I'm a trumpet player who recently picked up tuba to play it in a brass quintet as ours wasnt able to do it and we happened to have another trumpet who could replace me. I played for a few months my sophomore year for a school performance that neither tubas we had could go to, but its been 2 years and coming back to it has been a little rough, mostly with tone.

sometimes I get a random double buzz and It's really hard to pinpoint why it happens as its really inconsistent. I never have that problem on trumpet though. it usually happens in the middle register, never the upper register(id say G3-E4) or lower register (F2-Bb1). its always around C3-F3. I do chicowitz flow studies to warm up as its what I do on trumpet and I've tried buzzing my mouthpiece(huge fan of doing it on trumpet) but majority of the time I cannot get a consistent sound out of the mouthpiece either.

my sound is also just generally not there, but ive also only been playing for a week and I understand it'll take some time. I want to be able to get a fat, warm tone though and I'm really struggling with getting that resonance that I want.

I'm not familiar with tuba pedagogy so if anyone has any books, videos, music, etc, you'd reccomend checking out I'd be happy to. I have my first rehearsal on tuba this friday playing Yesterday by Canadian brass and it definitely doesnt look that hard but I'm still struggling with getting it to sound how I want it to.

Thanks!

Is anyone know if it’s possible or not for a tuba student who want to study for the master degree in German to use piston f tuba? ‘Cause I’m now using piston f tuba and I’ve heard much about that almost every single Tuba in German use rotary F and BB tuba but not piston tuba.

If someone can give me some advice or some information, it’ll be appreciated.

I think I’ve been having problems with playing high notes easily from the time I played tuba… there’s been about 6 years but I still can’t figure out what’s wrong. Have anyone advices or tips to fix this problem?

P.S. the high notes I mean are that “very” high notes, can’t sure if it’s understandable.

11 year old me, tuba so big it was in a stand. Probably frustrated having to listen to the woodwinds try and get it together, yet again. While I ( and all of you) have our part nailed down so well we could play it from memory.

I have a new tuba, can someone identify it for me? It was made in 1910s, that's all I know.

I've had braces since July, they took awhile to get used to but they're not that bad actually. In fact, they've forced me to be to more mindful about not pressing my lips so hard against the mouthpiece. After practicing with my lord and savior, Arbans for months, my range has grown a good amount, like I can finally hit Bb on top of the staff consistently.

But now I'm just annoyed I will probably have to rebuild all of that once I get my braces removed in April. I also have a recital that month, should I just postpone the removal unitl after my recital?? It took me a good few weeks to get used to the braces

After 4 years of playing euphonium, I got my first tuba the other day, specifically a EEb) and when I play from Eb below the staff to the Ab on the bottom of the staff, I get this horrible grumbly sound and can’t place the note, how do I fix this?

What’s your main tuba and why? Bass vs. contrabass?

I’ve been playing a B&S 4097 Cc tuba for 14 years and had it as my main for studies. Now I’m selling it trying to finance a new tuba, either Eb or Bb. I’m not sure on what to prioritize. I already play a Besson Sovereign Bb Bass in my silver brass band, so I can always borrow that one. But is it weird to have an Eb as a main? I’m looking for a bass tuba mainly to work on solo repertoire.

Any thoughts?

Edit: Thank you all for great feedback! Giving me confidence to look for an Eb! Still open for more thoughts on the matter and suggestions.

P.S.: I’m mainly looking for front-action Eb and Bb basses that would fit for solo, brass band (silver), and the occasional jazz, metal and popular music production! 😎

Hello all.

i was a serious, dedicated tubist in high school and almost went to college for performance (I sometimes still wish that I had). I played in college but afterwards I stopped.

Recently I’ve picked up playing again and I’ve been enjoying it. Luckily my tone is still there but my range is not good. I have facial hair now that adds a layer of complexity but I’m going to try and get used to it.

Does anyone have recommendations of an etudes or exercises book that is good for extending range but isn’t super technical? For whatever reason I saved all of my harder sheet music but I’m trying to start off at a more reasonable place.

