TubaForum.net

What’s on your music stand? What have you put on your stand that made you aware of aspects of your playing that needed polishing? What pieces have you found to be deceptively challenging? Really hoping to inspire some conversation among tuba players.

Before the pandemic hit, I was scheduled to play Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite. I still have a copy of that on my stand, turned to the Cloudburst movement. This is a challenging piece.

I also have a ton of flow studies that I have been working through.

A terrific video. The blend between the piano and the tuba was really very good. Keep up the great work!

Since I answered this question for you on fb, I’ve pulled up the bass trombone part to Schubert 9 (“Great”).
Due to a scheduled absence early this next fall, the low brass are playing musical chairs, and I’m covering the trombone 3 part on the cimbasso.
It almost looks as if Schubert wrote too much for the trombones. I haven’t listened to the C-major in a long time…so I’m going to listen and see if the sound (relentless trombones…??) lines up with the black-with-notes pages.

Mark wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 4:53 pm Before the pandemic hit, I was scheduled to play Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite. I still have a copy of that on my stand, turned to the Cloudburst movement. This is a challenging piece.

I also have a ton of flow studies that I have been working through.

I’ve only played that piece once - when I was 16 years old (lotza notezes), and have longed to play it again ever since. I beg one of my music directors to program It, but I don’t think he’s particularly interested.
If you might be interested in hearing a really unusual version - which is also the original version, you should listen to the Whiteman orchestra play it.
Grofé was Whiteman’s staff composer/arranger and was paid big bucks… $350 a week…a huge salary, back then... For those who pooh-pooh hyperinflation if the USD, the 2021 equivalent would be well over $6000/wk, or well over $1000/day.
@doc pretty tune, pretty tuba
Oh yeah… I did something pretty wild today:
I switched over to the Sellmansberger “Imperial” mouthpiece, with my F tuba. it sounds more like some of those so-called “big“ F tubas, except not all out of tune...at least, not when I don’t clumsily override the tuba’s in-tune tendencies.

Right now, there are lots of low note (including pedal) etudes on my stand, as that has become a weakness with age. I have worked so hard to regain my high chops, that the low tones got neglected. Most of the parts I play in our tuba ensemble are in and above the staff, so high range gets lots of work. I will turn 70 in a few weeks and find that I don't have the lungs for long phrases any more, especially in that low range. I do okay until the last sustained note of a phrase, and then the pitch drops off or gets ugly as I just run out of air. I can't make my lungs more elastic or bigger now, but I can hopefully at least improve on this.

Stuff by French guys: Elegie by Massenet, and Apres Un Reve by Faure. I have been been doing embouchure work (realignments on euphonium after an isolated gig [and related focused practice] on contrabass), and these pieces really demand attention to tone. I mean, French guys, you know?

Kopprasch

Michael Daugherty's "Reflections on the Mississippi" — I was engaged to perform this, both the orchestral and band versions, with local community groups, back in May and June of 2020. Of course, this did not happen.

I have been re-asked by one of the two groups that have a full 2021-2022 season planned (the orchestra), and am hoping the band will also reschedule, but they are still figuring out their plans for rehearsing and such. In anticipation of that and considering my almost complete break from playing for 15 months, I have started picking this one apart again. Fun stuff!

I am using either my factory CC 186 or my homemade CC 186. I'm not sure yet, except that it will be performed on a 186.

Then I have my old studio manual and my "The Dozens" book that I live in.

Look at the reflection lines on that sexy, half-century-old bell…

The expressed indecision - between those two instruments - is a strong indication to the rest of us that you are pleased with both of them.

I’m also trying to convince myself that gray hair is sexy. Based on feedback, I’m not sure how many actually agree.

Yep. That’s a great looking bell.

bloke wrote: ↑Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:32 am
... gray hair is sexy.

Wife went natural after chemo. So should you!!

Arban (always) and a book of Slovenian folk songs.

Mark

Three Valves wrote: ↑Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:37 am

bloke wrote: ↑Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:32 am
... gray hair is sexy.

Wife went natural after chemo. So should you!!

...so you're thinking what...??
...that I'm doing THIS...!?!?

bloke wrote: ↑Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:32 am The expressed indecision - between those two instruments - is a strong indication to the rest of us that you are pleased with both of them.

I’m also trying to convince myself that gray hair is sexy. Based on feedback, I’m not sure how many actually agree.

Chicks dig my gray hair. They just don't dig me.

Oh you people with hair...

