Posted by Ross on February 07, 2003 at 01:48:15:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I envy all of you posted by JoeS on February 06, 2003 at 22:48:37:
Thank you for your kind comments, Joe. You needn't have been so nice. I have to admit that my comments were a little crass, maybe I got out of bed on the wrong side.
Even though I have been playing the tuba for years, I have had little formal instruction on the tuba and I would have to be considered a rank amateur. I have fun playing the tuba, but I don't have to rely on playing tuba for my bread and butter, so that eases alot of pressure from my playing. A couple of the groups I have playing in lately are more precise and have better musicians than ones I have played in in the past, so some of the subtleties of tuba playing are finally beginning to dawn on me.
I am learning alot by reading the BBS and I think my playing is improving because of it. I have several tubas and a shelf full of mouthpieces and I am constantly playing around with different combinations to try to get a better sound for the various things I play and to try to play in tune better. The two small groups I play in would be hurting, if I were not there to try to hold them together with both tempo and pitch.
Recently I have been reading in "A Treatise on the Tuba" by Donald W. Stauffer. Until I read this book, I absolutely did not realize how much the cards are stacked against us tuba players (or any brass instrument for that matter) because of the inherent flaws in the basic design of the instruments! I have either been lipping the pitch all over the place or using alternate fingerings for years to get to the place I want to be. And now I know why! Because I play piano some and have sung in choruses over the years, I probably have a pretty good sense of pitch that has helped me to play in tune with any group I was participating in.
Because of owning several tubas and having tried out other horns, I can understand that there is a definite plus in having just the right horn for you or for a particular situation. Personally I would love to have one of the old Holtons or a new Miraphone 191. I think they have a grand sound.
I guess that 95%/5% thing I was touting was something I had heard about motor car racing, only maybe in reverse. Even there, the right equipment makes a tremendous difference in performance.
I apologize for my off hand statements and I will endeavor to behave more gentlemanly in the future.