My first Eb was $300, and took another $600 to get it playing right. It was about 120 years old. My second Eb was $900 and played well when I got it. It was about 60 years old. Based on the pictures, the Champion looks like something from the Simonetti Museum, and probably requires considerable work ...

Clarification? Are you playing the identical notes on the other tuba? Or identical fingerings? I would say both have their value in the figurin' of things out... For me, I use the same fingering. That way, the relationship of the harmonic series to the specific instrument's fundamental is the same.

I do it often with my bass tuba and tenor tuba. I play euphonium in treble and my Eb in bass. If I have trouble on the euphonium, I will play the same thing on tuba, but also playing the treble score. I know, different keys, yada yada. But the relationship between the fundamentals and partials is ...

I suggest you start here:
http://www.rogerrocco.net/2021/

And read every post on his blog.

Since we have the following singular/plural examples: datum: data phylum: phyla maximum: maxima curriculum: curricula referendum: referenda memorandum: memoranda stadium: stadia symposium: symposia medium: media bacterium: bacteria millennium: millennia colloquium: colloquia Then may I suggest ...

Tuba low pitches are low. Tuba high pitches not high. I was playing an instrumental arrangement of "Nessun Dorma" on my tuba and I thought I sounded heroic, but my wife said it was nothing special because it was too low. I said, "It's high for a tuba!" She replied, " Well, it doesn't sound like it ...

I own the only Carl Fischer National model Eb tuba in the world. (Go ahead, prove me wrong; I double-dog dare you.) Anyway, when I bought it, I got it from a seller on Ebay who happened to live in the same city as me. Before I went to look at it, I decided to do some comparison shopping for that ...

I have had a lot of success using the MuseScore program. They have tens of thousands of arrangements in all instrumentations. Something I do quite often is find a piece I like--literally anything--download it, then in less than 10 minutes of keystrokes, I can have it scored for tuba or euphonium or ...

I've played all except the F. And I am at peace with that.

A few years ago, I developed osteoarthritis in my left shoulder, and decided to downsize from my 4/4BBb to a euphonium. Smooth transition as far as fingerings went. Then, a couple years after that, I bought a small Eb tuba. There was a learning period, but not that bad because like many tuba players ...

In the 1970s, I bought a single-lens-reflex camera, and became a photography nerd/dilettante. One of the best pieces of advice I learned was, "Don't be afraid to spend film; it's the cheapest thing in your equipment inventory." I think of that when I drench my pistons with oil. Use plenty, use often ...

To be clear, when discussing "shift," are we talking about what some brass schools call "pivot?" Or is "shift" referring to sliding the mouthpiece?

Bell condition:

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Skin chemistry is probably a factor, because I know what my chemistry has done to my Wessex lacquered euphonium. But the worst brass emergence percolating through the silver tuba is on the bell. And if someone is going to attack a horn with silver ...

I bought a used silver plated tuba a few months ago. The previous owner had just had it professionally cleaned and supposedly polished. He wasn't pleased with the results, but I wasn't buying it for looks. It still had some dark cloudy bits here and there, but I thought, "well, it's silver ...

Yes, Ab is awful, so I do a lot of octave transpositions without even hesitating. I asked the director if he wanted me on the upper divisi parts, and he said yes. I interpreted that as a mandate. When there isn't an upper part, I write one. Take the smaller tuba to rehearsal. You can position ...

I use a Wick 5 (small bore), and it works for me. High Eb is no problem. My high range is proportionally way better on my tubas than it is on my euphonium, and I use a Helleberg 5e on it. For what it's worth.

I have always heard that setting a tuba or euphonium with vertically positioned valves (top banger) on it's bell will allow dirt, grime and fluids, to make their way to the top (guide area/felts/top caps) of the valves when upside down. Briefly, at rehearsal likely not an issue. Longer term ...

As an eefer-American, who also plays euphonium, I find it convenient to tell the family, "I'm going to go play my horn," when I disappear to practice. I suppose I could say, "I'm going to go play my bass tuba," or " I'm going to go play my tenor tuba, " but that would be cumbersome. And there might ...

Seeing the word Marchesi in print, reminded me of when I was a vocal music major many decades ago. The Marchesi book was not quite on the level of, say, the Arban for brass players, but close. I think I still have a copy of it somewhere. Your post made me think about using it as a resource for my ...