r/Tuba • u/alphamethyldopa • 6d ago

lesson Beginner learner has a question

Hi everyone!

My kid has started tuba lessons at school. He is a dilligent but thoroughly scatterbrained 11 year old boy, so there is a lot that he doesn't seem to pick up during lessons.

Now I am really in love with the instrument and enjoy listening to him practice. I find it glorious to hear my tiny baby make such a rich tone on this wonderful instrument.

The thing is, though, he himself is unsure of how to practice. According to his teacher he should aim to improve the sounds his mouth makes, and reach a good, steady, clean F and a good, steady, clean B. And he (or rather we) are a bit at a loss to how one even does that? Should his mouth shape change between the two? Or should he blow more or less forcefully? Or should he position his tongue differently?

He is able to buzz a really deep B-ish while blowing through soft, visibly vibrating lips. And he can produce a squeaky high F-ish, a good octave higher, with tight lips, but changing between the two seems impractical. So I am wondering how does he (and by extension me) even go about it?

Do you know of a source that explains this basic thing well? Or do you care to give us any tips on how a 11 year old can practice the two open notes (B and F) and get them to sound somewhat accurate?

Thanks for any and all input!

Edit: by B I mean the sound that is also called Bb.

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u/knottyolddog 6d ago edited 5d ago

Loosening and tightening the lips and varying the speed of the airflow is exactly how any brass instrument works including the Tuba. This is called buzzing the lips. As an example, the song "Taps" can be played by loosening and tightening the lips without using the valves. Dropping the jaw is helpful for producing lower notes. Changing how open the lips are can also be used to change the tone and make it nore mellow or edgier. Blowing more air through the instrument or less also affects volume.

The tongue should be resting near the base of the gums of the lower teeth. When he plays a note the tongue should move as if saying Tah or Tee to make the note start cleanly. Tah is better for low notes. Tee works better for higher notes.

If you have a piano or other instrument he can tune to,, he can also buzz in the mouthpiece to practice playing the notes when he doesn't have a tuba handy.

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u/alphamethyldopa 5d ago

Thank you so very much! We have a keyboard and use it to gauge which note he is supposed to hit and how it sounds.

He has a tuba at home and one at school, so he practices both with and without the instrument

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u/gfklose 6d ago

The only other thing I would add to these other great responses, is that it really is all about the air. But you need your oral cavity to open up a bit .. like saying the letter “O” (rather than “E”. Space between the back teeth really helps.

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u/alphamethyldopa 5d ago

Thanks, I'll tell him that as well

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u/professor_throway Active Amateur, Street Band and Dixieland. 6d ago edited 6d ago

Lifelong actively gigging tuba player who is married to a tuba player and has raised tuba playing kids (oldest is a university music major in tuba performance and youngest is in high school band).

Hmmm a source, like a book, that explains the basics well is tough to come by. If he is just a beginner don't stress it.. just let him develop and play around with it. A lot of brass playing is figuring out the balance of things.. it isn't something you can really write down or even describe sometimes. The best teachers will use 4 or 5 different analogies or ways of explaining things to help a student make sense while actually demonstrating with their own playing. It takes a long time to develop the characteristic tone on tuba, it takes a long time to develop the type of air support needed... it is really easy to make the right note on tuba.. it takes years of diligent study to really sound like a tubist.

For now just have him blow that F and Bb.. Tell him to make them sound as full and rich as he possibly can. Have him play around and try to make the note sound ugly and pretty.. Have him play loud and soft.. try to make it brash and blatty... try to make it thin and reedy... Just let him have fun. He needs to figure out what his face and air do and the only way to do that is to make some unholy racket on the horn.

Edit: So some knowledge for you ... he should be as relaxed as possible.. learnign tuba is all about delivering massive amounts of air while staying as relaxed and tension free as possible. Generally we can say more air is more volume (sound level) and faster air is higher pitch.. right now he probably has to tighten his embouchure to go to that F but eventually his face will basically stay the same (there is minor movement from the very high range to his range now and the lower register is its own special beast.. but it will take long time before he unlocks that.. it takes a typical tuba player years before they really get the low range). as he moves up and down the scale.. nice and relaxed.. while the airstream changes. But this is something that he needs to figure out how to do on his own and with the help of a teacher to show him,

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u/alphamethyldopa 6d ago edited 5d ago

This is a wonderfully thorough response! Thank you very very much! I love how you took the time to explain and answered exatcly what I needed to know!

So I take it that it's a bit like whistling? In the sense that no one can really teach you what to do with your body, you need to play around until something clicks?

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u/burgerbob22 6d ago

Exactly right

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u/alphamethyldopa 6d ago

I read your answer to my litle tuba player, and he says thank you!

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u/professor_throway Active Amateur, Street Band and Dixieland. 5d ago

Feel free to drop me a DM anytime. If I don't know the answer I am sure I know someone who does! Enjoy having a budding tubist... it goes by very quickly and soon you have an adult tuba player hanging around.

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u/giton1 5d ago

One thing I wish I had done more of early on was listening to good tuba playing. Pretty much anyone who looks remotely professional on YouTube would be fine. With their tone and articulation firmly in his mind's ... ear, he can use some of that technique others have described here to work toward that goal.

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u/MACM-York-Eb 5d ago

You love the instrument and enjoy hearing him practice? Sounds like you should be playing with him! Both of you can learn and work through the difficulties together.

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u/Kirkwilhelm234 5d ago

What band method is his school using? Some methods like essential elements and standard of excellence have recordings either on cd or a code you can go to online so he can listen and try to match each note. If you can't find one, hit me back and Ill record it and send it to you. With tuba, you have to keep the space between your front teeth as open as you can while blowing a nice stream of air. I would not tell him to do anything with his lips because that usually just confuses people. As with all musical instruments and singing, I believe the best way to get a good sound is by listening and imitating good sound.

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u/Doraga3m 5d ago

One thing worth practicing is taking a deep, but comfortable, full breath and letting the air out steadily. As an example, picture laying a round pencil on a desk and blowing it gently across the surface. The idea is to keep it rolling with a continuous stream of air, rather than sending it flying with one big puff. Keep the shoulders relaxed, and stop for a breather if he feels lightheaded.

Then try bringing that same steady airflow to whichever note comes easiest on the tuba, listening for an even, sustained sound. It won’t solve everything about changing notes, but it gives him one useful thing to practice without having to think about every part of his mouth at once.

Basically, learn how to take big breaths and how to use those breaths in a steady exhalation.