How to Play Loud Consistently?

[albertb]

I play tuba in my school's band. I can play loud sometimes but I don't really know what I'm doing that makes me play louder. I am the only tuba and there are only 2 trombones so I need to play loud. Any tips on warm-ups, mouth placement or anything else that might help?

[k001k47]

Let more air flow.
Play in tune.

Be merry

[Tuba Guy]

Use more air. Increase your lung capacity to use more air. Buzz on your mouthpiece while using more air. Play outside to far away mountains. Buzz through the valve section with your main tuning slide out.
Or find a tuba teacher nearby.

[Will Hammer]

Contrary to what you may think, you need to blow more warm/ (what I like to call) "broad" air through the horn. The key is staying as relaxed as possible and you would be surprised how much more sound you'll get from your horn. Basically, just strive to "deflate" your lungs after a nice full inhale, and big fat sounds will happen!

[iiipopes]

"The Breathing Gym" by Pilafian and Sheridan is a workout system that is geared to developing proper physical conditioning as well as proper breathing. You need both to effectively and efficiently put air through the horn, developing the intercostals so that the air can be managed properly through the mouthpiece through the horn.

Big, round air, the least amount of pressure of the mouthpiece on the embouchure so it is free to vibrate, and a well-conditioned firm embouchure so that everything works efficiently are the keys to consistent higher dynamic playing with good tone and pitch. In the quest for the higher dynamic, don't neglect the fundamentals - quite the contrary, the slurs, scales, and conditioning exercises become even more important in order to control the embouchure to maintain good tone and good pitch as you put more air through the horn to achieve the higher dynamic.

OK, I gotta say it: develop the differential in the concepts of a high velocity of the air, which trumpet players need, contrasted with the concept of a high volume of air at a steady velocity, which tuba players need. The embouchure and mouthpiece working together is an application of Bernoulli's principle of how vibrations are induced, which is why we say blow "through" the mouthpiece and horn. Keep the air moving forward. Then as the vibrations transition the throat of the mouthpiece and become pressure compressions and rarefactions at a repetitive rate which we call pitch, the character of the fluid dynamic changes to an application of static wave theory. The abstract concept of blowing "through" the horn helps the body be efficient and thorough in the air delivery over the embouchure and through the mouthpiece, even though the actual velocity of the air drops to near zero as it transitions the throat and backbore of the mouthpiece into the expanding leadpipe to the valve block, like a river delta emptying into a larger body of water: the velocity of the water decreases, and suspended particulate is dropped out of the mix, forming the delta. If done correctly, what is left are the regular vibrations at fundamental pitch that we characterize as good tone.

Remember, you are at the foundational pitch. Working more on good foundational tone will better support the band than a strident tone at a high volume, indoors or out. I have at times had to support an entire concert band by myself. Because I work on good overall tone and fundamentals, I am able to do that, realizing that I usually need to adjust my overall dynamic levels to be at least one step, and usually two steps higher overall for the entire concert than if I was in a section of three or four tubas. So I have played "loud consistently" for years. It is a great relief when everybody actually shows up.

What has been said in the above posts is absolutely correct. I'm just saying is in a different way. Breathe in like you fill a pitcher of water: from the bottom up. Breathe out like emptying a toothpaste tube: from the bottom up. Don't tense your chest muscles thinking this is getting a deep breath. This actually impedes the breath. It's intercostals and abs properly working together that are the keys to a deep breath and delivering a consistent velocity of air through the horn. If your abs don't feel fatigued at the end a concert, then you are not breathing correctly.

An exercise that both helps develop the concept of steady air and illustrates the application of Bernoulli's principle is to take a piece of paper about six inches long and an inch wide, wrap the end over your index finger, and hold it in the gap between your lower lip and chin. Then purse your lips and blow straight out smoothly and steadily with only enough velocity to keep the air moving. As the air sustains velocity over the paper, the pressure will decrease, and the static pressure of the air below the paper will cause it to rise. The goal is to keep the paper suspended as long as possible. If the end of the paper "flutters," that is good. That is what your embouchure is doing when you blow air through it. This exercise helps condition the intercostals to flex progressively and steadily as more air is required without contracting all at once and spilling all the air out at once, like the drunk pumpkin above.

Here is the final counter-intuitive statement, as stated above - relax. Relaxed, applied air will help the efficiency more than being too tense or forcing, and help the foundational tone develop.

[MartyNeilan]

Practice playing loud (with a good sound) to play loud. Nothing worth achieving happens overnight.

[bighonkintuba]

Ask the director to instruct the band to reduce the volume overall. Your audience will thank you. Someday, your ears will thank you as well.

[pjv]

Roger Bobo had me practice soft to strengthen my loud playing.

As well it is important to keep in mind the ensembles volumes must be well balanced. 3 musicians playing f will sound louder then 2 playing ff and one playing f. So indeed the advice of asking your colleagues to play softer can be a good one.

[aqualung]

No matter how small the band, you don't NEED to play louder to compensate.

Unless you really want to sound like a jerk who is playing too loud.

[iiipopes]

No matter how small the band, you don't NEED to play louder to compensate.
Unless you really want to sound like a jerk who is playing too loud.

This post, and all the others like it, are missing the OP's point. The band is large. He is the only tuba player. He needs to bump his dynamic level up one, possibly two notches, overall consistently, to support the band, and he needs instruction in the proper ways to maintain tone and technique, including making sure his playing is foundational.

I do agree he needs to talk to the director, not necessarily to lower the overall dynamic of the band, because that is the director's call, although that is a possibility. Rather, the best solution in the long run is to try to recruit help to get more players in the tuba section to lessen the load on one player so everyone can be more effective with dynamics.

[bort]

A more serious answer...

First, learn to play consistently (one of the ultimate goals of a musician to begin with!).

Then you will be able to play loud consistently. Jumping ahead to playing loud all the time isn't going to help you.

[iiipopes]

A more serious answer...
First, learn to play consistently (one of the ultimate goals of a musician to begin with!).
Then you will be able to play loud consistently. Jumping ahead to playing loud all the time isn't going to help you.

This is good advise, which I also posted in my initial post on the subject. Playing with good fundamentals develops a more foundational tone that is a better support to the ensemble than just mere volume.