My playing keeps getting worse with increased practice time?

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I am sorry if this is a dumb question, but why do people always insist that recording yourself is useful?

It's not a dumb question...logically, one would think that you are in a good position to hear what is coming out of your bell.

But, if you'll try recording yourself in a larger room at around 50-100 feet away, you may find that what you thought the audience was hearing isn't exactly what you imagined. This technique is most helpful for students preparing for auditions when they find out exactly what the committee is hearing when they play. I remember thinking that I was playing extremely secco on a particular low passage in the Bozza Concertino until I listened to a recording from "out in the hall"...I had to drastically alter my articulation to compensate for the muddiness that was coming out. My ears at one foot away just weren't giving me a true picture of what would be heard in the audience.

Also, expectation often breeds interpretation. Sometimes we hear exactly what we expect to hear, and not what is exactly happening. Intonation may not be as good as you think (or, it may be better!) and the tone quality you hear from your tuba is often affected by the vibrations going on inside your head...there is much documented evidence about the effects on the aural canal by vibrations in the embouchure.

Try it and find out for yourself (hint: pay particular attention to clarity of articulation and tone quality)!

[eupher61]

I am sorry if this is a dumb question, but why do people always insist that recording yourself is useful?
What can be useful about listening to a recording of something you just experienced? I have ears that are pretty close to the bell of my tuba when I play, and I can hear what is coming out of it. All you are doing by recording yourself is using a crutch to listen to some things, and skewing your perception on others (most recordings won't be the same quality your ears can offer!). Try just listening WHILE you play. It is a useful skill to develope.

Recording gives a completely different perspective on the sound. Your hearing while playing is good, yes, from a positional perspective, but there are some things you may not be able to pick up while playing, since you should be thinking about any number of things.
1)articulations. Your ears can't really pick up clarity here as well as a mic, or another person. What you hear as crisp, while playing, can easily be muddy out front. Slurs are a whole 'nuther problem, but you won't hear them as well, either, from your playing perspective.
2) pitch yes, pitch can fool you. If you were certain of playing each note perfectly in tune, you wouldn't need to push/pull slides, lip pitches into place, or use alternate fingerings (read: YOU as WE...I don't know your specific situation)

3) rhythm It's doubtful that you can be completely sure of how rhythms are coming out, from behind the horn. There are simply too many things going on.

4) tone again, your head is so full of vibrations while playing that you really can't be a truly good judge of your tone until you've reached a high level of performance. Even then...I'd bet, if you ask 50 teachers/players, 45 will say they record practice sessions at least occasionally. Probably 25-30 would say regularly.

Essentially, recording lets you hear yourself as others hear you. If you're so absolutely sure that your playing is perfect in every aspect, get thineself to Detroit or any other audition, and you'll have a gig. IF you're not at the point where others may as well give up when you walk in the room, recording and playback can only help, IF you listen well, pay attention to the good and not-so-good, and correct.
||: Lather, rinse, repeat |

The arrogance of saying you can hear everything best while playing says to me that you have a lot of playing growth to do, and probably even more musical growth.

Yes, I said it.

[Roger Lewis]

What you ARE doing, and what you THINK you are doing are two completely different things. For example, the actor. The gesture he makes on stage is bigger than you would see in real life. This is so that even the people in the cheap seats can understand the meaning of the gesture. If it is too subtle, even you will miss it.

Get to a teacher.
Roger

[ztuba]

45 minutes on 45 minutes off and use ice after you're done .. it sounds like you injured your face. Myabe take a few days off before you restart.

[LoyalTubist]

Eating is good for you... right?

So if eating a steak, potato, vegetables, and something to drink provides substantial nutrition and you feel healthy, maybe...

to feel really healthy, eat four times that!

It's not healthy. And neither is practicing too long. You should think of playing tuba as a physical activity. It is.

[MaryAnn]

I bought a Zoom H4 recorder from Amazon for about $275. I think the H2 is cheaper and would do the trick. It has a built-in mike that records tuba very well (as evidenced by recordings I made of our brass quintet) so you don't need to also buy a mike.

When I'm playing, I tend to hear the best of what I played, and I tend to forget the worst. Listening to a recording is an unbelievable eye-opener. Even if you are playing well, you can hear the more subtle things in a recording, that could make the difference between doing a stellar audition and sounding so-so.

MA