Switching horns.

[Ames0325]

THe YBB 641 has a bore size of .812 while the YBB 321 that you are used to has a bore size of only .728. I suspect the substantially bigger bore is why you ae having trouble filling the horn. Plenty of practice should soon overcome the trouble you are having. Also aerobic excercise will help you breath easier.

Amy

[Ames0325]

AIR!!!!!!!!!!!


but I have noticed that the 641 is a little finicky and sounds closed. But you'll get used to that too. The only notethat really drive me nuts now is the Eb in the staff. It doesn't speak very well.....

Amy

[phoenix]

just a question... what is it with you and "anywho"?

Brett "not trying to start a fight" Miller

[TubaRay]

When you're asking for information, you'll get better answers if your questions are in plain, ordinary, properly-spelled, gramatically correct English.

At least we'll have a CHANCE of understanding what you are attempting to say.

[TubaRay]

I forgot to remind "tuba4sissies" that all of us who post on TubeNet are the coolest. We are the standard by which all others are measured. This is important to remember when one has one's say on the TubeNet.

[Joe Baker]

Yeah, I think a strap would do you plenty of good.

Not on your shoulder, though.
____________________________
Joe Baker, who wonders why children sometimes have such foolish ways of asking for help.

[Steve Inman]

What do you mean, "not on your shoulders though"?

Wouldn't a guitar strap even the weight out?

You're a tubist -- think lower .....


( translations R us )


Cheers,

[adam0408]

Sousas don't hurt my back or my stomach, just my shoulder. You'll find out. About two weeks into the season your shoulder muscles will strengthen and it won't hurt as much.

For the high schools tubas I work with I make a customized pad out of two layers of pipe insulaton covered with duct tape (to keep it from tearing) and we put it against the horn under the leather store-bought pad. The effect is to spread the weight over a much larger surface of your shoulder. Costs about $3 each, lasts about a season, and the students say it makes a big difference. If I get a chance I'll make one in stages and post some pix.

About switching: It takes me at least six months to get comfortable with a new horn, and I mean all the intonation quirks, stuffy notes, posture shifting, slide pulls, resonance issues, etc. If I'm lucky, I'll find a mouthpiece that matches both the horn and my face in that time. Be patient.

Thats why I like Tubenet. Informative and helpful.

My 1.5 cents: Just stick with whatever you are doing... the bad days will pass and good days will come along again. Who knows, you may sound even better on this new horn than you did on your old one! Another thing: We as humans are physically based on cycles and I think that has a large impact on our playing. Males go through a monthly cycle physically, much like females.... check it out, its science. So if you're ever playing poorly, just tell your director that its "your time" perhaps he/she will understand.

If you are ever tired of your sound, play in a new place and see what a difference it makes. That may just give you the inspiration you need to attain the next rung in the ladder of playing.

[TonyZ]

Sousas don't hurt my back or my stomach, just my shoulder. You'll find out. About two weeks into the season your shoulder muscles will strengthen and it won't hurt as much.

Back when I wasn't "old" I played sousa at Cedar Point in live shows for three years. 8 thirty-minute shows a day put a great crease in my shoulder, and a bizarre lump in the middle of my back that finally went away after 8 years. Really awful instruments to use for the long haul.

[MaryAnn]

When I went to my CC tuba, I had air problems too, but I got used to it (blow a LOT) and now it feels normal. It just takes a little while, and you'll be fine.

A friend of mine had problems with his low F too....he needed to push his jaw out and down more to get that note.

If you're missing the pitches low, it likely is the air problem, or you might want to push in your tuning slide some. You'll have to make adjustments while you're getting used to the bigger tuba.

Keep buzzin!

MA, another of the "old" people on the BBS

[bigboom]

I got one of those old yamaha 641's from the college I will be attending and I too think they are a very different to play. I've played on mostly a yamaha 321, Conn 5j and the Conn 20k sousies my school has. It is much harder to play than any of those and than any I remember playing and I'm not real sure why. I do think it has a decent sound but slurs are incredibly hard on the 3rd and 4th valves. If you were playing on 3/4 horn in your middle school it is probably a huge change. I hope I get a little more used to it because it's been 3 months and it still is hard. Have any of you out there had issues when they first started using rotary valves. Well good luck and you'll get there with how hard it seems you work.

Ben

[tubeast]

Hey there,

don´t know about the sousaphone they´re going to hand out to you, but occasionally (once a year, so too seldom to have my shoulder get used to it) I´m wearing a helicon with a nasty small pipe resting on the shoulder.
What I do: get a nice big newspaper (Saturday edition with all those small adds in there), fold it to appropriate size and stuff it on shoulder between t-shirt and shirt or jacket. Cardboard will do nicely, too. It won´t take the weight off your shoulder, but spares you from a whole lot if itches and pains.

Make sure it´s thin enough so you won´t look like a football player.