Posted by Philip on March 14, 2003 at 12:20:08:
In Reply to: Info about tuba harnesses??? posted by Mark Fabulich on March 14, 2003 at 09:27:19:
Mark,
I have had excellent luck with the following.
First of all, I have been using a modified Stewart Stand for my CC Mira for a couple of years. This is a great way to get the weight off of your legs and sort of forces you to use good posture all the time. When I say modified, I mean that I did the following:
Are you familiar with the Stewart stand? basically it is a couple of rubber-hoses with plastic strap inside that a metal doohickey (don't know what to call it) is attached to (one each hose). Then you attach these, one around the bottom bow and the other at the collar of the bell. Between the two goes the metal rod, sort of like a string base peg, that has a large bulb on the end onto which a round rubber stop is attached. The "doohickeys" are screw-fasteners that allow you to remove the peg easily when not in use.
Do a google search for the Stewart Stand and you should see what I mean. The peg itself only extends downward from the bottom bow about 6 inches...just right to poise the horn just over my thighs.
As to the "modified" part... I found that the rubber hoses did not stay securely, so I took the slide "doohickeys" off and put them on a set of large hose clamps (like you might find on an automobile's water hoses, that tighten with a screwdriver). I attached these to the horn in the same places as usual, but with a bit of rubber backing to keep from damaging the finish. If you are really interested, I will try to get a picture and send it to you. BTW... I have noticed no discernable difference in my sound or any other aspect of my playing that is directly effected by the presence of these clamps on the horn.
Anyway, on to what you are asking. Just this last week, my quintet had a gig in which we (they) wanted us all to stand. I went out and purchased a leather flag-carrier belt (not harness) that goes around your waist and has a cup on a large emblem-shaped leather pad on the front. I positioned the cup on my right upper thigh (required a much larger belt size than I regularly wear) just under my regular belt. Then I took the rubber stop off of the stand peg, leaving just the ball showing and inserted it into the cup. This put the mouthpiece at just the correct position for playing standing up! Of course this does not secure the horn at the top, but I found that this was not really necessary, as the base was so secure that it was no worse than playing sitting down.
I really like playing standing up. I found that my breathing was even deeper than usual, and that I could go longer on a breath. It also sort of helps you "get into" the performance, being able to move around a bit.
Let me know if this is clear as mud and we can discuss this further.
Sincerely,
Philip