Burned out on tuba

[Ace]

Take up trumpet. It will help you appreciate the tuba more.

The trumpet is a harsh mistress, chock full of unpleasantness.

Very true words you speak. Trumpets have been my main instruments and money-makers since 1947, but I hate to play them. Tubas and bass trombones are always a joy to practice and perform on.

Ace

[k001k47]

I sympathize with you completely. I slowly sold off my horns and quit playing. I think about coming back and playing every now and then, though. I'm in a rough patch in life, and needed to get my head screwed back on right. I guess stepping away from tuba was part of that. Maybe the change in scenario has had a greater psychological effect than you realize.

All I can tell you is this: I've been miserable since I quit, but then again, I was miserable to begin with. Laying down a nice bass for a band or orchestra was always a great release, though.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Hi Ian,

I don't know your playing situation, but if you play professionally, I would suggest adding a group where you can play with friends, just for fun.

We (on the tubenet) tend to get too wrapped up in the minutia of tuba equipment, often to the exlusion of the larger, more important issue of music making, itself.

Being involved with something larger than ourselves, like the fundamental human communication and expressiveness of music, can be a humbling experience.

A worthy way to spend one's life.

I definitely agree with the notion that you should not get rid of your instruments yet. You may change your mind in the future.

[Three Valves]

I play bass in the summer to mix things up and keep it interesting.

I'm getting the Fender Jazz pimped next week!!

[tofu]

I think one of the things that keeps ones interest up in things we do for fun over time are the other people involved -be it music or really any other activity. I stopped playing in one group because while the standards were extremely high -the other people in the group were joyless lifeless snobs. What keeps me going in many groups, even when "real life" intervenes over time, is the commaraderie of the other members.

I'll throw out one other thing. If you want to get back to that point when you really look forward to playing: get married! Suddenly you find many lists being developed of seemingly endless things for you to do - none of which involve tubas. Better yet - have a kid or two or four. You will literally see all free time being sucked up by activities other than playing a tuba. Now you will find yourself really looking forward to having a little time set aside for playing with your friends. Nothing like a little respite from the craziness going on at home.

[kontrabass]

Click through the bios of symphony players and you'll find a wide list of interests outside of the primary instrument: player A is a triathelete, player B an ordained minister, C has a side real estate business, D is an amateur magician, etc. etc.

When we're young it's so hard to carve out an identity. Finding an instrument can seem to satisfy every need that we have in life for those unsteady years of early adulthood. We cling to our identity as "tuba players" and slide into institutions that reward our obsession with our instrument and plan for a career. It's a well-worn path that others have walked before. That's the problem. Every now and then you need to shake things up and examine your life or you risk living the consequences of decisions that were not made by you consciously.

"Burnout" may be bad for your career in the short-term, but it's normal and healthy for your life in the long-term, and you should pay attention to that feeling. It's your mind's unconscious way of telling you that your actions and your desires are mis-aligned, and you need to re-examine your life and the role that the instrument is going to play in it, and perhaps find a way to build more variety into your life if you decide to return to the instrument "for life" (like the symphony players I listed at the top).

[anonymous4]

I don't really play anymore, but I missed it for a long long time. Seems like there are many like me in this thread.

Here's the thing (in my opinion)....

Tuba kind of sucks as a stand alone instrument. People (non tuba players) think it's out there. Think about how a person looks when they are playing the tuba. Think about the sound that is being made. It's not exactly something you bust out on a first date. At least not if you want a second date. UNLESS.......you are around other like minded band and orchestra nerds for whom the tuba is perfectly normal.

Tuba on it's own isn't worth much....you really need a group for it to make any sense. That's what you get during your school years. You aren't some weirdo, you are a super important bass voice for the <insert name of institution of civic and regional pride ensemble>! People, by and large, like you and think you are a hero!

Unfortunately, for a lot of us who graduate and don't win an audition, our large ensemble playing days are pretty much over once our degrees are in hand. It's really a lot like NFL players who get injured or retire at age 30, then don't know what to do with their lives....minus the money.

Here are your options:

1. Hussle like mad as some have suggested, so you can find groups that need a tuba. This prospect always seemed too scary to me, so I have no advice to offer you on how to do this.

2. Give up on playing in groups; play your etudes alone and be miserable. Like I used to be.

ORRRRRR

3. Do what I finally did. Sell your stinky tubas. Buy a guitar. Learn to play it. You'll get more girls, and be way more entertaining at parties.

