thumbs up to contrabass tuba playing


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Posted by js on November 18, 2001 at 13:12:19:

I tend to get away from contrabass (CC / BBb) tuba playing, because I mostly play solos, brass quintets, and jazz on F and EEb instruments.

This week, I'm playing in a series of orchestra concerts - playing a major work for LOW-LOUD tuba, and since both of the CC tubas that I'm trying to complete fabricating (I own a music store, and "rental season" has now subsided) are still not completed, I'm BORROWING a Willson CC to play the concert.

Over the years, I've owned seemingly dozens of CC tubas and have sold all of them in an attempt to find one/some that "fit(s) like an old pair of shoes" as my decades-owned F tuba seems to fit me.

This being the case, and since I frankly haven't done much contrabass tuba playing in the past few years, this concert series has been yet another big "wake-up call" as to the joys of CONTRABASS tuba playing.

I'm certainly no bass (F/EEb) tuba "snob" by any means, but there are many musical situations a bass tuba can slip into that are more difficult to "wedge in" a contrabass. HOWEVER, when a contrabass tuba IS called for, one has access to a fine (again, this time borrowed) instrument, and is fortunate enough at the time to be able to play it well (good health, etc.), THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE IT. Though many of the contrabass "musical" experiences consist of reinforcement and foundation duties, there (again) is NOTHING LIKE hearing glorious chords/octaves/intervals reverberate in a concert hall with ONE'S OWN SOUND cradling all of the other well-blended sounds.

I'll be more urgent in my endeavors to complete the construction of my own contrabass instruments, as I feel very priviledged to be able to participate in this series of concerts during these weeks.

- Joe S.


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