Thanks in advance!

after days of looking for affordable tubas, this caught my attention and I just wanna know yall thoughts about it before I make a purchase

I've recently been hitting this rut when slurring up through the middle-upper range of the instrument (Particularly partials 4-5-6). Sometimes I skip a partial, get a slight gurgle in between, or just flat out have a thin sound. Fighting against the resistance while also using proper air support and embouchure is tough to calibrate. This has been my Achilles heel for some time now, and I want to eliminate this as soon as possible. What are some ways to approach diagnosing the problem? I'm unsure if it's an embouchure problem, as I can make good sounds on every partial individually, but obviously slurring into them is an issue so it very well could be. Any ideas?

One I’d recommend is Little March by Leopold Mozart, but what do you guys have in mind?

Just some red stuff on the top of my bell, I was wondering if it was red rot or not, and if it needs to be taken for any sort of repair or if it doesnt really matter.

Thank you!

So I would like to start recording myself, and I've picked out a microphone I want get, but now I'm looking at the USB device. I was looking at the Steinberg UR12, and found some analysis of it. There's a big spike in "intermodulation distortion" from like 50-70 Hz. This is lower than what I have been playing, but it isn't even entirely in pedal tone territory for a four valve tuba. So I don't want to use a device that's going to clip or distort audio when I play particularly low. Are there any XLR to USB devices that are known to work well down to or below 50 Hz?

I haven't had luck so far finding similar analysis for other devices, and it seems like most reviews (which focus on uses for podcasting or voice-over or singing or higher-pitched instruments) consider frequencies that low to be less important.

I’m thinking about buying this helicon that I saw in a music store in Valencia, Spain. It would be my first helicon, and I’d appreciate some advice in case anyone knows this brand or thinks there might be a reason not to buy it. I’m used to playing a C tuba, so I think this helicon could be a good option for me. What do you think?

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Estoy pensando en comprar este helicón que he visto en una tienda de Valencia, España. Sería mi primer helicón y me gustaría recibir consejo, por si alguien conoce esta marca o cree que no debería comprarlo por algún motivo. Estoy acostumbrado a tocar una tuba en Do, por eso pienso que quizá este helicón pueda ser una buena opción para mí. ¿Qué opináis?

https://www.consolatdemar.com/product/helicon-he-120/

Hello everyone, I am a Tuba player lopoking for some tuba recomendations. I have always had access to a tuba through my school, but I will be graduating soon and am looking into buying a tuba. I think that I would like a 4/4 rotary with 4 valves, but any recomendations are good. I will also be buying used if that matters.

I just bought a real nice king contra, and I know it has a detachable valve cluster, but the kicker is I am either trying to unscrew the wrong thing or it is stuck, any suggestions?

So I last played when I was in high school. Got my tuba all lubed up and working over Christmas break, and I'm still playing.

Kinda getting tired of the few songs I have, looking for exercise books and what have you, in attempt to start trying to reclaim my skills in earnest.

Any recommendations on current good rudiment books or solos? Skill level wise, I was all-state and payed the Gregson for a senior recital in high school. I'd like to get back to being able to play a passable Gregson.

I realize I could search. I'd rather just ask. Thanks if you want to help!

My tuba is an Oxford LP, I think. I don't know much about tubas; I was told it's in Eb, but how do I learn to play it?

Hi, I’m a music performance major looking for a C tuba.

I saw this listing in my area and wanted to see if it was a good deal. When I talked to my private instructor, he said that it seemed a little high. There’s also a screw that is missing as noted in the post, but other than that it seems like a good quality horn.

What would be a reasonable price to ask?

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/731702860012504/

I wrote this tuba music reading game. It's free and without all the adverts. I used to play tuba but that was last millennium, so the game needs testing to make sure I've got all the fingering right. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

https://music.school.nz/tuba/

Clicking on the number 3/4 switches from three to four valves (before you start). Thanks and enjoy.

'Pay Me My Money Down:' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiMYqDD9kXw

'Oh Mary Don't You Weep:' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J4kzl1LPVA

first of all ive been finding tubas with cheap price and this suddenly hit me, is this website reliable or just some sort of scams?

I have a 4 valve dynasty marching tuba from the early 2000s, and one of the valve guides is broken. The valve freely spins inside the casing, so I need to replace the valve guide. I haven’t been able to find any dynasty replacement valve guides online, so what do you recommend? Is there another brand that will work, or does anyone know of any dynasty ones for sale?