Tone Groan Zone

[Zoop Soup]

I started playing tuba two and a half years ago, switching from bari sax by self-instruction in the summer between eighth and ninth grade (junior in high school now, for reference). Despite the fact that I have placed well enough in my region to qualify to audition for the all-state band and have the chops to play comfortably in the upper register, being middle staff D to above staff D (to give a benchmark of my ability in other aspects of playing), my tone sucks. It is harsh and very far below the rest of my abilities of playing, which is frustrating, to say the least.

I have been told by my teacher that my embouchure is not what is holding me back any longer (although it certainly was at one point, don't let an 8th grader teach themselves tuba with no supervision), but that the mental definition of a "good tuba sound" is missing from my mind. Tone has been the one part of playing which has been difficult to me, and multiple people have approached me saying due to the relative lack of time I have been playing as opposed to my peers is the cause for this, but I don't buy into that. Practice > time. Apparently, once this concept becomes internalized to me I will be playing like I think a tuba should sound, which will fix my problem.

Does anybody have any additional advice I could employ? I have two days I could be practicing every day, and I really want to isolate this issue and mature my sound to the level I think it should be at. Any recordings of this mythical "good tuba sound" that I should be reaching for? Any exercises to focus on? Anyone want to recommend more long tones?

Yours in dubiousness,

Zoop "bad tuba sound" Soup

[Zoop Soup]

i like the results i get by buzzing on the mouthpiece. buzz elementary school songs you know, make the buzz have a pitch as much as you're able. it makes me relax my buzz and move more air. bigger sound.

Do you provide any air resistance in the shank or just a completely unobstructed mouthpiece?

[Tubajug]

i like the results i get by buzzing on the mouthpiece. buzz elementary school songs you know, make the buzz have a pitch as much as you're able. it makes me relax my buzz and move more air. bigger sound.

Do you provide any air resistance in the shank or just a completely unobstructed mouthpiece?

You can go both ways. If you find it difficult at first, add some resistance by putting a finger part of the way covering the end (be ready for a spit bath!). I had to do that when I first started buzzing on the mouthpiece alone. Eventually, you'll build up the skills to do it with no resistance. The goal is to get (as noted earlier) as much pitch as you can from your own buzz.

Best of luck!

[TheGoyWonder]

From bari sax? That could be a handicap. Tuba will sound familiar to you when you really honk it, but others may not be pleased by the outcome. You'll have to get used to a lower spectrum of sound, even for playing the same pitch.

If you want to think objectively, tuba sound can be broken into components from low to high like an equalizer. There's the fundamental, the wavelength of the literal note on the page. Then there are overtones, which are multiples of the fundamental frequency. Lower overtones could be called "core" and higher overtones could be called "presence". On top of that there's non-mathematical "noise", which still helps it sound like a tuba. Agreeable tuba sound is left-skewed on the equalizer. Easiest to do at mezzo-piano, with gentlest possible attack. From there you try to keep that sound as dynamic increases. Takes a lifetime to master.

It's hard to find tuba recordings that aren't oriented to playing F tuba for recital situations, which get tiresome to listen after 5 minutes and are difficult to translate to BBb tuba in ensemble situations. My favorite brass recordings were always the Canadian Brass. That's the best combination of hearing instruments in isolation, while still being listenable. For tuba Chuck plays a 3/4, almost 1/2 size tuba (Yamaha 621 on most old favorites) and can get rambunctious, so it's more of an inspiration to play than a direct imitation.

To hear tuba within a band, the US Navy band and Eastman have great recordings.

Youtuber I like: Fun to listen to and acceptable quality. Attainable sound, far from overly academic or on overly specialized equipment. You do have to know your classic sousaphones to know what sort of tuba his sound translates to in any given video.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChYXfF ... jGjc-gpQZQ

[swillafew]

Play some easy music and check your pitch. Poor sounds are most likely:

1. weak airstream

2. poor pitch

3. closed teeth

If you buzz on the mouthpiece alone, a strong sound with clear pitch should come out. The airstream will be easy to evaluate when you do this. Pitch can be learned, be patient, use a reference. Getting your mouth open requires strong muscles to control the operation.

