Posted by Joe Baker on August 23, 2003 at 00:08:57:
In Reply to: 11-year old beginner posted by mom on August 22, 2003 at 21:32:33:
There will probably be more qualified people answering this, but over the weekend you never know, so I'll give you the observations of a hobbiest who has played tuba since he was 12, some 30 years ago.
Yes, she can start out on tuba. If she is very small, it might be a better idea for her to play baritone for a year first, while she grows; but if she's in love with the tuba nothing else will do!
As far as the tuba she should start on, there are a few variables at play. Are you planning to buy or rent? If you're buying, what price range are you looking at? And at age 11, her size could be an issue. Unless she's taller and stronger than an average 11-year-old girl, she'll be better off starting on a very small tuba. A widely available rental tuba is the Yamaha 105, which is of a size called a '3/4' tuba, since it's noticeably smaller than average. Another really nice 3/4 sized tuba that is widely available for sale, but one that I've not heard of as a rental, is the Weril 680. It's about the same size, but 4 valves instead of 3. That extra valve will help with intonation as she develops as a player, but it does weigh an extra pound or two. There are other 3/4 tubas -- the King 1140, the Jupiter (can't remember the model number)and a few others -- but none that are as widely available as the Yamaha. There are also smaller tubas in Eb and F, but they are more expensive than BBb tubas(the norm before college), and require different fingerings.
The Bach 25 mouthpiece is one of the smallest ones out there, and if she is small she should start on a mouthpiece like this.
Now, some good news -- she was born with an embouchure! She just needs to develop it. That development is never complete, because you can always add another semitone at the top end, or clear up attacks at the bottom end, or improve tone in the middle. But she'll be playing an octave range in a week or so -- some do it the first day. From there she'll just continue to slowly get better.
She's got a couple of things going for her that bode extremely well for her prospects as a tuba player. First, she really wants to play; second, she already has a background reading music; finally, and probably most importantly, she has a Mom who supports her enthusiastically. When she encounters obstacles -- and she will -- your support will keep her going. She's very lucky to have a Mom like you.
Joe Baker, who recalls that a french horn is the same length as an F tuba, and can play some really nice duets with tuba.