[Rick Denney]

I don't really play anymore, but I missed it for a long long time. Seems like there are many like me in this thread.

Here's the thing (in my opinion)....

Tuba kind of sucks as a stand alone instrument. People (non tuba players) think it's out there. Think about how a person looks when they are playing the tuba. Think about the sound that is being made. It's not exactly something you bust out on a first date. At least not if you want a second date. UNLESS.......you are around other like minded band and orchestra nerds for whom the tuba is perfectly normal.

Tuba on it's own isn't worth much....you really need a group for it to make any sense. That's what you get during your school years. You aren't some weirdo, you are a super important bass voice for the <insert name of institution of civic and regional pride ensemble>! People, by and large, like you and think you are a hero!

Unfortunately, for a lot of us who graduate and don't win an audition, our large ensemble playing days are pretty much over once our degrees are in hand. It's really a lot like NFL players who get injured or retire at age 30, then don't know what to do with their lives....minus the money.

Here are your options:

1. Hussle like mad as some have suggested, so you can find groups that need a tuba. This prospect always seemed too scary to me, so I have no advice to offer you on how to do this.

2. Give up on playing in groups; play your etudes alone and be miserable. Like I used to be.

ORRRRRR

3. Do what I finally did. Sell your stinky tubas. Buy a guitar. Learn to play it. You'll get more girls, and be way more entertaining at parties.

There is an option 4: Play in amateur groups. As soon as you have decided you prefer your day job to any music gig, then it's time to turn amateur officially and start enjoying making music.

The tricky bit is that you have to sit next to people like me.

Rick "but you'll still be appreciated" Denney

[Donn]

1. Hussle like mad as some have suggested, so you can find groups that need a tuba. This prospect always seemed too scary to me, so I have no advice to offer you on how to do this.

There is an option 4: Play in amateur groups. As soon as you have decided you prefer your day job to any music gig, then it's time to turn amateur officially and start enjoying making music.

The tricky bit is that you have to sit next to people like me.

Rick "but you'll still be appreciated" Denney

Yes, play in amateur groups, but do hustle up something that's real enough to get gigs on merit, pay for gas money etc. You won't have to sit next to anyone, you'll probably be standing up and you'll surely be the only bass. You'll be appreciated not just by band mates, but by an audience who came to hear the music. My experience is somewhat contrary to what was reported above - the tuba is in fact a compelling audience attraction when played by a reasonably presentable young man (not me.)

[vespa50sp]

I switched from BBb to Eb and it's like a whole new instrument to learn : )

[humBell]

I am trying to think if have anything useful to contribute...

Tuba is my version of a midlife chrisis. Show i can still learn, or something And a little something else. Trying to put off lethargy and slow motion tragedy, if that means anything.

Can't say i play anything particularly challenging, and i certainly have more useful things i should do eventually. But when i don't feel up to anything, i can still blow a tune or two,
long as it isn't 2am...

Some day, i know i will face the question of what to do with the tuba(s) i have been fortunate to play when i am no longer (at least aspiring to be) worthy of 'em, or have other needs which i find outweigh them.

Anyway, do what ya feel is right, and looks like ya got plenty of support here. Lemme know if there is aught i can do to help...

[tclements]

I would LOVE to talk to you about this. Call me!!

[Rick Denney]

Yes, play in amateur groups, but do hustle up something that's real enough to get gigs on merit, pay for gas money etc. You won't have to sit next to anyone, you'll probably be standing up and you'll surely be the only bass. You'll be appreciated not just by band mates, but by an audience who came to hear the music. My experience is somewhat contrary to what was reported above - the tuba is in fact a compelling audience attraction when played by a reasonably presentable young man (not me.)

By which you measure the value of making music on the basis of earning money. There are, of course, excellent mostly amateur musicians out there, despite my joke about having to be willing to sit next to me.

But that wasn't the point. The point is not about what music does for us, which is ultimately selfish and unsatisfying. The point is about using music to express something for others, for their benefit. In giving music, we get satisfaction and sometimes money. But the attitude of giving is what makes the getting possible. People love music whether or not they are willing to pay for it, and people love expressing music whether or not somebody is willing to pay them for it. Play for love, not money, even if you are getting paid. You don't hustle so that you can get paid, you hustle so that you can continue to offer music. But once you have a day job that pays well enough and that you enjoy doing, you have freed yourself from using money to evaluate your value as a musician, and if you use getting paid as a measure of the value of playing music, you put yourself at risk.