[Zoop Soup]

Youtuber I like: Fun to listen to and acceptable quality. Attainable sound, far from overly academic or on overly specialized equipment. You do have to know your classic sousaphones to know what sort of tuba his sound translates to in any given video.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChYXfF ... jGjc-gpQZQ

That's a great group, I'll work on putting a sound like that through my tuba.

Thanks for sharing.

[GC]

There are many examples of excellent tones out there, and tubas can sound good with all sorts of tones. What you hear on recordings is usually distorted by room acoustics, recording techniques, and equalization. Your best bet may be tuba solo recordings, where the horn is in the forefront. My personal favorite model for tuba sound is Jim Self.

[Zoop Soup]

Play some easy music and check your pitch. Poor sounds are most likely:

1. weak airstream

2. poor pitch

3. closed teeth

If you buzz on the mouthpiece alone, a strong sound with clear pitch should come out. The airstream will be easy to evaluate when you do this. Pitch can be learned, be patient, use a reference. Getting your mouth open requires strong muscles to control the operation.

I'm not sure what you mean by poor pitch

[swillafew]

Poor pitch means your buzz is not the note you want. Some people struggle to find the correct pitch.

[happyroman]

Play some easy music and check your pitch. Poor sounds are most likely:

1. weak airstream

2. poor pitch

3. closed teeth

If you buzz on the mouthpiece alone, a strong sound with clear pitch should come out. The airstream will be easy to evaluate when you do this. Pitch can be learned, be patient, use a reference. Getting your mouth open requires strong muscles to control the operation.

To this list, I will add the tongue blocking the air stream. Keep in mind that in repose, the tongue almost completely fills the oral cavity. Arnold Jacobs called it an unruly beast. It can be relatively easily controlled by thinking of the low vowels, OH, OOH, and AHH. Say these vowels and then breath in and out while blowing on the back of your hand. You will feel just how thick the air stream is. Then, when you play, think of a voice that sounds like a tuba singing with those low vowel sounds.

In addition to buzzing easy tunes on the mouthpiece, also buzz whatever music you are playing on the tuba. Work on short phrases, and go back and forth between the mouthpiece alone and the tuba. The BERP is ideal for this because you can finger the valve combinations while you buzz. This provides a psychological stimulus that will help you get the correct pitch.

Allessandro Fossi has an excellent set of exercises for buzzing the mouthpiece that are complete with piano accompaniment, which will help you with the pitch. Take a look at his YouTube videos for a few examples. He uses flexible plastic tubing to add some resistance to the mouthpiece. The extra resistance also allows you to play slightly longer phrases than when buzzing on the mouthpiece alone. He also uses the Inspiron when buzzing, which allows the visual reinforcement of seeing the little ball being elevated due to the air stream. Personally, I use plastic tubing with a 1/2" inner diameter, cut to 4" in length for most applications. I use an 8" length in combination with the Inspiron. The longer tube also helps when working in the very low register.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ale75fo/se ... ry=to+buzz" target="_blank" target="_blank

If you want an example of great tuba sound, get the Brass Gym book by Sam Pilafian and Pat Sheridan. It includes a recording of those two playing every exercise in octaves.

http://www.focus-on-music.com/products/the-brass-gym" target="_blank

[Paul Scott]

Lots of good advice here. FWIW two more things: 1) breathe more often than you think you need to and 2) try tounging to the BOTTOM teeth (sometimes referred to as "anchor tonguing"). These two concepts have worked wonders for students of mine.

[swillafew]

I will add the tongue blocking the air stream

Ross Tolbert had me blow warm air in the palm of my hand. It puts yourself in a configuration to warm up the sound. Notice your throat and your palette while you do it. Your teeth will be in a good spot too.

It's a lesson I never forgot.