Re: Why tuba and not some other instrument?


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Posted by Joe S. on August 02, 2001 at 19:37:26:

In Reply to: Why tuba and not some other instrument? posted by Les Smith on August 02, 2001 at 16:40:25:

' played trumpet in beginner band. Although I did well, I didn't consider blowing on wind instruments to be "music"...just "band". At the time, though only 12, I was a fairly serious little classical guitarist (' considered it my "main axe" until about age 19) and as a little preteen nerd practiced Bach lute suites up in my room until the wee hours every night until I caught myself falling asleep with the guitar in my hands...' spent my allowance money on S'Alvarez brand guitar strings). In April, the band director hollered out, "We have no bass horn players in either beginner band class, and we need a bass horn player for the concert in May. Who will change to the bass horn?" Looking back there and seeing those nasty, dented, filthy scum collectors (brass sousaphones) with "school" mouthpieces, all of the trumpeters in my section jokingly hooted out, "Joe will do it!" and (perhaps like the guy who was challenged to put on a chicken suit and dance to Stravinsky's "le Sacre du Printemps", I agreed to the stunt, "Yeah, I'll do it!" (planning on quitting band after the year was over). Anyway, that's how I got started - as a joke.

Incidently, two weeks later (when we were practicing some tunes for the spring concert) I received a substantial paddling for blowing an AcmeŽ "SIREN" whistle into my mouthpiece and through the sousaphone when we were playing "The Busy Little Elevator".


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