Posted by Roger Lewis on March 25, 1999 at 09:26:19:
In Reply to: Dizziness posted by Bob on March 24, 1999 at 20:49:53:
I believe what you are experiencing, barring low blood sugar, is hyperventilation. This is quite common for tuba players and is nothing to be alarmed about. What is happening (and there are two schools of thought on it) is you are breathing frequently and to capacity and have increased the amount of oxygen to the brain (or decreased the amount of carbon dioxide, as the case may be) and this is what will bring on the symptoms you describe.
The easiest way to deal with this condition is to inhale through the mouthpiece a little to increase the carbon dioxide levels and re-balance your mental systems. Over time you will become aclimated to this and it will dimminish, though it never goes away completely. (Just try doing Fountains of Rome and watch it come back).
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Roger Lewis