Arnold Jacobs

[Paul S]

I lose my glasses, keys, wallet, several times a day...

OTOH, I keep making new friends, even if they're sometimes the same people....

What were we talking about?

Rick "who forgot" Denney

The digestive system of cattle?

I have noted that Angus and Jersey cattle seem to believe they are relatives of the tuba as they often will run to the fence when I play outside.

Keeping in line with the original question though, most cattle have two lungs and can produce sounds similar to those I have produced on bad days.

Paul "who thought he should weigh in about Joe's diagrams' Sidey

[TubaRay]

It's always interesting when someone moooves us to another dimension of our topic. Thanks, Paul!

[windshieldbug]

OTOH, I keep making new friends, even if they're sometimes the same people....

I like the new places these people often take me...

[Paul S]

After my earlier stray from topic in an attempt at levity, I will try to put us back on track a bit...

This topic is always near to my heart as I have severely diminished lung capacity from severe bouts with Asthmatic bronchitis. For a period of time I was positive I would never play again.

The advice to own and read the Song & WindSong is extremely wise. Other things I would advise highly are to visit with Brian Frederiksen and his web pages at: http://www.windsongpress.com/breathing% ... evices.htm to check out some excellent training tools.

I personally received a Voldyne from my local hospital breathing lab as part of watching my lung capacity closer when I have the flu but it is a good tool to have even if you are not afflicted. I also recommend the purchase of the Inspiron to students and really all players to have on hand if only to keep check that you are doing what you should be doing with your air and buzz.

One little machine that did me a world of good as a trainer is the PowerLung. They are expensive but so are a good set of free weights and other exercise equipment. I am not sure if Windsong carries them but I know WWBW does.



You can set different resistance for both inhalation and exhalation levels as you exercise. I tried one of these first a couple of years ago and within a month noticed that I was singing much longer phrases in my church choir as well as noticing I was being more effective in my air intake. Our lungs are our livelihood and should be exercised just as professional athletes work out.

[Haugan]

The second I saw the "Ruminant tract diagram" I knew we were in for contact from "Paul S." In case you don't know, he raises Black Angus beef cattle. Being from Wisconsin, the subject is all too familiar - Yes, cows Dooooo seem to appreciate the tuba..., but so do Canadian Geese (at least as a repast while migrating). I once had my tuba out for a practice session in a field adjacent to Wis.'s "Horicon National Wildlife Refuge" (the country's largest Marsh) within 1/2 hour I was "surrounded" by perhaps 1000+ (no exaggeration) Canada Geese. It was just like a scene from Hitchcock's "The Birds".

I knew Arnold well, he was always amused as well as interested (and fascinated) by my study of the reaction animals had to music, particularly the tuba. Gary Buttery once participated in a study invoving whales and the tuba. Having travelled with the circus at one time, I can personally attest that elephants ALSO have a "thing" for tuba music. Alec Wilder wasn't that far off bass(pun intended).

Zoologists have recently discovered that elephants have the capacity to "hear" sub sonic sounds through their feet, and communicate over great distances by creating sounds too low for even tubaists (I know we think "tubists" is right, but I've been using the former since a 2000 visit to Oxford's English dept. and a talk with their leading etomology/linguistics prof. on the subject) to hear.

I would be interested if others have had interesting/wierd/unexplicable experiences with animal reactions to tubaplaying? I have been "collecting data" for many years on the subject, and hope to publish a paper on in the future. I once told Arnold that having "wildlife" listen to ME play must be a little like ME listening to HIM. He always appreciated a thoughtful compliment.

[sc_curtis]

A friend of mine in college tried to convince me that a low concert C on the tuba warded off mosquitoes. He probably just wanted me look silly trying, but I never really did test this "so-called" theory out.

[tubatooter1940]

To,again,digress from the legitimate direction of this thread,I am fascinated to learn that cows and elephants like tubas.
Around here we have dolphins who hang around for hours (unusual) to listen to jam sessions-especially with horns-on the beach. I was sailing alone,one afternoon, when a dolphin popped up next to my boat. I sang him "A Pirate Looks At Forty" and he continued to swim alongside.When I finished the song I couldn't thing of another one that mellow so I sang it all again. He(she) hung in there with me until I finished and when I paused to think of another one,swam away.
My buddy had a dog that loved my guitar playing and kept snuggling in closer and closer until he pinned my right arm where I couldn't play-or he could have been cold.
Went to see another buddy who played sax at a lounge where they had caged birds. The birds loved his sax solos and sang along with great gusto.He was pretty good!

[Alex F]

Cud someone tell me what this thread is really about.

[tuba114]

I was tolled by many tuba players and some of his “supposedâ€

[brianf]

[quote]I was tolled by many tuba players and some of his “supposedâ€

[Chuck Jackson]

I thought this thread was about furry animals being killed by Senior Citizens who may or may not have Alzheimers and 2 cow lungs in their bodies......am I wrong?


Chuck"who really couldn't care because I'm as confused as Mike Tyson at a spelling bee"Jackson

[Tabor]

Arnold Jacobs had no lungs! He didn't breathe!

I knew it!!!!

[Tabor]

[quote="brianf

It is a physical impossibity to only use one lung!

quote]

...but not for snakes, who have two sets of organs, but they are developed in a way so that only one works. It helps them keep their slender figures.

Still, I've never heard a snake play a tuba. My dog can't even play a tuba, although not for lack of trying.

[Haugan]

Maybe I should start a new thread, but I don't think Arnold would object to acting as a "front man" or "bait" for research, particularly research he "endorsed" as long as we've cleared up the original "lung number" question. I used to think that all the cats his mother-in-law managed to "adopt" were initially attracted to the house to the house by all the tuba music coming from the basement!

In all seriousness, the tuba is one instrument even the deaf can appreciate. Anyone who plays it can FEEL the vibrations as well as HEAR them. Low frequency instruments are at a distinct advantage here, and the tuba is SUPERIOR at acoustically delivering low frequency sounds. Science is beginning to recognize that music and vibrations can affect health; matter at the sub-molecular level is all movement and vibrations and "harmony" is evident in the overtone series of our own instruments.

Next time you feel sick, depressed or just generally "crappy", try treating yourself to a piece of music you find inspiring or uplifting and see what happens. Don't overlook the power of your own artform on yourself just because it may be your "work".

P.S. An addendum for Brian: You CAN just use one lung for breathing, if you've had one surgically removed. Or, of course, if you're a snake.

[cornholio]

Hey tubafreaks7...LAY OFF !!!!