Tuba-Euphonium Blog
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
A Double-Duty Euphonium Lap Pillow
 Many euphonium players use a pillow of some kind to help them hold up the horn when they are seated while playing. In a pinch one, I even made one from a bath towel, rolled up and tied with dental floss (it works so well I have used it for years while practicing).
Then it dawned on me that I always carry an accessory bag in my case. It holds valve oil, slide grease, slide cream for the trigger slide, extra felts, etc. While at ITEC in Tucson I found a zippered bag that is a little larger than the one I was using. The new bag is large enough to serve as a lap pillow when properly stuffed. So now I keep all my accessories in that bag. I fold a polishing cloth first and put it in the bag so there is a nice center area where I can put the accessories. It makes a very nice sized pillow, and it's only one bulky item to carry in my case. The bag is made of a fabric that has a fake suede finish, so it stays in place without slipping around. And the zipper is nylon so it is not likely to scratch my horn. The bag is available from Hickey's Music, who was the vendor I purchased from at ITEC. The manufacturer is Chonkite, and the product name is the MKP, Accessory Kit Pouch, priced about $15. Just use the link below and search for 12148: http://www.hickeys.com/ Empty Bag, Shown with Typical Contents: 
Packed Bag, Shown Open: 
Packed Bag, Closed: 
Bag In Playing Position: 
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Posted By Dave Werden at 8:57 PM in Category:General Tuba-Euphonium Blog
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Replies
10 Aug 2010
MaryAnn I recently came up with a lap pillow-thingy that works for me quite well. With soft ones, it seems I was always having to adjust it. The latest one was made with a bunch of rolled-up shelf liner, that sort of half-sticky stuff you can get in a roll. I liked it because it doesn't slip. At ITEC, I saw one of the tuba players on stage who was using the same shelf liner stuff to make a lap "sling" (?) that he rested his tuba on; on his leg would have been too high, and holding it with both legs probably too tiring, and on the chair too low. He just had a strip of this stuff that was long enough that he could put it under both thighs and it sort of resembled a skirt over his lap (sorry, guy, but that's the closest visual thing I can describe.) He rested the tuba on this, and it seemed to work wonderfully well for hime. I need my euph to be higher than my thighs, so the above idea won't work, but I took it another direction and covered a piece of wood with that material. Just wide enough to lie on top of my thighs, and not needing to be adjusted because it is rigid. It wasn't quite high enough, so I took a piece of rigid foam shipping material and also covered it with this material; now I have a lap support that I'm very fond of, and the two pieces fit easily inside the gig bag. MA 8 Jul 2010
Alfredo Vera Just a warning: I have had trouble with my Blue Juice cap not closing properly. I don't know if it broke or was just made wrong but now I have to put it in a plastic zip lock bag and hope it doesn't leak too much more. I would be afraid to put pressure on any new bottle I buy. |
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