Tuba on chair, lap or foam topped tuba rest,

[Rick Denney]

I'll answer the question, to the extent their is an answer.

Playing on a stand makes the tuba feel more resonant in my hands, simply because the stand does not damp the vibrations of the instrument itself the way my legs do. And the stand certainly makes playing more comfortable, which means easier breathing both in and out. That can only have good effects on the sound and resonance, especially for those who never mastered propping the tuba on their lap with complete relaxation of the breathing bits.

But i don't think it has much effect on the sound heard out front.

Gene Pokorny advocates for the use of a stand, and during a clinic at the Army Conference, gave a demonstration of the CSO York with and without the stand. His comment was, "Don't you hear the difference?"

Well, no, I didn't hear any difference at all--the sound was magical either way. But I have no doubt that he perceived a difference.

As to whether tuba have magical nodes somewhere on the bottom bow, rather doubt it. There are certainly nodes where extra rigidity seems to make a difference to the player, but the bottom bow seems awfully close to the bell to have much effect, other than, perhaps, altering the way the bell rings.

I'm sure that the vibration of the brass affects the vibration of the air within the tuba, but I rather doubt that the effect very significant, and I suspect our senses are betraying us to a certain extent when we draw conclusions based on how it feels.

Rick "who uses a stand for big tubas, but not for F tubas" Denney

[Rivercity Tuba]

#15 cane tips in black work perfectly on the BBC stand legs, FWIW.

Where do you purchase your # 15 cane tips for the BBC stand?

[Radar]

I stopped using the stand when I get my Miraphone 186 because I found that I really didn't need the stand from a comfort standpoint. After reading this thread I did pull out my stand, and I found that I can get more sympathetic vibration happening in my practice room using the stand than I could with out it. So it must make some difference, not sure exactly how much.

[scottw]

#15 cane tips in black work perfectly on the BBC stand legs, FWIW.

Where do you purchase your # 15 cane tips for the BBC stand?

I get them at a medical supply store, somewhere that sells crutches, walkers, etc.

[DonShirer]

My MW2141 Eb makes me sit up uncomfortably straight to reach the mouthpiece if I hold it on my lap, but it kept slipping off the front of the chair when I rested it there. I then cut out a plywood shape that looks something like a home plate with the pointed end chopped off. covered it with a scrap of high pile carpet and sat on it. With the tuba resting on the extended end between my legs, the mouthpiece is at the proper height. I haven't noticed any acoustical difference, but that may be because both my lap and the carpeting are soft.