Rick "valuing gigs and valuing music-playing are two different things" Denney

[pwhitaker]

Donn: " - the tuba is in fact a compelling audience attraction when played by a reasonably presentable young man" ... or even a fat sloppy old man like me. People, particularly little children, are fascinated by tubas and sousaphones. That EEb you have would certainly be a crowd pleaser just because of its outlandish size (and world class tone).

[Three Valves]

Donn: " - the tuba is in fact a compelling audience attraction when played by a reasonably presentable young man" ... or even a fat sloppy old man like me.

That was me 30yrs ago, see avatar...

[chronolith]

This is precisely why I stopped playing for money. I discovered that burnout (which I did a couple of times) had very little to do with the instrument I was playing and more to do with the situation I was playing in. Some examples:

- Playing for money knowing that the money was all you were doing it for
- Playing in any group where you feel like you did your part to prepare and others just don't bother or sigtread their way through every rehearsal (if they show up at all)
- Groups who hold on to bad musicians because they have been around a long time or because they serve some administrative purpose
- Losing time with friends and family and letting it gnaw on you while you are playing
- Playing the same $#!& year in and year out
- Showing up for a rehearsal just because you feel responsible for the low end and don't feel anyone else cares enough
- Not having the ability to say no when someone asks you to sub
- Long drives, crap parking, crap conductors, crap rehearsal space, crap performance space, crap rep, musicians with too much cologne/perfume, musicians with too little cologne/perfume, admin drama, group money problems, etc.

I began to measure the quality of my time on the horn as a ratio of sufficient musical challenge to burden of commitment. For many of those groups the number was less than 1. I stopped playing in those groups.

There are things you can do about it of course (some of which have already been wisely mentioned).

- Just stop playing tuba for a while. Oil up those valves and store it. Don't let anybody make you feel bad about it either. You might just be saving your tuba-life in the process.
- Throw off the yolk of any tuba related responsibilities you might have. Sub out your commitments. This alone might be enough to remind you why you started playing in the first place.
- Take up another instrument. And I don't mean Euphonium. Get as far away from brass as you can. Take up the drums or guitar or something.
- Get some tuba lessons. Maybe part of your unhappiness playing is coming from a disconnect between your intentions and your product on the tuba. That can be very frustrating and demoralizing.
- Start a chamber group with some kind of clear goal (master all the ewald quintets, everybody contributes their own arrangements, an all brass Stevie Wonder tribute quintet, whatever you want). Don't just get together and sightread CB beginner books.

It's not a nice place to be in burnout land. Gotta shake it up and get back to the place where you fell in love in the first place. Don't think of it as stopping something you don't enjoy, but rather prioritizing and pursuing something ELSE that you do enjoy. If it was meant to be then you will find the urge again, but if not you will be enjoying something else instead and will have no need for guilt or pressure about it.

[Tubaryan12]

The only gigs that I really look forward to are
- those where some good friends are playing as well

What he said....and honestly, I enjoy rehearsal much more than the gig.

[Gongadin]

If you're feeling burned out, then by all means take a break from all things tuba for a while. Maybe even give TubeNet a pass for a bit. You may be feeling overwhelmed by a number of factors, as others have stated. You may be overwhelmed by the fact that you have a dozen or so tubas sitting in storage. When you take a break, concentrate on other aspects of your life. After a while you'll see if your tuba passion calls to you, or you may find that you feel free and unencumbered without tubas in your life.
I agree that you should not put your tubas up for sale at the present time (unless you know that certain instruments are definitely not for you). Give it a while - if you want to sell them in a few months from now after taking a break from the instrument, then that might be the right thing for you to do. You'll only know this by taking some time to step back and reflect, and put your priorities in perspective.
I agree with the point that Bloke made too about finding an instrument that's easy to play and easy to play in tune. Perhaps after you take a break from the tuba, if the instrument calls you back and you decide to continue being a tubist, you could simplify your life by choosing an instrument that frees you from everything except experiencing the joy of music. Odd or unique instruments are fun, but not if they're a chore to play and you have to fight their idiosyncrasies to play them.
Do what's best for you, Ian - your physical and mental health are the most important things to concentrate on.

[adam0408]

Click through the bios of symphony players and you'll find a wide list of interests outside of the primary instrument: player A is a triathelete, player B an ordained minister, C has a side real estate business, D is an amateur magician, etc. etc.

