Posted by Dale Phelps on December 13, 1999 at 17:51:47:
In Reply to: What's wrong with BBb Tubas? posted by T on December 12, 1999 at 17:21:56:
Less than a year and a half ago I switched to a piston tuba pitched in CC after I sold the two BBflat tubas I had owned for many years (a 184 Mirafone and a Cerveny/Ziess)
I had ONLY played BBflat tubas since 1970, but FOR ME I felt there was a serious need to "do the switch" These reasons were good enough FOR ME to make the switch :
1) serious need for change of pace, I was for the most part not happy with my playing, call it burn out or boredom or whatever, but after only a year back on the horn I was just as disgruntled as I had been before I started a three years break previous. This was not good.
2) switching keys would force my to practice scales, warmups, lip slurs, three note patterns, all the stuff I had never done before really even in college when I held a pretty decent chair in a big orchestra.
NOW, why was switching going to do something FOR ME that I could not have done with the other BBflat tubas?
a) I had habits. Bad nasty habits. No, I did not pour slide contents onto small freshmen,
I had bad playing habits. Many people when they start playing are immediately forced into a "survival mode" and learn bad habits in order to get by. A COMPLETE change forces me to confront these ( didn't figure this out on my own. My teacher repeated regularly so that when I finally "got it" I understood it!
b) Although I liked the resistance of playing a BBflat tuba - even in my .890" bore Ziess - the flexibility of shorter tubes made sense to me. Naturally this also forces far more work in embouchure development (read practice)
c) When I got my Bohm and Meinl I had already intentionally sold my other horns, this way I felt that if I couldn't make it I'd hafta hang it up. When I hit a wall after about 6-8 months I was VERY discouraged, but resumed lessons, started baby steps with rigid practice schedules at home (I work 50-60 hours/week so just 30 minutes a day takes dedication)...as a result I got through that wall.
Conclusion, I won't go back to BBflat. I think the main reason so many people use BBflat tubas is because there are a lot of them around to BE used by lots of people! No matter what, if ANYone I knew was going to purchase their very own tuba, and they were planning to be "serious" about their playing, I would strenuously recommend a CC, and NOT a BBflat, partly because the approach I took seems to be working, partly because many many teachers do seem to encourage it, and partly because the CC tuba is probably the most versatile for the most situations. SURE I did ok in my orchestra playing Berlioz on a BBflat 184 (YIPES) and Pictures or Meistersinger on my BBflat Ziess. Neither horn would be particularly suited to the Mahler/Bruckner stuff I get to play today really. And I tell you what, I wish I had had my Bohm & Meinl and my huge Holton when I was in college in the late 80's....chances are the level of playing enjoyment (read better sounds) would have translated into motivating FOR ME a greater level of facility far earlier in my playing career. If nothing else, lessons 10 years ago were half what they cost today!