How do you hold your tuba?

[DaTubaKid]

I like to hold mine backwards.

[smurphius]

HOLD IT CAREFULLY!!

Actually, in all seriousness. Upright, ONLY. Any other way will not allow for optimum breath support!!

[quinterbourne]

Short Answer: Your teacher is correct! Follow his/her instructions.

Long Answer:
When you hold your tuba sideways you will need to bend forward to reach the mouthpiece. This makes for very poor breathing. Try sitting and bend over so your head is between your knees (like you would do if your airplane was going to crash). Try breathing... you will find it difficult.

When I teach wind instruments, I tell the students to sit as if they were standing. This means everything above your waist must be straight up (at a 90 degree angle). This allows for your chest to expand fully, enabling you to take a good breath.

Holding your tuba to the side might be more comfortable, on your hands and/or legs, but will definitely be a detriment to your breathing as well as your sound. Also, if you hold your tuba to the side, the sound will be going in a weird direction.

Now, you can experiment with the angle at which you hold your tuba. The bell does not necessarily need to be straight up at a 90 degree angle. The issue isn't so much the angle at which you are holding your tuba, but the angle at which your body is to allow for maximum breathing efficiency.

Best of luck!

[Haugan]

My, My, My....or should I say MmmmmmmnBoye. Who are you to ask such a question. Answer: However you CAN. That big ol' hulk of a tuba can be set on a stand, remember? Makes it easier to play unless some oversize student borrows it and clamps the setting so tight you're forced to sit on a coupla phone books to reach your leadpipe.

[OldBandsman]

I found another factor on this issue. I used to play a YBB641. I recently traded it (and a helicon) in on a Miraphone 182.

I always played the YBB straigt up and often had difficulty getting to the mouthpiece if the chair wasn't right. (I'm a short guy.) Note, the spitvalve always emptied straight on the floor. Nice messy lake at the end of concert.

I tried the 182 straight up and found 1) spitvalve won't empty unless you tilt the horn with bell more nearly horzontal, 2) upright position is uncomfortable because bottom bow slides forward if I press my legs together. (Matt Walters put me onto using some rubberized carpet underlay to hold it on my lap).

I finally caught on that if I held it on my lap, using the underlay to keep it from slidingoff to the right, the spitvalve would drain easily. I use left hand to hold the horn up at a workable angle. There is a good balance point there. I do have to remember to sit up very straight.

So it appears that the 182 was designed to played that way rather than straight up as though in a stand.

[Donn]

So it appears that the 182 was designed to played that way rather than straight up as though in a stand.

I noticed this in a recent thread that featured a picture of the Olds 099 of bygone years, a front action piston model with (in this case, anyway) 4 valves, which were oriented so that the line of valves was at about 90 degrees to the bell - not very conveniently disposed for straight up playing. Mine was easy to play standing up, though.

[sinfonian]

Staight up on a stand.

[windshieldbug]

I have vestal virgins hold mine for me.

[Dutch]

If you have the appropriate hat, this is the best way:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Euph ... uba_wb.jpg

[twoconnguy]

Like a naked lady!!!

[LoyalTubist]

We should always hold our tubas proudly. Otherwise, some people who don't think of our instruments so highly won't have any ammuntion against us.

[ai698]

How do you hold your tuba?

not as well as I hold my liquor...

I'll drink to that!