did you play any instruments before u played tuba?

[opus37]

I, like Roger Bobo, was "upgraded" from cornet to tuba in 8th grade because there were a lot of cornetists and no tuba players. I was not the best cornet player by far. I still have the cornet, but I play 3 tubas.

[Tundratubast]

fourth grade - Me=50lbs = Coronet
sixth grade - Me= 70lbs = Trombone
seventh grade - Me=80lbs = Baritone
eighth grade - Me=105 lbs = Reynolds Brass Sousaphone
nineth grade - Me=130lbs = Conn Fiberglass Sousa
twelveth grade - Me=195lbs = Meinl Weston Model 20
1997 - Me=250lbs; wife=145 lbs = No Tuba
1998 - Me=268lbs, No Wife = Meinl Weston Model 25
Today - Me 196lbs, Still No WIfe = Holton 345 BBb, Gnagey CC, Beuscher 4P/1R EEb, York Sousa, Conn Helicon
Martin 6/4 BBb Recorder being modified to a Bell Up, A couple of Holton 3v
converstion projects.
Today - Life is good. Repair Tech.

[Jerryleejr]

fourth grade - Me=50lbs = Coronet
sixth grade - Me= 70lbs = Trombone
seventh grade - Me=80lbs = Baritone
eighth grade - Me=105 lbs = Reynolds Brass Sousaphone
nineth grade - Me=130lbs = Conn Fiberglass Sousa
twelveth grade - Me=195lbs = Meinl Weston Model 20
1997 - Me=250lbs; wife=145 lbs = No Tuba
1998 - Me=268lbs, No Wife = Meinl Weston Model 25
Today - Me 196lbs, Still No WIfe = Holton 345 BBb, Gnagey CC, Beuscher 4P/1R EEb, York Sousa, Conn Helicon
Martin 6/4 BBb Recorder being modified to a Bell Up, A couple of Holton 3v
converstion projects.
Today - Life is good. Repair Tech.

So basically
Wife=no tuba
No wife=lots of tubas....

My hypothesis was a little different
1st wife=no anything
New wife=tuba and Harley

JJ

[NCSUSousa]

Prior to 6th grade: Piano, 6th Grade: Cornet
7th Grade: Braces ON =/= Cornet; Switch to Euphonium for Fall Semester (not what I was looking for); Switch to Tuba after Fall Concert (Life is Good!)
12th Grade: Braces OFF! Tuba playing Good ==> Tuba Playing Better and NOT going back to Cornet I do still have the Cornet, but it's not getting much use.

[windshieldbug]

cornet > trumpet > french horn > euphonium > trombone > tuba

I like to say that my playing "sank" to it's appropriate level...

[Tubajug]

I started taking piano around age 7 or 8, and like TubaTinker said, it's simply invaluable everything I learned there (I still play at home and for church, though I stopped taking lessons when I was about 15).

I wanted to start tuba in 5th grade, but my elementary school didn't have one, so I started on baritone and switched to tuba when I got to 7th grade. In high school I always played tuba in marching band and the auditioned band, but I dabbled in trombone, baritone, and horn in the other bands available at my school.

[yubatuba]

When I went to sign up for beginning band in the fourth grade I originally went in with the mindset to play the saxophone. After my band director demonstrated all of the available instruments I surprised my parents when I came home with a tuba!
It was a 3/4 upright Mirafone with 3 valves that I left at home for practice and I used an old King (I think) sousaphone mounted on one of those sousaphone chairs during class and at concerts. After about a year I switched to the euphonium and played that until about the eighth grade when I switched back to the tuba.

In high school (sophomore year) I made the switch to C tuba by accident. I found an old Mirafone 184 CC tuba in one of the storage rooms and wanted to play it because I thought that a five valved tuba was the coolest thing ever. It wasn't until about a week later that I found out that it was pitched in C and that there wasn't something wrong with the horn!

[MacedoniaTuba]

Trombone for 10 years and realized that i don't wanna be one of a three,rather be one of a kind:))). Playing tuba since 2010 and love it.

[Tom Mason]

6th and 7th grade - clarinet
8th grade, moved to oboe at request of director
9th grade, moved to bass clarinet by my request. picked up sax for jazz band
10, 11 and 12th grade, picked up sousaphone and baritone for marching band. trombone and electric bass for fun.

Undergrad school: marched sousaphone or baritone as needed, took tuba lessons. majored in clarinet/education. played sax for money. picked up upright bass. By the end of undergrad degree; played upright in local orchestra.

Graduate school degree in bass trombone/education. continued to play upright in pro jazz groups. toured upright and electric in big bands and show bands. Played or subbed on upright in 3 regional symphonies.

Currently own and play clarinet, soprano and tenopr sax, bass trombone, tuba, electric and upright bass.

[Jess Haney]

T played Bari Sax for many years and still do in jazz bands around town. I also play trombone, euphonium, bassoon, clarinet, and the radio from time to time.

