Posted by circusboy on June 24, 2001 at 11:00:12:
There was a string on here a while back about tuba carrying straps. At the time I empathized with those who posted, bemoaning the lack of viable ways to strap the horn to oneself while standing and the poor positioning of the strap lugs by tuba manufacturers.
Well, last night I tried out an idea: I took an 18 or 24" bungee cord (the purple one from the Target Bungee Pro Pack) and put each of the hooks through each of the lugs. THEN-and this is VERY IMPORTANT-I put my right arm and shoulder (NOT head) through it. It worked great! It puts the horn in exactly the right position for me, and the elasticity of the cord really helps to distribute the weight while allowing me some freedom of movement. The only improvement I'd like to make is, perhaps, to add some padding so that the cord won't cut into my shoulder if playing for extended periods.
I love standing and playing-especially for warm-ups or just goofing around, when my face doesn't need to be in the sheet music.
Now, I do have a SAT (opposite of BAT), so individual responses may vary . . . but I must say that the purple with the brass is rather stylin' . . . .