When we're young it's so hard to carve out an identity. Finding an instrument can seem to satisfy every need that we have in life for those unsteady years of early adulthood. We cling to our identity as "tuba players" and slide into institutions that reward our obsession with our instrument and plan for a career. It's a well-worn path that others have walked before. That's the problem. Every now and then you need to shake things up and examine your life or you risk living the consequences of decisions that were not made by you consciously.

"Burnout" may be bad for your career in the short-term, but it's normal and healthy for your life in the long-term, and you should pay attention to that feeling. It's your mind's unconscious way of telling you that your actions and your desires are mis-aligned, and you need to re-examine your life and the role that the instrument is going to play in it, and perhaps find a way to build more variety into your life if you decide to return to the instrument "for life" (like the symphony players I listed at the top).

I agree. Defining yourself in relation to music can be a very disappointing thing, because the nature of music and being a musician is such that at some point you will have your heart and your dreams stepped on and broken. If you choose to be a musician on any semblance of a professional level, it is very likely you will experience a very great deal of disappointment and heartbreak. You can never expect to realize all of your goals and aspirations. That is why it is important to realize that music is simply something that you do. It does not define your worth as a human being on this planet.

I'll share my personal story in hopes that it may help someone...

I graduated with my master's degree in music performance eight years ago. For various reasons, after school I moved to a town in a very unpopulated part of the country. Part of the cause of packing up and moving to the boonies a thousand miles away was stress. Part of it was because of some failures in my personal life that were completely out of my control. The stress was due to finishing my masters paper and recital all in one semester, which I do not recommend after having been through it. The personal issues had to do with girls, as is common with a man in his mid-twenties.

When I moved to this town I've been living in since, I began playing with the local college/community band. It was a very frustrating experience, since I went directly from playing very dense and challenging literature to playing many of the pieces I played late in middle school and early high school. It was a shock to my system, and I got bored with that immediately. I initially thought I would hang out and play just to keep my reading chops up, but the music was such that I could have sight read it on the concert and played it just as well as if I had been at all the rehearsals. I'm not bragging, and I don't judge the level of players in that group, I'm just stating facts. That was the level of the ensemble, and I just couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't worth my time and I was getting pissed off at every rehearsal because I was bored and the flute section would take ten minutes to tune to within a quarter step of each other.

So what happened was I just kind of stopped playing. I had no other groups to play with and no motivation. I had a lot of regret and anger about it for a while. I was mad at myself for wasting my time with my degree that I never use. I was mad at the collegiate world because there are virtually no jobs I'm qualified for. I was generally angry because I didn't know what I was doing with my life, I had a large amount of debt accumulated for what I saw as no reason, and I wasn't making any personal or financial progress.

Since those times when I was fresh out of school, I have struggled to find my identity. I've gone through a lot of mental anguish because of this struggle to find my place in the world, and a lot of it has to do with my relationship with music and being a musician. Now I'm doing better. I think I've found some semblance of sanity in the murky madness that has been my life in the past few years. I still gig on my tuba about once or twice a month, but I rarely practice. I don't really need or want to. That is okay. I have no delusions that I will ever have a symphony job or come close to making a majority of my living playing tuba or doing something music related. That is also okay. I may come back to being more serious about it in the future, but I don't know what the future holds, and that is okay.

I play electric bass in a band that I have a lot of fun with, and that has been holding much of my musical interest and energy in the past year or two. It made me like being a musician again because it is fun and challenging and different than tuba. I also have much less pressure on myself because I don't have the weight of my education resting on my shoulders.

I do have to say that it is really nice not having to rely on music to pay the bills. I look at it as purely supplemental income, so I can pick and choose who I play with and what I play. I have the luxury of saying no to people that I don't want to play with. I think this is the only thing that has saved me from selling off all of my equipment and never playing again. I have freedom. I can do what I want because music does not make my decisions for me.

So to sum up and address the concerns of the OP in regards to my experience, I have to say this: Take some time. Figure out what music means to you and what you want out of it. Don't sell your horns just yet. It is okay to have a spell where you're not inspired, because you will most likely find something later to inspire you and make everything fresh again. That is the beauty of music. It is a problem with no solution, and you can approach it however you like and define your own boundaries and goals.

Keep your head up and remember that your abilities related to music do not define who you are.

[Three Valves]

The personal issues had to do with girls, as is common with a man in his mid-twenties.

That, and the curse of strong drink.

I don't know which is worse/better??