r/Tuba • • 6h ago

gear Thoughts on the Miraphone 191 Series 5/4 BBb Tuba?

6 Upvotes

I'm looking into purchasing used tubas because the one I'm currently borrowing is honestly terrible to play. It's hard to match the volume of my section peers in the band I play in because of the smaller size. I'd say I'm still learning, but I've been playing it for around three to four years now and desperately want an upgrade. I came across a used Miraphone 191 5/4 four-valve BBb tuba, and it seems promising for both my wallet and playstyle. What are your thoughts on it? I've heard good things about Miraphone, but not this exact model.


r/Tuba • • 11h ago

sheet music Free tuba sheet music with piano play-along, metronome, tuner, scales and more

2 Upvotes

Hello, I'm an amateur tuba player from Austria and am currently on a mission to arrange all public domain music for free for tuba on my free passion project: https://wesyncopate.com/?instrument=tuba

Recently I also added some other things I found useful like built-in recording, tempo-control etc., but would love to get some first feedback from you guys, what pieces you would like to play or anything else you would like to have added on the site?

Yeah and as you can see I'm currently learning the Figaro Overture!


r/Tuba • • 14h ago

news Free Halloween Tuba Concert in Peoria, Illinois, on October 25!

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80 Upvotes

The third annual Trick or Tuba is happening Sunday, October 25, at 2:30 p.m. at Soderstrom Castle in Peoria Heights, Illinois, overlooking the Illinois River.

We’re bringing together tuba, euphonium, baritone, and sousaphone players for a Halloween concert, and we’re still looking for more musicians to join us! If the registration fee is a barrier, we’ll do our best to find a sponsor.

Free to attend, and Halloween costumes are encouraged.

Register to play: https://forms.gle/EguDPMyVaEML6or29


r/Tuba • • 1d ago

gear wessex BBb marching contra?

3 Upvotes

im looking to get into marching tuba, and with a limited budget, im not finding many options but this. im very much a beginner so i dont need anything insane, just something to get me started. ive heard alright this about wessex for the price, but i would like to get another input. does anyone own one of these or anything from wessex? if so how is it and let me know if i should consider it


r/Tuba • • 1d ago

research Can you find any rock bands with a tuba/sousaphone?

9 Upvotes

r/Tuba • • 1d ago

sheet music Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer

2 Upvotes

Has anyone arranged this song for Tuba Christmas?


r/Tuba • • 1d ago

sheet music Tuba duet Christmas carols just released

8 Upvotes

Hey, Bob Elkjer here....have a listen to my new set of carol duets:

Coventry Carol  

Good King Wenceslas

The Christmas Song   

Here We Go 'aCaroling 

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town  
Holly and the Ivy

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Carol of the Bells

If you don't like clicking here, you can Google "RobertElkjer.com"  or just visit www.robertelkjer.com

and listen there; you'll find the sheet music is reasonably priced.   Thanks for reading!  ~~Bob

"Bob Elkjer has been my first-call arranger for 30 years." ~~Joseph Alessi, NY Philharmonic


r/Tuba • • 1d ago

mouthpiece Bach megatone for contra

6 Upvotes

Long story short, I use a bach megatone for my contra in my highschool band. Recently my director had ome of his colleagues come and observe my section. He judged all of our mouthpieces he got to mine and said "hmm theres one you dont see everyday, can I hear you play something?" I played "well, you have good control over your tone so thats good." Whenever I asked if it was a decent mouthpiece and why he needed to hear me he wouldnt elaborate. Is the bach megatone a bad mouthpiece? Ive used it for the past 2 years and no one has said a word about it until now.


r/Tuba • • 2d ago

experiences Wisdom teeth issues

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1 Upvotes

Looking to ask brass players in general about this.


r/Tuba • • 2d ago

technique How to play this (C octaves)

3 Upvotes

Small matter, but just wondering if it is best to play both Cs with the fourth valve.


r/Tuba • • 2d ago

repair Is this orange/yellow stain on my silver plated tuba fixable?

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8 Upvotes

This is my besson sovereign 994 BBb tuba, I am now trying to clean it up but haven’t made any progress on this spot with a silver polishing cloth or wet tissues. Is this something I can fix easily or is it the brass becoming visible and not something I can fix. Any help would be appreciated.


r/Tuba • • 3d ago

gear Tuba identification

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19 Upvotes

Can anyone help me identify these two tubas?


r/Tuba • • 3d ago

meme They took our jobs!

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9 Upvotes

r/Tuba • • 4d ago

technique Poor airflow through a 1/2 BBb Couesnon

4 Upvotes

I recently purchased a 1960s 1/2 BBb Couesnon, and I’m feeling a lot of resistance when playing the Bb1 and lower. I have paperwork that the instrument was serviced just before I purchased it, and everything else higher plays fine. I’ve read other people talk about the hose comparison, so I’m thinking that maybe because it’s a 1/2 size it just feels different?

