Posted by Tracy B. on November 23, 2002 at 23:53:48:
In Reply to: Levels of Playing posted by Collin on November 23, 2002 at 19:18:35:
In the world of tuba, I have found that there are two groups of people: the ones who start with alot of natural ability and climb the ladder very quickly and the ones who have to work very hard for their abilities. Most of the people I've seen that gain alot of prowess without effort reach a plateau that they never get past (with the exception of prodigies). It took a couple of years for me to really get some decent comments on my tuba sound. I've been playing for a long time now and I still work on my sound and its an ongoing process for me. That's not true for everyone, but it is typical.
Don't worry about what others are doing and whether or not they are ahead of you. The best thing is to keep learning and listening and never stop. Too many folks get fairly good quickly and stop trying to grow. As far as your sound is concerned, I believe that it will most definately grow and mature. This will come with practice, but don't rule out the equipment factor. Try some different mouthpieces to open up your sound. The monster tuba sound is in fashion now and a new mouthpiece may help facilitate that sound.
Tracy Bedgood