My first was a King model 2370 with a rickety, fiberglass bell, three finicky piston valves, and a leaky lead pipe.

Tubists, and most instrumentalists for that matter, remember the look, feel, and tonal characteristics of their first instrument.

These entry-level instruments, usually sized to fit the smaller frame of the child or preteen musician, provide the novice with ample opportunity to take the instrument “out for a spin” without overwhelming the operator with inappropriate size, awkward valve action, taunt stringing, and the like.
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Not long after learning the parts of the tuba and becoming accustomed to the embouchure technique required to make an adequate “buzz” on the mouthpiece, the new tubist is ready to move on to note production and engagement with basic etudes.

Without belaboring the tubist with a litany of techniques that may or may not be helpful given an individual’s playing context, there are a few strategies that seem beneficial to all tubists.

Adopting these universal strategies will provide optimum conditions for sound production, stamina, and intonation.

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The YouTube videos make us cringe.

An unnamed Sousaphonist back stepping beyond the rear hash mark slips and falls, beginning a catastrophic wreck in the middle of the marching band’s form.

Sousaphonist after sousaphonist collapse into the growing pile with horrific clangs of brass and an outpouring of expletives firing from the falling musicians.

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Imagine purchasing a Lamborghini coupe and fitting it with incorrectly-sized, discount tires. Suddenly a high performance automobile is stymied by a set of lackluster treads making inefficient contact with the asphalt below the primo vehicle. Why would anyone do this?

When purchasing a mouthpiece for a tuba, or any brass instrument for that matter, pricing should never be the driving consideration. A mouthpiece’s shape, size, and construction materials impact the tone quality produced by the instrument.

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All beginning tubists want to play the “good stuff” within weeks of picking up the instrument for the first time. With Holtz and Verdi out on the horizon, along with fun, contemporary pieces, who really wants to slog through scales studies and 100 variations of Hot Cross Buns?

In reality, the masterwork pieces remain inaccessible until the novice begins to truly master the horn. Mastery? It requires patience, humility, practice, a dash of talent, and a willingness to endure constructive criticism if the criticism stokes steady improvement.

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