Dan Tuba wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:53 pm
Through my journey, I have discovered that it is very hard to achieve a level of mastery on the tuba(or any level of mastery if at all) in which one can express the same level of "artistry" or "musicianship" as that of other families/types of instrumentalists. One could argue that very few tuba players have acheived this, when compared to the great instrumentalists from other families. However, that's not to say that some degree or even the same degree of "artistry", "musicianship" can't be achieved on tuba.
I sometimes wonder if it's the typical role that tuba plays in ensembles, in music in general, that contributes to the lack of artistry or musicianship that we achieve/demonstrate as tuba players. So much time (which is essential) is spent on developing a good characteristic sound, time, articulation, intonation, etc. However, maybe not as much time is spent on developing other aspects of musicianship, nuance, finesse, direction, "turning a phrase" and/or telling a story. Many factors I am sure, contribute to this.
However, I think that it is encouraging to hear so many young people achieving great sounds, and technique. I am thankful that we have widely available technology at our fingertips that enables us to listen to great instrumentalists, as well as listen back/share with others our achievements(snapshots) along the way on our musical journeys. I encourage all to record yourselves regularly, it really is a great way to learn. I also encourage all to continue sharing their achievements (videos, sound files/recordings) for all of us to enjoy. I also challenge myself, as well as others to continue striving for "artistry" in your performances, practice sessions, ensembles, recordings etc.
Sure - our role as tuba players is 99% ensemble/bass line/support stuff. A steady diet of oompahs (invoking Arnold Jacobs) is not the best diet for a developing musician that plays tuba. And folks often talk about musicianship and artistry from the perspective as a soloist. Playing melodies musically is certainly important to a musician's development, but what about developing good support functions? Developing good bass lines? (Not challenging you, Dan... Just adding thoughts to the mix.) Those require a nearly-unconscious grasp of scales, arpeggios, timing, ear-training, listening to recordings, bass part function, and "feel" or "groove" or "style," not just a focus on being a soloist (although all those skills support solo playing). There is so much more to musicianship than the perspective of a soloist telling a story. Or can we learn all we need to become musicians from simply telling a (solo) story?
Can a player not tell a story with a well-crafted bassline, either alone or working together with a group to collectively tell the story? Isn't it all inter-related anyway? If you have played any of Sousa's marches or other music, you know that many of his bass lines are melodic and could almost stand as melodies themselves. In any case, they are music. Understanding how his bass lines interact with the rest of the music can be very educational when creating your own, all in service of the music. Doesn't it take a musician to do that successfully? If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an ensemble to tell a story, with everyone having unique and important roles to help produce the desired result. (btw, I hold neither of those as absolutes)
Bringing it back to bloke's original post: In the process of developing skills as a musician, isn't characteristic tone along for the developmental ride? If you are learning, listening, training, being properly taught, etc. isn't that just part of the process? These two statements might be true on their own, but they aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. I assume one could have great development in terms of tone and not be much of a musician. Maybe in the development of characteristic tone, musicianship is not necessarily along for the ride I don't know anyone who teaches students that way, but it likely exists somewhere. Sometimes gifted young players have great tone for their age, but they have yet to develop their musicianship to match, but since they are young, we hope that will catch up with time, maturity, and training. Adult players can be that way, but it seems to me that most adult players have a tone and musicianship that often corresponds to the amount of time and effort they are able to devote to either.
