Why and how would an amateur play 3 different key tubas?

[Matt Walters]

Why play 3 different key tubas?
I play mostly CC, but also BBb and F to keep my brain challenged! Since I don't go home and practice every evening after working in a music store 8-12 hours 5-6 days a week, I needed a trick to help switch gears of different fingerings. I use a different valve configuration on each key.
I love my front action York CC and wouldn't trade it for a brand new Yamayork. I have other tubas I would willing trade if someone were so inclined. Front action be it piston or rotor, means CC fingerings to me. Being able to play CC tuba helps me communicate with the college kid who comes in the store thinking that CC tuba is the only key for aspiring tubists.
F tuba for me is my 4+2 Meinl Weston 46 (It is the later version with 15" bell and .728'" bore until it gets to the .770" bore 4th rotor.) I lucked into the best example of those I have ever played. Reaching up for the 5th and 6th valves with my left hand tells my brain to switch to F fingerings. I have no real venue for F tuba playing but the F tuba makes me buzz accurate pitches where the York CC enables my lazy streak.
Top action is what helps me switch to BBb tuba fingerings. The very first BBb tuba I played was a 4 valve top action King BBb and my 1917 3 valve top action King BBb is very easy for me to play. The nice thing about my King BBb is that even with re-plated valves, I have very little money in a tuba that sounds like big bucks. Perfect for those outdoor summer concerts in a clam shell where everything gets bumped.

Those are my tricks to switch to different fingerings. Any other tricks besides hours of practice?

[bort]

You know, I never thought about it like that -- interesting. Perhaps those physical differences are why playing a rotary CC and a BBb Sousaphone in college was never an issue for me?

Since then, I've realized that I prefer the sound of rotary tubas regardless of the key, and prefer to keep things as consistent as possible in the style of my tubas. Then all I have to do is keep the fingerings straight, and I have an easier time of still "sounding like me." The big thing for me balancing CC and F was making and maintaining the mental connection of what pitch to expect when I play an open note. After that, everything falls into place.

Then again, I've never tried to be a 3-tuba/3-key player, that might be totally different.

[ppalan]

My primary horn is my CC Miraphone 186. I play Eb (YEB 321) in a British-style brass band and use it on my German band gigs for solo stuff and anything else that seems appropriate.(also in orchestra when I need a Bass Tuba) I started out playing tuba in 7th grade on a Conn Eb (not sure what model) The difference in valve set-up works for me to keep them separate in my mind so I can pick them up and play without pause. BBb fingerings were imprinted on my mind from all of the sousaphone playing I did in high school. Just like Matt, I think the challenge is good to keep the mind active. I'm now looking to learn F, mostly for the challenge, and I'm thinking 4+2 so there's a difference that I can use as a cue.
Pete

[TubaHooah]

I think I actually prefer having the valve configuration the same for all my horns. I recently sold my 4+2 Meinl Weston 46 and a big reason was that no matter how hard I tried, my left hand just did not want to work in concert with my right. I much prefer my Petruschka with all 5 on the right hand. I think just the size difference between that and my PT6 is enough of a physical cue for me to change my fingering "mindset" for whatever key I'm playing in.

BBb is a different story since most of the BBb playing I do is on Sousaphone, but occasionally on a PT605. There I run into some mind-bending situations since it's so close to the PT6. Honestly, BBb has never felt especially comfortable. CC has been "home key" since 8th grade - BBb is just to pay the bills on the marching field for the Army

[The Big Ben]

Interesting observations, Matt.

Using a top loader BBb, do you often run into the "point left/point right" situation?

[Matt Walters]

Ben,
I play in community bands for free. If they don't like the way my bell points.....

[cjk]

Ben,
I play in community bands for free. If they don't like the way my bell points.....

+1

[Tubaman2365]

I am about to toss the F and the pig out a window because I am so busy and I keep making mistakes when I am reading on gigs.

Just let us know when you are tossing them. It'll be like shoppers at wal mart on Black Friday!

[Art Hovey]

For most of my life I avoided playing tubas in different keys, and just stayed with BBb.
I did fool around with a CC piggy for a while because the price was right, and became comfortable with it on dixieland-type gigs that did not involve reading charts, but I wasn't able to do any reading with it.

More recently I have taught myself to play any tune that I know in any key. I pick a different tune every day, and play it in every key, with some embellishment whenever possible, while reading a magazine. It took a few years, but I can do it pretty well now and it has helped my playing a lot.

When my student decided to get a CC tuba about six months ago I made one for myself out of an old 10J and discovered that I could read familiar Bordogni etudes on it. What was really happening was I was playing by ear. If I am familiar with the instrument (BBb or CC) and if I know the melody then I don't have to think about fingerings; they are automatic. So I advised my student to focus on sight-singing, which I should have done years ago. After only a couple of months he was able to read like lightning with either instrument.

[Tubachin]

Matt, I once owned at the same time, MW-182F, Getzen G50, BBb Higham helicon and a beat up Eb sousaphone. The 4 keys forced me to think about each tuba as a different instrument, similar to doubling on a clarinet and saxophone, where there isn't much confusion.

The physical differences of the horn signified the "different" instruments which made it easier to play the correct fingerings. I still have the most trouble with Eb (read in treble clef, change key and use CC fingerings).

I now only have a CC and BBb, not too difficult to switch back and forth.

[Rick Denney]

For me, I need to turn a mental switch when changing between Bb and F. My 621 has front-action pistons like my Holton, and my B&S has front-action rotaries like my Miraphone.

The only trouble I have is switching between the Yamaha (with a right-thumb fifth) and the B&S (with left-hand fifth and sixth). I played the Yamaha for so many years that it comes naturally, and I'm just getting to that point with the fifth on the B&S.

If I so much as think the word "B-flat" while playing the F tuba, I will screw up a fingering. That switch in my brain is pretty sensitive. If "B-Flat" appears in my brain, I have to immediately follow it with "F tuba, DAMMIT!"

Rick "not wanting to analyze it too much for fear of making it not work" Denney

[oedipoes]

I had the opportunity to try a Yamayork once, was very impressed, and thought, well, let's give CC a try.
Now I can play CC tuba when reading from sheet music, but my ears keep telling me the damn thing play one tone too high...
So I traded back the Melton 2145CC for a Rudy 4/4 BBb and I'm very, very happy with that.

In BBb, I'm comfortable with or without sheet music, on 3, 4 and 5 valves, piston or rotary, front or top action, 4 valves in a row, 3+1 Besson compensator ...
So, as an amateur, I stick with BBb, but I'm pretty flexible within that key.

[1895King]

I've been playing Eb the past 3 or 4 years; night before last I took my BBb because I was too lazy to get my York Eb out of my truck; I had one H___ of a time with fingerings so for last night's concert I took the truck with the York. It went very well.

[eupher61]

I guess I'm fortunate to have few problems changing keys. All of my tubas feel different, true, but it really doesn't cause much of an issue ever. At least after I've had a few minutes on each. I last played a CC ( still for sale..Meister Gerhard Schneider 4v CC...) a couple months ago, not reading. No problems, though reading might take a few extra minutes to get back. It's been almost 25 years since I owned a CC, but I can still think the fingerings.

Good training is to read trumpet, horn, flute, sax music on any tuba, in the right key. Get used to the sound and fingers being "different" than usual.