How to start playing jazz on tuba?

[besson900]

Hello guys!

I know that most of us are classical musicans but i was thinking about playing some jazz pieces with improvistaions on tuba? I it more and more popular, Sergio Carolino, Jon Sass, Nikita Butenko are really famous because of playing jazz(And they are great players- i know). How to start playing this kind of music. Do you have some books for tuba players or pages where i can read how to start it or You have any advices?

I'm asking because i know that some of You are playing this kind of music and You have some expierence. I played for a last 10 or more years just solo pieces and orchestral stuff and i wanto to try something new

Al best
P.R.

[swillafew]

Don't bury yourself.

You can take an easy melody, and explore syncopation to make it a jazz feel. If you aren't sure how to do that, get yourself a book of easy jazz duets (for whatever instrument) and get used to the rhythms.

After you get the rhythms into your mind, you can take those melodies and start to recompose them with alternate pitches.

Connecting minor and major arpeggios (d minor to G, e minor to A, etc) is good practice anyway, and will set you up for more work when you get comfortable with the rhythm and starting to change the notes.

[Art Hovey]

Just put on a recording that you like, shut the door, turn up the volume, pick up your horn and blow. Practice imitating the licks that you like. Practice discovering the chord patterns by trial and error, not be books and charts. (Study the books and charts later.) Also practice scales and arpeggios. Also practice playing familiar melodies in every key, by trial and error. Repeat daily for years. When you become confident enough go out and find people who want to jam on your kind of music and do it.

[circusboy]

Just put on a recording that you like, shut the door, turn up the volume, pick up your horn and blow. Practice imitating the licks that you like. Practice discovering the chord patterns by trial and error, not be books and charts. (Study the books and charts later.) Also practice scales and arpeggios. Also practice playing familiar melodies in every key, by trial and error. Repeat daily for years. When you become confident enough go out and find people who want to jam on your kind of music and do it.

Just love this advice, Art. And just what I've been looking for. I just might give it a try. Thanks!

[LibraryMark]

Buy "The real book" (look it up on Amazon) and learn the standard tunes. They make a bass clef version. You will probably wind up needing it for a lot of gigs you might pick up.

Make sure you can play all your scales in every key - fluidly and quickly. Learn some "stock" patterns and licks (especially ii-V-I's, again in any key) to build some technique. You would be surprised how much easier it is to improv if your fingers already have some tricks to bring to bear.

Also - One other thing that makes playing along with recordings tons easier is software that can change the pitch/speed of a recording*. Slow a tune down so you can follow it. Play it in a key that works for you. Change the key once you've learned it to stretch yourself.

LISTEN-LISTEN-LISTEN to a lot of jazz.
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* I sure wish that this technology would have been available when I was in college. Gone are the days of wearing out a cassette tape player from repeated rewinds or writing charts in ink - a really obnoxious chore for a lefty.

Kids have it so easy these days.

[tubajoe]

do what Art Hovey says!

[Matt Walters]

From what I have seen and heard of current Jazz Improv, here are some suggestions based on decades of observation to go beyond what Art Hovey said:

1) Play a lot of random sounding notes. No diatonic whatsoever! Imagine there is a god paying you by how many notes you can get out.
2) Put a lot 'fuff' sounding air attacks at the beginning of most the notes. Especially the first note of a new phrase.
3) When you really 'frack' a note, sit on it an extra second and bend the pitch. That means you meant to do that.
4) Make faces: The "I'm cutting a silent fart in public." is a very popular expression used by both Jazz and Classical musicians to show you are serious. Always make the "I got the Nephew to pull my finger face." when you finish. That way no matter what you played, everyone will think you must have played something great and they are just too naive to understand it.
5) Wear ALL BLACK clothing. I know jazz improv is supposed to be an expression of individualism but only a 'Wanna Be' would wear something other than all black on a gig.
6) If people aren't responding to you, play even louder and louder until they finally come up to you and start a conversation about Jazz improv with the hopes of distracting you from playing.

In a nutshell: Jazz Improv is random notes played poorly. Random notes played very well is called Avante Guard.

[roweenie]

You should look up a famous jazz tuba player in your area and ask for jazz tuba lessons.

[Alecgrinage]

I'm playing out of the new real book on my Alexander 163 in a small jazz combo

[BrassKicksArse]

I'd start with taking the tuba out of the case. Then, plug in a mouthpiece. From there, you'd be good to start playing some jazz.

[Donn]

I'd start with taking the tuba out of the case. Then, plug in a mouthpiece. From there, you'd be good to start playing some jazz.

That's if you have some jazz in your head. Which I presume would likely be the case, or the question would have never come up, but one never knows for sure.

[UDELBR]

... famous jazz tuba player...

Contradiction in terms.

[Michael Grant]

I think the question should be “how to start playing jazz” vs “jazz on tuba”. Jazz is a form of music, not a form of tuba music. Just as in classical music, playing jazz requires practice. Developing a routine and following it is the best advice I could give. In addition to your major and minor scales, you’ll be playing blues scales, pentatonic scales and whole tone scales in every key, learning your modes and expanding your chord knowledge beyond major and minor arpeggios. And lots of other things. A good place to start is with this:

http://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/merchant.m ... Code=V01DS" target="_blank" target="_blank

In case that link doesn’t work: Jamie Aebersold’s Jazz Books
VOLUME 1 - HOW TO PLAY JAZZ & IMPROVISE NOW WITH 2 CDS!

Take this and approach the teachers of jazz studies (if you limit your search to only jazz tuba players you may be searching for a very long time) at your local school, university, speakeasy or jazz club.

The Aeberold method is a great place to start and with a good teacher (or by yourself) you can chart the course you wish to take.

Best of luck.

[jwjeffrey]

I would also suggest you check out Howard Johnson and Dave Bargeron on YouTube and Howard Johnson and Gravity.Oh, I forgot about Bob Stewart too.

[pecktime]

Playing jazz on tuba means: playing basslines and the ocassional solo while the rest of the band talks about what song to do next.

If you want to be more of a front line player- try euphonium and look up Rich Matteson.

[pecktime]

Also don’t restrict yourself just to tuba. Playing basslines/ melodies/ improvising on tuba transfers well to double bass/ electric bass/ keys/ bass sax/ trombone etc.