[Teubonium]

Age 8 Cornet
Age 11 Baritone added
Age 13 Eb tuba added for Jr High orchestra, cornet dropped
Age 15 added BBb tuba, trombone. Played sousa in marching band, trombone in orchestra, baritone in concert band, (bass trombone 1 year in CB)

College (U. of Iowa) played baritone in marching band, euphonium in symphony band, trombone in symphony orchestra, valve trombone in a 5 piece jazz combo (I thought I was Bobby Brookmeyer!)

Post college I've always played in an amateur or semi-pro group on euph, trombone or tuba. 30 years on trombone in a jazz bigband, 19 years on euph in the Denver Concert Band. Am now playing BBb flat tuba in Denver Concert Band and Eb tuba in the Rocky Mountain Brassworks (British brass band).

I was not a music major, just a very busy hobbiest.

[Kayla]

Started on trumpet in the fifth grade, played it until I switched to tuba in 8th grade.

The main reason behind switching was that I was at a new middle school, and thought the trumpet players there were too mean and arrogant.

...ended up marrying a trumpet player. Guess I can't get away from them!

[DonShirer]

After 8 years of playing trumpet in school and youth bands, I hit the downward slide:

Trumpet
     Euphonium (dbl bell)
          Tuba (Eb helicon)

to the eternal disappointment of my trumpet playing father.

[bearphonium]

Started with a "tonette" in 2nd grade, a melodica in 3rd grade. Added a tenor recorder in 7th grade, guitar in 8th and a ukulele in my 50's.

I started in 5th grade playing the trombone, added bass trombone my junior year. Along the way traded trombone time for both tuba and french horn time (for friends who wanted to be in jazz band and noted that there were no tubas or horns in jazz band).

Started college playing trombone, made the switch to french horn after coming back from winter break my freshman year as the 8th of 8 trombone players and noting only one horn player. Finished as a horn player, and continued to play in the alumni band off and on. I did play one quarter on tuba after graduating. Quit playing music when job stuff (shift work, specialty teams) got in the way.

Began playing the euphonium at age 47, with an almost immediate switch to tuba, where I have been for the last 7 years. I enjoy the heck out of it.

[ken k]

took piano lessons in elementary school. started trombone in 4th grade. Was a bass trombone major in college, started playing tuba in college. Majored on bass bone for my masters, but began to play more and more tuba, now I hardly play trombone anymore, usually only when there is a doubling on an Easter gig or an occasional solo in church or an occasional blues/rock band gig.
if I would sell off all the bones in my closet I could probably buy a decent tuba...
k

[MikeW]

British schools never had a music program (I think that's still true), so I never got to play until I joined a community-level brass band as a post-school-age beginner aged about 20

Eb Horn (total beginner)
2nd Bb Euph (still a beginner - were they crazy ?)
2nd Bb Baritone (after a while I could manage most of the parts)
Eb Tuba (As a sub one day when the Eb guy was sick - knew I was home, so immediately asked for a permanent transfer)
Eb Tuba (Bought my own instrument, which played flat. Didn't have the sense to get it retuned)
Bb Tuba For a few years. The conductor couldn't stand me on Eb - no surprise really

Switched back to Eb, playing on a tiny 32E mouthpiece, with which I could play mostly in tune (the conductor put up with it because he wanted the Eb part covered when we were short of players in the summer-holiday season)

Finally admitted (after thirty-some years) that I never will "grow into" the horn, so had it re-tuned - Glorious, just glorious ! Still trying to make the adjustment from playing Eb Bass-tuba parts in brass band with a four-seat bass section to being lone tuba in a couple of concert bands.

[Radar]

Piano at 8, then Euphonium, Trombone, Bass Guitar, and finally Tuba.

[bigbob]

I started playing the Accordion when I was six..Took lessons in Barberton Ohio and Played in an all kids band for 3 years there were 75 of us....The sousaphone came next in mid 7th grade when I moved to the inercity..Played through high school...Didn't play again untill I hurt my back in 88...bought a wenger sousaphone chair and an old K ing Sousy.. Was talked in to buying a 3J in 89 by my teacher.Played it untill 2011Did not play the next year when I had lost my top teeth in an accident....Gums healed..started jonesen to play I'm now the owner of a nice 6/4 which I play everyday with the help of my Tuba stand...(knee replacement)Just love hearing those low notes...By the way I still play the accordion...not good but it helps me think more clearly about my Art work...............BB

[bigtubby]

Have always wished for a piano (equal temperament all laid out so neatly) background.

If it makes you feel any better, a properly-tuned piano is often nearly as much as a semitone out-of-tune with itself from "low a" to "high c".

Point adroitly missed.

[katietes]

I started on flute in Grade 8, then switched down to tuba halfway through Grade 10 at my band director's plea for more bass instruments. So glad I did!