Tuba Urban Legends

[MaryAnn]

I think the tongue has to move a millisecond before the attack is made to be on time. I don't teach students to think about this because they exagerate it too much.

Yes! This is about the only topic I've run into where I would say "analysis is paralysis." Usually I lament that teachers will not give enough technical info when a student has a problem. In this instance....if I had to mentally "plan" how long before I needed to hear the sound, to start my articulation, I'd go nuts. Just using the ear to hear when the sound is, and fixing it, seems the only way to go. It is an attention focus issue, not a technique issue. You focus on when you hear the sound, not how you get there. The "how" should occur naturally.

MA, who is amazed she is suddenly in the other camp re "analysis"

[Lew]

Tubas mostly play Om-pah
...

Everyone knows that tubas only play the Oom, it's left to the French horns to play the Pah.

[hurricane_harry]

heres one, tuba playing WILL get you laid

as to the play ahead of the beat issue.
as my sofmore year of high school began we played a piece called "the rise and fall of rome" by key poulan, perhaps some of you are firmilar with his work and his had on for astinatos. well anyways we (the tubas) rather than play with the conductor and get yelled at by the whole band, chose to play with the tempo our peers were giving us. our woodwind instructor had this same thing in his head and had us drilling this astinata for about half an hour playing aherad of the beat and we either dragged or rushed when attempted to do so, eventually i said to myself 'screw this' and played with the metronome and played it perfectly on beat. perhaps one would need to start playing early due to the physics, but after about a month on tuba i've never had any real problem with dragging because i got to know my horn.

and one more for the road, tuba players never practice

[tubeast]

Hurricane harry, of course tuba players don´t practise.
We have this piece of essential knowledge here in Germany that I´d like to share:
"Wer uebt, kann nix. Wer nich uebt, kann morng auch nix."
(to those studying German out there: Don´t doubt your textbook, this is colloquial spelling!!)
Translation attempt: "You practise, you suck. You don´t practise, you suck tomorrow"

Have fun

Hans

[ZACH336]

A myth that german horns sound bright and american horns sound dark. Complete opposite imo the german horns always have had a very dark sound and the american horns a puffy fuzzy unfocused sound not dark at all.

[Lew]

I'm like a good Mirafone - 1960's vintage.

me?...I'm like an impossible-to-play-in-tune 1950's vintage Holton, Alex, or Cerveny...

Me too. I think that's why I like my Martin, it was born the same year as me, 1956.

[Rick Denney]

...the american horns a puffy fuzzy unfocused sound not dark at all.

Myth: American-style horns have a puffy, fuzzy and unfocused sound.

Rick "who doesn't doubt that some players have a puffy, fuzzy, and unfocused sound" Denney

[Uncle Buck]

Rick "who doesn't doubt that some players have a puffy, fuzzy, and unfocused sound" Denney

I also don't doubt that some players, playing on a horn they are not used to, will sound puffy, fuzzy, and unfocused compared to their main axe.

[Uncle Buck]

Rick "who doesn't doubt that some players have a puffy, fuzzy, and unfocused sound" Denney

I also don't doubt that some players, playing on a horn they are not used to, will sound puffy, fuzzy, and unfocused compared to their main axe.

[Uncle Buck]

I also don't doubt that there still are some boneheads who, after being a user of TubeNet for seven months, still haven't learned not to use the "Back" button after posting a message.

[tubatooter1940]

Lots of people think it takes a huge amount of wind to blow a tuba.
I would like to swap the two lungs I have for one good one.

[manatee]

You know this last one is why french horns, (other than Holtons), have no spit valves.
Regarding the more air needed on bass trombone, from my experience it is true, but then again, I am usually using a huge mouthpiece, trying to sound like a BABT.

[Paul S]

Here's a myth:
Tuba playing wont get you laid

that reminds me of a now well known composer who was a graduate assistant with the tubas and euphoniums when I was in university.

He came in one day and said, "Men, today we are going to master the art of triple tonguing and when we get done I guarantee you will never be without a date again...."

Paul Sidey, who knows he will now have to do extreme penance for corrupting young minds by repeating that comment...

[MaryAnn]

I'm like a good Mirafone - 1960's vintage.

me?...I'm like an impossible-to-play-in-tune 1950's vintage Holton, Alex, or Cerveny...

Well Bloke, if you're a grumpy old man, I wonder what I am in my late-40's vintage dotage?

MA, who is older than all her tubas

[Chuck(G)]

Well Bloke, if you're a grumpy old man, I wonder what I am in my late-40's vintage dotage?

..and that'd make me

[TubaRay]

That would be vintage from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I presume. Am I right, Chuck?

[Chuck(G)]

That would be vintage from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I presume. Am I right, Chuck?

Yup, the real handcrafted stuff. Slight overtones of antifreeze with just a hint of dead possum...

[Tubaryan12]

My god bloke, were do YOU GET THESE PICTURES

I have been wanting to ask this question also....especially after the cheese grater toilet paper pic...Bloke...we want some answers

I come here to seek information, not to puke like I have anerexia
Think of the children, will someone PLEASE think of the children?

[Joe Baker]

I don't know for sure about Bloke, but I've found that you can go to Google, select "images", and type just about anything into the search -- and get SOMETHING.

Ha!
I just went there and typed in "Google images" at the Google Images search screen, and found this:



I'll bet THIS is going to get used from time to time now!
___________________________________
Joe Baker, who notes that other search engines do this too.