Tuba Clinic

The United States Army Field Band
The Musical Ambassadors of the Army
W Washington, DC

Tuba Clinic
by Sergeant First Class Scott Cameron

The United States Army Field Band 4214 Field Band Drive • Fort Meade, Maryland 20755-5330 Phone: (301) 677-6586 • Fax: (301) 677-6533 E-mail: fldband@emh1.ftmeade.army.mil • Website: www.army.mil/fieldband

The U.S. Army Field Band

Tuba ClinicTuba Clinic
by Staff Sergeant Scott Cameron Playing the tuba should begin with good habits. Fundamentals must be practiced daily. In order to produce the best tone, large amounts of air must be inhaled to fuel the sound. Music is the ultimate goal, but the primary task is to master the basics of consistently producing a good sound. Therefore, the focus of this clinic is practicing and utilizingfundamentals to sound the best at all times. tonguing, start the tone at a mf level. (If available, a metronome can be set to 60.) Play the note as evenly and smoothly as possible for eight to twelve seconds. If the note is not as smooth and even as desired, play it again. Repeat this for every pitch, descending chromatically to low F. Then move upward from low F two octaves to F in the staff. Donot go on until every note has the same sound or timbre. The first time this is done, it may take an hour to complete—that is OK. Producing a great sound in different ranges and perfecting fundamentals is a major accomplishment.

WARM-UP
Although students do not always have a chance to warm up before band rehearsals, players should strive to go through a warm-up routine every day to practicefundamentals. No one has ever been born with a tuba in his or her hands—playing tuba is an art that must be practiced to be realized. The warm-up will consist of long tones descending and ascending, flexibility exercises, tonguing exercises, scale studies, and etudes.

FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES
Often, tubists are not able to slur as evenly as they should. These flexibility exercises will concentrateon a the fundamentals of a good slur. Start again on the Bb in the staff. Slur a Perfect 4th from the Bb in the staff to the F just below the staff (see Example 1 below). Again set the metronome to 60. The slur should imitate the sound of the long tone. The air stream should not stop between notes. When slurring down, the jaw will drop slightly; it will return when ascending. This exercise willdescend chromatically. Use the same valve combination for each slur. If the best possible sound is not produced, repeat the exercise until satisfied, always using correct fundamentals. Once F below the staff is reached, slur a Perfect 5th down to the Bb. Continue down to the low F, then ascend to the F in the staff, or higher if possible! (See Example 2 below.) It is important to rest frequently toavoid fatigue and carelessness, especially in the higher registers. If extensive warmups have never been done before, doing all of this done at once will quickly exhaust the player.

LONG TONES
Long tones are just what the name implies: tones performed for a long period of time to maximize sound output and breath control. This is the part of the warm-up routine which concentrates most on sound.These easy exercises allow the player to concentrate on the basics of tone production. Correct fundamentals include posture, embouchure, breathing, tongue position, and jaw placement. All of these have a direct impact on tone. Spending a short time every day on producing a great sound will have long-term benefits. To practice long tones, start on a Bb in the staff (see Long Tones on page 11–4).For four seconds, breathe in fully; without holding the breathe or Example 1

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Tuba Clinic
SCALES & TONGUING EXERCISES
Every audition consists of three elements: scales, a prepared piece, and...