Posted by Marty Neilan on September 30, 2002 at 22:50:58:
In Reply to: Tuba playing in church posted by Chris on September 30, 2002 at 22:04:16:
Over the last 21 years I have done a lot of different things in a variety of services with the tuba. The key is to try to fit the style of music with the type of service, or even the place in the service where you would play. Often, I would read trumpet solos and have a piano accompany me. Two books that come to mind are Trumpet of the Lord and Instrumental Solotrax, I believe both are published by Lillenas. If you know trumpet fingerings and have a BBb tuba, it is pretty straight forward, or you can always transpose for other key tubas. I have also played the bass solo The Trumpet Shall Sound straight out of the Messiah with organ accompaniment (and once trumpet, too) at several churches with great success. Other works include different movements of the Vaughn Williams Concerto and Mozart Horn Concertos for offertories or postludes, just make sure the pianist has time to look over the piece. One of my most ambitious undertakings was playing the trumpet part from the Bach Brandenberg #2 on F tuba with a piano part I condensed from the score. I have also improvised solos based on standards in the hymnal or other books.
As I have gotten older (and maybe wiser) I have realized that the emphasis should be more on worship than on "showing off". Maybe when I was in high school I thought it was cool to rip through the 3rd mvt of the Vaughan Williams, but wouldn't the congregation get more out of a colorful arrangement of "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder?"
Besides tuba, I have done some very creative synthisizer offertories (ex, "Shall We Gather At The River" calypso style w/ steel drum patch) and original vocal numbers based on hit tunes with new lyrics. A well rehearsed brass quintet is always a welcome addition to a service. Don't limit yourself, God is very big. Feel free to email me for more info or ideas, I could type here all night but have other projects that beckon.
martyneilan(AT)yahoo.com