Improving the Band’s Tuba Section Stephen P, Brandon Tuba sections can be im neck and head unnaturally. than building the feeling that the proved, but like any worthwhile Keep the left armfree to balance __ instrument is an extension of the goal, it takes planning, desire, the instrument; more advanced _ performer. and. knowledge. The results, “students may want to reach over Embouchure however, are worth the effort. "the top of the tuba tomanipulate In most respects the tuba em. valve slides. bouchure is similar to that of Holding the Tuba ‘Sousaphone players use the other brass instruments: taut Holding the tuba in different same sitting position, but with cheek muscles, turned down cor- | positions can affect the player's the left leg supporting the in- ners of the mouth, and a relaxed Breath control, intonation, and strument so the shoulder and jaw should be present at all embouchure development. The neck are not strained. While the times. To form a correct embou- Student should sit in a good right hand manipulates the chure, place the mouthpiece in chair (a tall, wooden one with a valves, find a comfortable spot the center of the mouth with Straight back gives the best re- for the left hand so it can help slightly less than two-thirds of it sults). With feet flat on the floor hold the horn. I do not advocate on the upper lip and one-third on | and a straight back, he should tuba chairs or stands because the lower lip. A player's chin bring the tuba into playing posi- they create poor posture and structure and the distance be- tion, The leadpipe and mouth- breathing habits. Tuba chairs tween the nose and the bottom piece should approach the em- and other such devices also tend of the upper lip are natural bar- Pouchure at a comfortable an- to separate the player psycho- riers that limit the mouthpiece gle, one that does not tilt the logically from the horn rather area. 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Free 1-800-3271861 | || | | | || || | 1Acticulation Instructors often accept slop- =e tonguing from young tubists Secause that is the tone instru. mental directors seem to expect. The frequent comment, "What do you expect from a tuba” fur- ther points to this problem. The- oretically, a tuba player should be able to tongue as cleanly and with almost as much speed as a trumpet player. Incorrect tongue placement is a common problem among all brass play- ers, including those who play tuba. Normally, the tip of the tongue begins its stroke where the upper gum and teeth are Joined; as the attack is made, the tongue drops slightly down and back Variations in tonguing sylla- bles can be of considerable value in creating distinct styles and sounds, The best syllable for normal tonguing on the tuba is tah. Other syllables are 100 for legato and tee for staccato tonguing, An accomplished per- former instinctively varies the articulation as the style of the music changes. Slurring is also articulation, or to be more precise, a lack of articulation, As with the other brasses, the tubist’s open throat combines with a constant stream of air to effect smooth slurs. Keeping the back of the tongue slightly arched while ex. haling the air helps the throat re- main relaxed. Developing Technical Facility Tuba parts scored for band music are either extremely diff cult (as with some transcribed string bass parts) or very simple The student generally becomes bewildered and frustrated with the harder parts and bored with the easier ones. Technique is af- fected by state of mind; if the performer thinks a passage is impossible to perform, it wil be. Beyond the mental aspects,tech- nique arises from innate ability and skill developed through drill and practice. Although a player's natural aptitude cannot be in- creased, he can be given a thor. ough background in fundamen- tals. The physical attributes that affect technique are a constant air stream, articulation, correct embouchure, and finger dexter- ity. By cultivating these charac- teristics through studying tech- nical material and playing en- semble parts, a tubis’s tech. nique should improve greatly, Improving Intonation Intonation on the tuba is diffi- cult to control. The first prereq- uisite is to play a quality instru- ment constructed with four valves, not three. Four valves are superior because they allow for more compensation for natural- ly out-of-tune notes arising from the acoustical shortcomings of tubas. The following example shows these out-oftune notes with their place in the harmonic series and the alternate finger- ings needed to correct the faulty intonation, cee a bn The advantage of a fourth valve becomes apparent in the © Pearl... 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