in the group. Great guys.

[opus37]

I have to say both wet and dry. If I'm playing a silver coated brass mouthpiece I always wet it. With stainless steel, I play dry. The stainless surface is slick enough for me to play without the lubrication.

[Dan Schultz]

Sounds an awful lot like the Rascals of Ragtyme:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/129498667063208/" target="_blank" target="_blank

Quentin is the older fellow, I've played next to him at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville four or five times. He's incredibly nice and plays an older compensating E flat tuba.

The other player might be John Gutermuth, he plays a silver PT-4P. They're both in the group. Great guys.

I think you 'nailed it'. Both of those guys are Facebook 'friends' of mine.

[ShoelessWes]

Tuba embouchures are too large to keep "wet"...' just too messy. It's best to have a really slick-surface rim with not-overly-sharp edges that can slide across the skin when making those necessary adjustments that most tuba players must make when their teeth openings change (unlike any higher-pitched brass instruments) from "nearly closed" to "open 1/4 inch or even more"...and facial hair as a "bearing surface" (as tone production and low range response are severely affected) is a poor substitute for a rim that can easily move across facial skin.

bloke "or not..."

I would tend to agree, but I've noticed a few 'big name' players that do lick the ENTIRE rim of the mouthpiece, then wet their lips before they play.

James Gourlay does it almost like a ritual.

Not that how they do it really matters to me, but now I find myself paying attention to it. It is fun to watch and look for the differences from player to player.

[ShoelessWes]

(or use some sort of grease...)

bloke "eek!"

Surely you jest!?

[Lectron]

I guess I'll have to say "wet". At sixty-six years old, I often have drool running all down the front of my shirt. 'Specially if I'm sitting behind some hot F horn players!

Somone needs to add buttons to this forum

[rodgeman]

I lick my lips - but not the mouthpiece.

[arpthark]

I like a fair amount of grip, but not too much. I hardly ever wet a stainless steel mouthpiece, or gold, as I find that to be "just right." For silver-plated mouthpieces, I will wet it to get a slicker surface. I really don't think about it when I do it, though.

One of my friends always keeps a cloth threaded through one of the strap rings on the back of his tuba bell (older Cerveny). He plays with a completely dry embouchure and uses the cloth to wipe everything dry during rests.

[Dutchtown Sousa]

I usually try to keep my lips moist or the endurance of my chops is greatly reduced. I usually put a little vaseline on my lips an hour or so before I play or if I forget I put it on as soon as I remember then wipe my lips off then pick up the tuba before I have to come in again. If my lips are too wet the tone isn't quite as good. I will never use that nasty carmex stuff though