I’m returning after 20 years away, so maybe my memory is bad, but I played a 4/4 in high school and recall that low Bb being so easy compared to this.


r/Tuba • • 4d ago

technique Bass trombone doubling on tuba advice

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3 Upvotes

r/Tuba • • 4d ago

gear My University Marches with King Recording Bases

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111 Upvotes

My university band is one of very few in the country to still march bell-front recording bases instead of sousaphones or contras. We currently own a mix of 15 King 2341 and King 1241 tubas, 11 are still in working order and condition. For the sake of longevity and maintenance, we will be moving to Conn 40K sousaphones in the near future, making this an even rarer sight to see.


r/Tuba • • 5d ago

sheet music 12 brass ENSEMBLE pieces- anime Bang bravern ED

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1 Upvotes

r/Tuba • • 6d ago

gear Marching Tuba

3 Upvotes

Does anyone have any information about RS berkeley? I came across and rs berkeley marching tuba/contra however i had never heard of the brand before, does anyone know anything about the brand?


r/Tuba • • 6d ago

research Euphonium to Tuba

7 Upvotes

Hello! I’m a euphonium player and I’ve been planning on doing Sousa for my high school’s pep band and was wondering if there is a difference in the fingerings between the two?


r/Tuba • • 6d ago

technique Just picked up an Eb York, only ever played Bb

11 Upvotes

I am 43, I haven't played since I was 18 in high school but played Bb tuba 5th-12th and was never able to get a tuba until now, but it happens to be an Eb. It's also got a 5th valve, and even in school I rarely used the 4th valve but mostly just used the 3.

Any tips or sources for learning again? The fingerings seem to be very different than I remember. Will music have to be for an Eb or is it the same music as Bb but playing the notes I see on the paper are just different fingerings?

This is the tuba, it's from 1930 and plays amazing.


r/Tuba • • 6d ago

mouthpiece Thoughts on knockoff mouthpieces?

6 Upvotes

On Amazon I see cheap (<$30) knockoffs of:

  • Conn Helleberg 120s
  • Yamaha 67c4
  • Bach 24AW
  • Bach 22
  • Denis Wick 4L

Eastrock (the most common knockoff brand) sells a "standard" model and I don't know what that is a knockoff of, it looks just like their 67c4 but clearly has a different model number?

How faithful are the copies of the knockoffs? Does the rim dimensions and cup and throat match the original?

Also, I do see a 67c4 from a brand called Rowell, which looks nothing like a 67c4. It's grooved like a Marcinkiewicz, but with more grooves, and it is clearly a deeper cup (or at least a longer external body) than the Yamaha.

Are they safe? For example, one mouthpiece I see which looks like helleberg knockoff but gold, is labelled "Golden Tuba Mouthpiece Accessory" from a store called EXCEART which largely sells not musical stuff, just eclectic crap. It doesn't claim to be real gold or silver coated, and says it is made from "gold brass". Is this likely just a raw polished brass mouthpiece? It' s my understanding that this is a terrible idea and the majority of people would react to that over time. Or could it be someone got their hands on a stock of gold-plated helleberg knockoffs and have absolutely no idea how to sell them? (The ad copy and photos are hilarious; and they show the mouthpiece pasted along side a trumpet, and a clarinet). If I ordered this would there be any way to find out if it is plated and with what? Very tempted purely for curiosity.


r/Tuba • • 7d ago

technique Question for Brass Players: How Has Your Embouchure Changed Over Time?

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6 Upvotes

r/Tuba • • 7d ago

gear Eastman EBB534 pricing

1 Upvotes

How much should I pay for a Eastman EBB534 bbflat tuba that is slightly used? I looked around online and saw them in the 9k range new but what is expected for used?


r/Tuba • • 8d ago

gear Lights for upcoming parades with a contra

1 Upvotes

For background context I play the tuba in the school's marching band, and we march contras. Have since the school was founded. I want to know from all the past contra/sousa/marching tuba players out there, what did you use for lights during night parades? I have used string lights in the past, but they always got shoddy/rained on/didn't work to begin with, so I'm curious as to what solutions you've used before. Do I rip it and go for some strip lights with 3m tape that I gotta buy every time? Or do I gotta go with something else.


r/Tuba • • 8d ago

gear Looking for tuba rental in Manchester, UK

2 Upvotes

Hi all!

I was wondering if anyone knew of a good place to rent from on short notice in Manchester, UK. Specifically, looking for 1) a besson sovereign 982 in E flat and 2) any 5 valve CC contrabass tuba. Thanks in advance!