Let’s go deeper

“How many tuba players does it take to screw in a light bulb? However many are able to read the instruction manual.” As a tubist myself, I have heard a LOT of tuba jokes. They tend to be about how we are stupid. Or how we are always in trouble.

The section in the band that is most overlooked and often ignored all together OUTSIDE of marching band- the tuba. It’s big, it’s heavy and generally it plays the most boring lines all together. Whole notes… half notes… maybe some quarter notes. We rarely see sixteenth notes. We almost never have the melody. I am will to bet that almost no one can name three famous tuba players.

I get it, there is almost no glory in playing the tuba. So why would a child even WANT to play this instrument? Let alone switch from a different, more “fun” instrument. I didn’t even want to play tuba at first. I wanted to play trumpet.

So when would be the best time for a student to start the tuba? In the most simple terms: As soon as possible. As soon as they express a desire to play the instrument. The student needs to have some physical requirements though. The need to be tall enough to reach the mouthpiece when seated, even on a 3/4 size tuba. They need to have the strength to balance the instrument in the seat. I am talking about the concert tuba, which is where every tuba player should start because the Sousaphone or Marching tuba requires a difference in play style.

Why should a student play the tuba? The easy answer is to fill out the foundation of the band, to give some weight to the chords the ensemble plays. The tuba itself is a beautiful and versatile instrument. Depending on the skill level of the player, it has a very large range. From the deepest, richest pedal tones, all the way up to mid trumpet range and sometimes beyond.

The tuba is definitely an instrument you want to rent until your child has decided that they want to make the tuba an integral part of their life.