Re: why tuba?


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Posted by Roger Lewis on January 12, 1999 at 10:03:17:

In Reply to: why tuba? posted by Dean Norman on January 06, 1999 at 15:56:56:

An interesting story. I was in 3rd grade and we were all marched down to another school to pick out instruments for summer band program. They had several hanging from the ceiling. Some old bat asked me "What do you want to play, little boy?" and I looked up at the ones hanging there and said "the trumpet". She replied "We're all out of those so you'll have to take this!" and she gave me a metal clarinet.
As a young 8 year old I remember opening the box and seeing this "thing" with about 37 buttons on it and I realized that she must have confused me with someone who had more fingers or hands or something. There was no way you could push all the buttons at the same time.
I remember looking back up at the trumpet - 3 buttons - I had it out numbered, but I was resigned to my fate. I hated to practice - never learned how to read music and I would just pick it up and blow random noises on it to satisfy my parent's need to hear me practice. When I was done "practicing" I would toss it into a corner, so by the time I reached high school there weren't 37 buttons any more, some had fallen off.
The first day of freshman band the director looked around the band and declared "We don't have a tuba player, any volunteers?" I looked over and saw - 3 buttons - "I'll do it" I volunteered.
Two months later I won a competition on it and by my senior year I was the 3rd best high school player on the East coast. To this day I hat that old bat for not giving me the instrument I wanted where I could have excelled at an early age.
I stick with it becaus I love the sound, the challenge and the fact that, except for a few orchestral pieces, the tuba is the only solo instrument out there - a great challenge and no one to hide behind.

Hope this wasn't too long winded. Great survey!

Roger Lewis


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