What’s on my stand? To be honest it varies but mostly it’s not clever stuff ‘cause my aim is to have fun whilst improving. I would also say that I make zero claims to playing excellence, I’m just a guy in a Brass Band who keeps the Bass Line going. If I was able and ambitious then I’d be playing a Euphonium or a Cornet instead, but I’m neither and just enjoy being the not too bad Bass player who provides a foundation for the rest of the Band to sit on. Of course I do have some Band parts on my stand so that I can work at particular bits as and when needed.

Arban just didn’t do a thing for me so I gave my copy away to someone who could actually manage the clever stuff in it and who found the book helpful; in contrast I did find Otto Langey’s book helpful but it isn’t often on my stand. What helps me? Tunes, unaccompanied tunes help me and they can be easy or hard. That which is easy allows you to really focus on sound quality, intonation, dynamics, timing, phrasing, etc., and some stuff can be played down an octave or even in a different key - you can make easy music into harder music. Hard music challenges me, but I can split it up into short chunks and set the metronome on slow.

Whilst I can get by I’m not really a Bass Clef player but that opens up a wealth of music to me in the Treble Clef - I have a small stack of treble clef compilations. To give a few examples a Cornet Hymn Book works for me at times, a Compilation of Old English Trumpet Tunes at other times is good. Brass Wind Publications also do some un-accompanied music in their Winners Series; that’s very simple music for beginner and intermediate students, but see my comments above. For more difficult music I love the Bach Cello Suites for Trumpet by Larry Clark, of course 75% plus of it is beyond me but the pieces that I can muddle through give me enormous pleasure.

So un-accompanied tunes do it for me and I’m always glad to hear of more compilations of then (please).

@bloke

the elephant wrote: ↑Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:25 am
Then I have my old studio manual and my "The Dozens" book that I live in.

Not being from the USA I’m puzzle by what those books are, might you say more about them please.

Have I read the question differently to other people? Does “What’s on your stand ?” mean what special solo type piece are you practicing ready for a performance? If so then are the greater strengths of the Tuba lost to other members? Whilst the Euphonium (Tenor Tuba) is well suited to solo work the bigger ones seem less so to me. Perhaps that’s heresy but read the following paragraph.

I liked the video at the beginning of the thread, a very pleasing sound that many could enjoy. It contrasts with an experience many years ago when I attended a parents’ music evening / concert. One young Lad - who went on to become a Secondary School Music Teacher - brought his BBb along and played a piece of classical music on it well. Unfortunately whilst the technical content was good the audience really didn’t go much on his piece which made good use the BBb’s low range ... grumbling along in the Basement doesn’t seem musical by itself but it’s very useful when used with higher pitched voices. At the end of the day the audience judge us on what we offer them and his applause was sparse.

2nd tenor wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:30 am
Have I read the question differently to other people? Does “What’s on your stand ?” mean what special solo type piece are you practicing ready for a performance? If so then are the greater strengths of the Tuba lost to other members? Whilst the Euphonium (Tenor Tuba) is well suited to solo work the bigger ones seem less so to me. Perhaps that’s heresy but read the following paragraph.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a solo piece, although that was what I was working on. It could be an etude, a tune, or whatever. It could be anything that you found surprisingly challenging or helped you realize the need for you to improve a certain area of your playing.

I liked the video at the beginning of the thread, a very pleasing sound that many could enjoy. It contrasts with an experience many years ago when I attended a parents’ music evening / concert. One young Lad - who went on to become a Secondary School Music Teacher - brought his BBb along and played a piece of classical music on it well. Unfortunately whilst the technical content was good the audience really didn’t go much on his piece which made good use the BBb’s low range ... grumbling along in the Basement doesn’t seem musical by itself but it’s very useful when used with higher pitched voices. At the end of the day the audience judge us on what we offer them and his applause was sparse.

I think that most of the public, when given the opportunity to hear tuba, often expect to hear some low notes, albeit in a stereotypical fashion - for entertainment (not serious) purposes. Many are surprised that the tuba can be lyrical and singing, and many can appreciate that. But it often seems they still want you to play some low stuff... just because we can. We can show what we're capable of in the low range in solo situations (cadenzas, for example), but an entire solo piece played in the low range might not be palatable to most listeners.

Of course, back row/ensemble playing (with those higher voices) lends itself to low range playing as a matter of function. The public might not hear it with the same ears or same enthusiasm we do, however, it's encouraging when other band mates get excited when you play pedal tones at the appropriate time.