Posted by Rick Denney on May 25, 2001 at 06:59:02:
In Reply to: Re: Switching between C and BBb tubas posted by Chuck(G) on May 24, 2001 at 12:48:20:
Chuck's references to weeks might be in the Biblical sense--a week of days or a week of weeks (more likely). It took me about three months to become comfortable on F tuba, and about a year to master it.
Chuck is right about etudes and scales. You learn CC fingerings by the same process you learned BBb fingerings--scales. But the process does go much quicker, because the scale patterns are the same, just different pitches. Read the scales in your exercises--don't play them from memory--or you learn little. The key is to treat it is a completely new instrument, not as a variation of a BBb tuba. Think, "I play the tuba, and now I'm learning the guitar." Comparisons will be hard to avoid in that first week (of weeks), but I found that they just slowed me down.
One problem I have playing a CC (my experiences of really learning new fingerings refer to the F tuba) is that the buttons I press produce different pitches than my ears want to hear, and I don't center the note and make a good sound. Learning the relationship between the fingering and the resulting pitch you hear is as important as the relationship between the notes on the page and the buttons pressed. This takes time. It's also the reason I would never consider a BBb at school and a CC at home--learn the music on the instrument on which you intend to perform it.
The key to being able to switch at will is spending time with both instruments. But you must get to a comfortable point on the CC before spending time with both instruments won't be confusing.
Rick "who really hopes you band director won't complain about playing a quality CC in concert band" Denney