B-flat vs. C vs. E-flat vs. F

[Steve Inman]

Not me!

I started out on BBb. After several years switched to Eb. Then to F. Then to C. I'm back to Eb, but still own a CC. But I've only played one horn primarily at any given time.

So I can go between all 4 tubas with ease, given about 6 months of "ease" to become comfortable.

I heard Sam Gnagey once played 4 successive performances of the Nutcracker on the 4 different keys of tubas. I'm impressed.

Cheers,

[Art Hovey]

I figure that I need at least an hour of practice a day, (preferably an hour and a half) to maintain a satisfactory level on one instrument. To keep up with two, I would need 2 to 3 hours each day, and to keep fluent on four different instruments I would need 4 to 6 hours per day. Some guys can do that, but not me. I'm sticking with BBb.

[iiipopes]

You play what you have or are assigned to the gig if you want to keep the gig. At one time or another over the last 35 years, I've played everything from picc trumpet down to BBb and mandolin to bass guitar, depending on the gig. I may not have sight read it perfectly, and I may not know all scales in all keys on the horns that are not Bb in pitch, but by next week's rehearsal, and sometimes as necessary by tomorrow's rehearsal, I had the part cold, even if I had to write in every fingering on every note, which I did just last week when a fit of lingering aphasia compounded by bifocals caught me unawares and for one evening all of my mid to upper staff fingerings just evaporated from me on a divisi part in the community band repertoire this season.

Nike does have this one right: don't be scared, don't have any false bravado, just take a deep breath, apply what you know, learn the rest quickly and just do it.

[ThomasP]

When in college having to deal with marching band, I was playing a BBb Sousaphone 4 days a week, CC tuba in Wind Ensemble 3 days a week, and practicing on F 7 days (practicing CC 7 days too). I don't remember thinking twice about it. I played Eb tuba earlier on in my college career, but haven't attempted it in a while.

"True knowledge comes from sustained contact with the subject matter" -Anonymous

[Allen]

It's just a matter of what (and how much) you practice. I went from fluency in BBb to Eb to CC. Now, I'm mainly a CC player. I do keep around an Eb. If I practice it, I can play it, (and vice versa). I agree with Art: every tuba you want to play requires its own practice time.

Something you left out is different tubas in the same key. A different tuba will require different use of air, have different articulation, and have different intonation to compensate for. This is much more of a difference than merely another set of fingerings.

I have been considering getting a really large tuba as a contrast to my 4/4 CC tuba. I have been thinking it won't make much difference in required practice time if the big tuba is CC or BBb, except the latter would be much cheaper. Actually, it would be easier and cheaper to simply put a microphone on my 4/4 tuba. Add an octave doubler, and I can have a virtual 8/4 tuba!

Cheers,
Allen

[GC]

I can switch back and forth between BBb and Eb with no trouble, can play F okay with a little work, but have fits with CC. Since I play in treble clef in brass band, I keep switching between treble clef fingerings and bass clef CC fingerings unpredictably. I do cross up accidentals and key signatures between Eb and treble occasionally.

To be honest, I rarely practice and deserve the troubles I have because of it.

[Lew]

I play in 2 community bands, a brass band, and a brass quintet. I picked up Eb a couple of years ago and use it for 3 of the groups. I started on a BBb, and play BBb in one group to keep "fluent." I don't have any problem switching back and forth as long as I play each at least 2 or 3 hours a week, plus one 2 hr rehearsal a week on each. I haven't tried CC or F other than briefly at conferences or in stores, but others seem to be able to maintain fluency in all 4. I think that being able to play a contra-bass and a bass is enough for me. I would think that it would be easier to learn Eb if you are comfortable with BBb. It will just take a little time, about 6 months for me.

[Rick Denney]

For me, each of the two fingering systems I can play (Bb and F) required a period where I devoted all my energies to that instrument. I worked my way up to "okay" on F after about a year, but didn't really lock it in until playing F every day to support a gig. I crossed many bridges on both instruments with that theme-park gig. But now I'm as comfortable on F as on Bb, just not in the same keys. Some keys are more comfortable on F, and some are more comfortable on Bb. I'm sure I could play more keys and scales and improve that, but my life doesn't permit that right now.

I think I could learn C or Eb, but once again I would have to treat it like a new instrument and devote a period of time solely to that instrument.

I think it's pretty hard to learn a new fingering system on a second instrument. I think it has to be the first instrument for a bit.

I learned F the same way I learned Bb, by starting with scales, and then writing in fingerings where necessary, until it was no longer necessary.

Rick "who is getting rusty on F" Denney

[tofu]

What I did when I got a different keyed instrument is that I only played that horn for a couple of weeks, did not use fingering charts and did not read music. I just played scales and whatever songs popped into my head. After a couple weeks I then would read music using this instrument only. After that I played whatever horn I needed.

I have no problem picking up a different keyed horn and playing it as long as I don't think about it. If I mentally start to think about it then I can have issues. So for me the key is not think and just play!

I'm not recommending the way I did it - it's just what worked for me.