Re: First Tuba Audition


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Rick Denney on April 01, 2003 at 11:01:09:

In Reply to: First Tuba Audition posted by Allison on March 31, 2003 at 18:40:34:

I have found that the key to warming up is to do it in stages. If you follow Sean's advice (and you should), you will arrive early. Warm up with long tones in the lower register. The warm-up is only partly to loosen up your lips. One of the most important benefits to the warm-up is getting a tone concept into your head. Use a tuner when you warm up, and do your warm-ups in strict tempo. Both of these will remind you of accurate pitch and time. Then, put those things away, and spend a few minutes playing slow, easy stuff, mixed in with whatever flexibility and range exercise you have been doing already. When you feel warmed up, put the horn down and leave it down. The break will let your chops recover and relax. Then play for a few minutes before it is your turn--this is for warming up the horn more than anything.

The best way to avoid being on the wrong partial is to know what the music is supposed to sound like. As I recall, you're a flute player, so you already have experience looking at music and understanding it. Usually with sight reading, the rhythms and accidentals are trickier than the range, so starting out on the right partial shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck.

Rick "who has learned the hard way the value of warming up at least an hour before performing" Denney


Follow Ups: