Posted by Mike on July 18, 2000 at 10:59:59:
In Reply to: Miscellaneous Questions posted by Pat Murphy on July 18, 2000 at 09:58:05:
Hi Pat, congratulations, and welcome to the world of the Tuba! I guess the most basic piece of advice I could give you to start with is to take your horn (when it arrives)straight to the local band instrument shop and ask the repairman to check it out for you. It will probably need a thorough cleaning, new corks and felts (not unlike your woodwind instruments) and maybe a few spots of solder here and there. Before they do anything major, though, you will need to determine (with the repairman's help) whether it is worth fixing up in the first place. If the horn is Low Pitch, you will have a terrible time trying to play in tune with other musicians. And playing on a sub-par instrument is no fun for anyone, especially when you are just starting out.
You may also consider having a local Band Director check the horn out for you, and maybe give you a few pointers on the fundamentals.
Good luck, I hope you got a good one!
MF