Tuba advise

[Hmbrad]

We are looking for a 5 valve c tuba for our son. He is currently playing a Yamaha Yb321 at school. He tried a Meinl Weston 32. It was not a right fit because he would have to learn the slow breathing. His tuba instructor thinks a tuba with an open wrap would suit him better. I need some advice on what brands to look at. We want to keep it less than 10k.

[Mark]

Others will disagree.

Not me.

[Hmbrad]

I live in the Denver area.

[Uncle Buck]

The two comments from your child's teacher about "slow breathing" and "open wrap" seem odd to me. Maybe something is being lost from the original context, but those comments are not likely to generate much useful advice in this thread. They leave most of us wondering what the teacher really meant.

Not trying to be critical, just hoping to clarify things where you might be about to lay down some serious cash.

[Ken Herrick]

That is more than a 64Buck question.....

Makes me wonder a bit about the teacher.

[Euphtub]

I agree with everything above, and I would like to add:

Have a long talk with your son about his intentions in college and beyond. This might help you decide how serious you are about travelling to different locations to try out horns. It will save in the long run if you end up ordering one, or two, or three, etc...and don't like them.

I have 2-3 students each year look for their first CC tuba, and 1 out of every 6 or so gets sold after high school because the kid decided to major in accounting and heads off to a school that doesn't have a band/orchestra or just decides not to be in an ensemble.

You might email the professors of the colleges in the nearby area and ask if you can come try out the different horns in the studio that are 5 valve C tubas. I live near UNT, so my students do that quite frequently.

[iiipopes]

Do a surprise sit-down with his teacher after a lesson, and ask him to play all of his major and minor scales in two octaves. If this can't happen at this time, you know it's not yet time to spend ten grand.

+1, including all three variations on the minors: natural, melodic and minor.

[Hmbrad]

One of the brands his teacher talked about was the Meinl Weston 2145. I know this is a big investment so we aren't in a big hurry.