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Posted by Scott Haney on January 03, 2000 at 10:07:32:

Well, I hesitate to post this, given the "tuba major tuba" thread. :)

Okay, all seriousness aside, I think I need some pointers on big sound. I am a better-than-average player, but not stupendous. I currently play a Cerveny Piggy. My main gigs are
1 A local college band (been out of college for 15 years, but the conductor is a
friend of mine and needs people to flesh out the band)
2 Occasional work with my local municipal band (very good group), which plays
outdoor concerts. We are miked, however.
3 A couple of tunes once a month with a small group at church.

Sound is okay at church, but it's apparently lacking for the other two venues. The college band plays in an auditorium that just seems to eat the low end, esp. euphs and tubas (we point up). Bill is always asking for more sound, but I feel like I'm pushing as much as I can without killing the intonation. Also, we're going on a two-week tour in May and will probably play a lot of crappy school gymnasia. (For that matter, I need to figure out how I'm going to pack the horn for the trip. Currently have only a mis-sized gig bag.)

The outdoor concerts are a bit harder to describe, as the conductor dislikes any instrument that is not a French horn. (I'll leave it at that). However, it's obvious that the tuba sound doesn't carry far.

I grant that my playing could improve, so I will accept suggestions as to whether the horn is capable of a large sound as well as things I could do to make my sound bigger regardless of the horn.

sh


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