This is a situation I thought I would never encounter, so I'm a bit unprepared.
First, a backstory:
Pep Band season started last night. For our first game, we had a great ensemble attendance... but only one sousaphone player showed up, and she wasn't fond of playing solo. The director told me to play trombone parts on some songs and tuba parts on others with my bass trombone. She mentioned that she didn't care if I doubled on sousaphone the nights that we didn't have a good tuba-to-band ratio, because while a bass trombone can cover the part, it doesn't blend with a sousaphone... or the rest of the band, for that matter.
I figure that I could take up Sousaphone so I can properly cover those parts when I'm called to. The only problem is, I've never meaningfully played a tuba before. There's a part of me that is ecstatic to play tuba, so I am motivated and ready to learn. I taught myself all of the fingerings, I'm just not prepared in the embouchure and air management department. I will mention that I am already a "tripler" on tenor trombone (both valve and slide), bass trombone, and euphonium. I've browsed around forums for a while and have already learned that sousaphones don't play quite as well as concert tubas and their intonation leaves something to be desired.
By the way, the sousaphone I would be playing is a King 2250.
Is there anything I should know?
Any help and advice is greatly appreciated! Even the basic fundamentals would be helpful.
First, a backstory:
Pep Band season started last night. For our first game, we had a great ensemble attendance... but only one sousaphone player showed up, and she wasn't fond of playing solo. The director told me to play trombone parts on some songs and tuba parts on others with my bass trombone. She mentioned that she didn't care if I doubled on sousaphone the nights that we didn't have a good tuba-to-band ratio, because while a bass trombone can cover the part, it doesn't blend with a sousaphone... or the rest of the band, for that matter.
I figure that I could take up Sousaphone so I can properly cover those parts when I'm called to. The only problem is, I've never meaningfully played a tuba before. There's a part of me that is ecstatic to play tuba, so I am motivated and ready to learn. I taught myself all of the fingerings, I'm just not prepared in the embouchure and air management department. I will mention that I am already a "tripler" on tenor trombone (both valve and slide), bass trombone, and euphonium. I've browsed around forums for a while and have already learned that sousaphones don't play quite as well as concert tubas and their intonation leaves something to be desired.
By the way, the sousaphone I would be playing is a King 2250.
Is there anything I should know?
Any help and advice is greatly appreciated! Even the basic fundamentals would be helpful.
Comment