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What do you think is the optimum number of horns to have? I know I need to cull down, but how far? I can tell you from experience that 24 is not the optimal number unless you own a tuba museum! :ugeek:

I think I might own that many brass instruments, for sure if you count basses and guitars, but man... dang

N+1, where N = Number of horns you currently own.

[old joke]

Tuba Forum Admin wrote:I think I might own that many brass instruments, for sure if you count basses and guitars, but man... dang

Well, I seem to attract them. I was given 4 sousaphones earlier in the week. I've fixed 3 so far. Keeping two of them (one brass, one fiberglass) and found a friend that wanted one. Likely will give the other brass one to a small school band program.

I only have the 12J and Kanstul 900-4B. I do a ton of commercial stuff on the Conn, but I eventually want a helicon or sousaphone to cover the strolling gigs. Eventually want a bass tuba for some more legit playing, but nobody calls me for serious classical gigs.

Stryk wrote:What do you think is the optimum number of horns to have? I know I need to cull down, but how far? I can tell you from experience that 24 is not the optimal number unless you own a tuba museum! :ugeek:

This depends on your definition of "optimal". :D

The answer to “how many ___________s should I own?” Is always N+1, where N is the number you currently own.


Did I beat Rick to the first engineer dork answer?

For me, it is four. I have a large and a small CC and a large and a small F.

The Holton 345 is for the orchestra and for community bands. Nothing sounds better than an American BAT in a concert band.

The Mirafone 186 is my main horn for all settings. It is my do-anything tuba. If I get a call for a gig with no info beyond "show up at this place at this time" I generally take this horn.

My Kurath F is for quintet and is more of a small CC in tone with an easily accessible upper register, which is what I want in that setting. I use it in orchestra only on big works where a big sound is needed, but with the clarity (and some of the transparency) of a bass tuba.

I sold my small F to get the large one. I miss that small F on some gigs, as well as in the orchestra. I am working on building one using the bugle from a MW-182. It is like my old 621 Yamaha but with some nice color to the sound. (Well, the bugle with a straight pipe inserted to connect the leadpipe and the MTS sounds *great*, but I'm not sure how it will work out for me in the low register. We shall see.)

For me this is optimal. I have five horns for work (three of the four I want, with two backups), but I also have boxes of valves and about a dozen valveless bugles sitting around. This is suboptimal. But this is also fun. HAHAHA!!!

My wife says I have too many instruments!

Alto trombone
Small bore tenor trombone
Medium bore tenor trombone
Large bore tenor trombone
Bass trombone
Euphonium
Baritone
German oval
Double-bell euphonium
BBb tuba
Eb tuba
Cornet
Trumpet

Right tool for the right job! Will post my collection and practice space at some point. And YES, I really do use every instrument that I own.

The optimum number of horns is ONE less than I have.

As many as you can fit in your house (and get away with)!

I don't count, but I have things for which I use each tuba-like object.

Most everyone here knows my rule:
If it collects dust too long, it goes.
Obviously, this crazy economic shut-down has caused me to suspend my rule.

I've listed them all before...
> big C tuba: orchestra noisemaker, ceremonial quintet tuba (weddings/commencements/etc...due to the orchestral transcriptions always programmed)
> F tuba: most all quintet, polka band, and solo work (I laugh when I type "solo work", but I seem to be asked to do that - these days - at least annually...??)
> cimbasso: nearly wall-to-wall use in MOST orch. pops concerts, renaissance/baroque quintet transcriptions, and the small amount of Italian opera music encountered...I've used it for many other things...such as some bass trombone/tenor trombone duets in a patrons' (orch-related) recital
> comp. E-flat tuba: (big bell) sit-down jazz band gigs (fat sound, good intonation, extremely easy to play, fully chromatic)
> 4-valve fiber Conn B-flat sousaphone: stand-up gigs that involve standing up the entire time (I now have a rare-ish alternate 26' bell w/6' collar that fits it.)
> comp euphonium: covers bass tbn. quintet parts
> kaiser baritone: (American tuba players seem to call these "tenor tubas" - probably due to century-old orchestra parts designations) because this one kicks butt, I've always wanted one, and I like it (ie. an EXCEPTION to my rule...but actually it does NOT collect dust)
> tootles and tweedles: (valve trombone, flugabone, pocket trumpet) "special" effects to (as with the woodwind guy and all his stuff) offer more variety to our four-man polka band gigs. I'm also asked to play trombone - from time-to-time - at jazz band gigs, where "Bubba" (etc.) was hired to play electric bass.
> kaiser BB-flat: bought to optimize, figure out what it's all about (just like Alfie), and either keep or sell to someone else who would also like to give a newish-condition instrument - of this genre - a go
> electric bass: (tuba-related, being a bass instrument) a truely extraordinary pinnacle-vintage instrument (along with it's tube amp), though I never play it anymore, and rarely tell anyone that I do...because some would just ask me to double with it on jazz band gigs without offering me extra cartage. i might be sentimentally-attached to this, but I should probably turn it into some one-of-Mrs.-bloke's-projects cash (for materials).

I need somebody of "tuba importance" to justify at least 7 so I can delete my post and show it to my wife later. :)

hrender wrote:N+1, where N = Number of horns you currently own.

[old joke]

N-1, where N is the number of tubas Mike Lynch owns.

Rick “takes the pressure off the rest of us” Denney

heh, like to have is certainly n+1 or atleast freedom to have one big, one small, of each key and maybe anything unusual that catches one's eye.

In reality, my Wessex Gnagey Eb 4v+t can/will meet any demands I will have playing wise -- Brass band and Dixieland. The largest limiting factor is the person behind the horn, not the horn itself.

...Though during quarantine i've had wished for a euph or trombone to try and record myself playing multiple parts. I tried a few self arrangements with just my one tuba, they all sounded muddy and garbage likely due to the parts being too close to one another. --Then again, the point above still stands true :)

I have 136 horns, of which 11 are tubas.

Good thing my wife is a musician!

windshieldbug wrote:I have 136 horns, of which 11 are tubas.

Good thing my wife is a musician!

I have 136 wives, of which 11 are Michael's.

No, wait… :o

the elephant wrote:

windshieldbug wrote:I have 136 horns, of which 11 are tubas.

Good thing my wife is a musician!

I have 136 wives, of which 11 are Michael's.

No, wait… :o

Make sure you train them right before you return them! :shock:

One less than the quantity at which my wife tells me to start selling horns. I'm not there yet.

Were it that I had 136 wives, I suspect that some of them wouldn’t ever get played.