In part to help celebrate our Independence Day holiday (4th of July), I am making available a free MP3 download of the United States Army Band Brass Quintet playing an arrangement of American the Beautiful. Nice arrangement and nice performance! Download America the Beautiful by the Army Brass Quintet
The bell is the most likely part of your tuba or euphonium to suffer damage when shipping it in its hard case. Manufacturers and distributors use a simple techique to protect bells. You just need to place a pad inside the bell to keep it from slamming against the bell-end of the case. You can make your own easily. Just fill a plastic bag with styrofoam "peanuts" or shells. You can make it just large enough to do the job. It's a very simple trick but it works like a charm.
Younger players may not be aware that in years past, manufacturers (mostly Conn, as I recall) offered a few euphoniums and tubas with what they called "short-action valves." Normally all tubing in a horn is round in cross section. Conn would flatten the cross-section of the tube slightly just as it entered the valve casing, and they would also flatten the port in the valve itself. This allowed them to place the ports closer together so the valve did not have to travel as far vertically. ...
This recording features the great Roger Bobo in a live performance at a United States Coast Guard Band Concert. Between two of his solos with band accompaniment, Mr. Bobo was asked to perform a piece with the Band's pianist, Gary Chapman. They played Roger Kellaway's Morning Song, a brilliant solo that works well on high tuba and just as well on euphonium. It is available as a free download for members of the TubaEuph forum: Free Special MP3 Downloads ...
Are you aware of the ways that temperature and humidity can affect your performance? Between my experience with rehearsals and performances, I have played on stages as cool as 65 degrees and as warm as 90 degrees. Humidity has also been all over the map. Your intonation will be strongly affected by temperature. On a hot stage, you are probably going to be sharp. If you are playing with strings or piano, the effect can be just the opposite on them, so your tuning slide may ...