Why switch to Tuba?
This question will most likely be the favorite one asked by your prospective switcher to tuba. The answers are fairly simple indeed:
- Tubas are the “heart” of a dark sound.
- The balance of any band starts with the tuba.
- Tuba does not require you to play in the extreme range of your instrument.
- You already know how to “buzz” a mouthpiece.
- The school provides the instrument (save money).
- You can make a difference on the tuba (too many trumpet players to begin with—you can be a STAR!).
- The fingering system on tuba is the same as trumpet except you get to use a 4th valve on a tuba (trumpets only have 3).
The tuba is the “heart” of the bands sound.
Everyone knows that the sound of your band comes from the low brass. If you do not have good low brass then your ensemble will not have the dark velvet sound that you are looking for. I refer to this sound as the “heart” of the ensemble. I have also called this the “Midwest” sound. The “Midwest” sound is the sound I hear every December in Chicago, Illinois as the bands warm-up on stage. All of my students know what this is because of the recordings I play for them. I have heard many band directors say “fit your sound inside the tuba sound”. This is done easier with good quality tubas, both in number and ability.
