Tuba recordings question

[Cthuba]

I could be mistaken, but in looking into various tuba recordings I stumbled across something that made me think...


Why aren't there any recordings of an unaccompanied contrabass tuba playing Rochut, Blazehvich or Kopprasch etudes?


I enjoy listening to brass quintets like Meridian, Empire and I also listen to the Pokorny excerpts cd... Yet.. Why aren't there many (if any) recordings of an unaccompanied contrabass tuba playing long, melodious etudes?

I'm aware that there are youtube videos, but why not a professionally recorded cd?

[Mudman]

There is better music to listen to and to make. Worship of Bordogni is one reason low brass players can lack the expressive capabilities found on other instruments. Kopprasch etudes are technique based--not much musical value there.

Apart from students listening to etudes to get an idea of how they should go, what is the musical value of such an endeavor?

[Cthuba]

There is better music to listen to and to make. Worship of Bordogni is one reason low brass players can lack the expressive capabilities found on other instruments. Kopprasch etudes are technique based--not much musical value there.

Apart from students listening to etudes to get an idea of how they should go, what is the musical value of such an endeavor?

Sound concept. Proper tone production I feel is invaluable.

As far as lacking expressive capabilities via "worshiping" Bordogni, I would have to disagree. Mastering of phrasing and making the line go somewhere is really what I think Bordogni is about. As these were not written for lowbrass, but voice originally. If someone can do this through those etudes, why can't the same concepts be transferred anywhere else?

[Cthuba]

Sumner's recording came to mind...

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sumnererickson

Thank you!

[Mudman]

As far as lacking expressive capabilities via "worshiping" Bordogni, I would have to disagree. Mastering of phrasing and making the line go somewhere is really what I think Bordogni is about. As these were not written for lowbrass, but voice originally. If someone can do this through those etudes, why can't the same concepts be transferred anywhere else?

Why not accomplish the same thing using good music?

The Bordogni etudes have laughably simple accompaniments that amount to "boom chick."

Just playing devil's advocate here. I agree that students can use these etudes to work on tone production and direction of a line. I use all of the aforementioned books with my own students. On the other hand, why is it that violin or cello players are much more expressive than typical low-brass players? Do double bass players work on Bordogni, or better music that may have been written by composers such as Mozart? Why don't we steal from better composers?

[Cthuba]

As far as lacking expressive capabilities via "worshiping" Bordogni, I would have to disagree. Mastering of phrasing and making the line go somewhere is really what I think Bordogni is about. As these were not written for lowbrass, but voice originally. If someone can do this through those etudes, why can't the same concepts be transferred anywhere else?

Why not accomplish the same thing using good music?

The Bordogni etudes have laughably simple accompaniments that amount to "boom chick."

Just playing devil's advocate here. I agree that students can use these etudes to work on tone production and direction of a line. I use all of the aforementioned books with my own students. On the other hand, why is it that violin or cello players are much more expressive than typical low-brass players? Do double bass players work on Bordogni, or better music that may have been written by composers such as Mozart? Why don't we steal from better composers?

Because Bordogni to me is as you've described being simple BUT it is standard in our learning how ter play der tuba in our repertoire.

Again my concern is sound concept and tone production.

Look up how many great recordings there are of cello and bass players... and brass playing Mozart (I'm going to guess there are plenty) as oppose to Tubists playing Bordogni or any of the other standard etudes in our repertoire... That is why I'm curious.

[Mudman]

I guess my point is, why not absorb sound concept, tone production, and musical line by listening to the highest art possible. Listening to great singers is probably a better use of a student's time than hearing etudes performed.

(Written in good nature--not trying to put down any other ideas. I think we should question common practice more. Maybe we can come up with a better common practice.)