Middle-Aged Sag

[Rick Denney]

Well, Rick, a side-effect question: with your new relaxed embouchure, is the low C on your F tuba a whole lot easier to play than it used to be?

MA

Yes, and it's an astute question covering an issue that occurred to me over the weekend. It so happens that my difficulties on the Holton have coincided with fairly intensive work (within the context of the time I can devote to the tuba) on the B&S F to learn how to play it. And it so happens that I usually have a quintet rehearsal on that instrument before band rehearsal. Saturday, I warmed up thoroughly on the Holton, without having touched the F for a couple of days, and after listening to some music to plan good pitches in my brain. After a ten-minute warmup, I pulled out the tuner, closed my eyes, hit a pitch, and opened my eyes to see where it was on the tuner. Everything was within 5 cents one way or another. Go figure.

Rick "now to figure out what to do about it" Denney

[Rick Denney]

Have asked another "reliable" player (like, maybe a tuba player in the National Symphony, etc. ) blow you horn in front of a tuner...

No. But I should. I have taken a few lessons with Gil Corella, but not with the big instrument, and not to diagnose a problem that could be the instrument. (Also it's been well over a year.) He has absolutely confirmed Roger's formula that fast air = higher pitch.

...and, like Sean says, with the instrument (truly) warmed up?

Remember that I play in a band, not an orchestra. For us, a long tacet section is six bars. I really think the horn's temperature is stable and not related to this issue, but I have given it careful consideration.

Rather than your [paraphrase] "chops falling apart", it could be that you're now "into" that instrument enough to actually have rightfully "found" the "center" - and (possibly) the "center" is low. I've not noticed any particular "consistency" from one Holton BAT to the next.

That is possible, and I actually sort of hope it to be true. Saturday, though, I was able to nail pitches and still get the sort of centered sound that is as good as I'm able to get on the instrument.

...and Lew also makes a valid observation. Amateurs rarely play "flat". Well over 90% of this group of musicians seem to follow the adage "better sharp than out-of-tune". I could easily believe that your standmate is playing 30 c. sharp "in general", which surely would clash with some of your pitches being 10-20 c. flat.

This is also true, and the main reason I didn't worry about it for a long time until the oboe player started measuring my pitches on her tuner during our warm-up sessions. It's quite true that another player in our section is battling high pitches, despite having the main slide pulled out nearly to falling out. Funny enough, I've been suggesting a much more relaxed, "let the air fall into the horn rather than pushing it" approach. Maybe I'm listening a bit too much to my own advice and we should meetin the middle, heh, heh.

Rick "accustomed to the sharp tendency more from higher instruments" Denney

[Rick Denney]

As we age, we tend to "work" less.

Yes, though I've compensated by moving to instruments that are more demanding (and more rewarding).

Air is always an issue with me. My capacity is quite small, despite my size (certainly less than four liters at this point). And our conductor is always seeking more connected phrasing. I find myself unable to sustain a loud pitch for the length of some notes, even when he's asking for more. I'm working on my "filling up" technique, but even then a true fill-up seems to take longer than our technical band parts allow. Mike Sanders has always recommended breathing before it is necessary so that you take smaller, more frequent breaths just to top off the tank, and I'm working on that advice since I heard him repeat it at the Army conference master class. Even so, I find I have a lot of difficulty keeping enough air in my body to sustain notes.

But during the tuning note, I'm full of air and don't face those issues. Mary Ann may be right that I'm taking my F tuba strategy to the Holton when I should not. But I don't want to go back to the old days when I worked harder and didn't get as good a sound.

Rick "who has always had air problems, but not always this problem" Denney

[MaryAnn]

Rick, a couple of things. One, you really should find a way to attend Sam Pilafian's breathing class. You WILL increase your capacity and learn some stuff you don't know. Attend it twice!

I've been told that lung capacity has to do with torso length and not much else. In my experience with colleagues, that has appeared to be true. The ones with long torsos have a lot of liters.

You could go on a campaign to learn circular breathing; I'm on such a campaign but am in a "resting phase" right now....I sort of got it, i.e. I can keep bubbles going with a straw...but am still a ways off from keeping a buzz going. I think persistence will be the key, as usual. It is a coordination thing.

Note on changing instruments: I find I cannot play both euphonium and horn in the same time frame (i.e, can't play euph in band and horn in orchestra) because the air supply needed is "too close." If I use my air just right on euph...I clam the hell out of all my horn notes. I don't have this problem with tuba and horn, because the air supply needed is so different. You may be having my "euph vs horn" problem with "B&S vs Holton." I think however that if you can define the problem you can solve it, and if anybody can define it, YOU can.

MA