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RobCrowdy wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:14 pmSousaphone players I've listened to seem to put lots of gaps in their lines (usually on beat two) and avoid going too low too often?

(I'm inspired by Theon Cross- I love his music- I might try transcribing his backing lines).

Cheers

Maybe those dropped notes are where they are breathing...?

And as far as dropping notes to breathe, you don’t breathe on the downbeat, unless it serves the rhythm, has a kick there, adds some effect, etc. Even though we aren’t talking about soul and funk, the famous Bootsy Collins line, “On the 1,” applies. As long as you play solidly “on the 1,” you have freedom between 1 and 4 to be as creative as the style allows. Dixieland, swing, and jazz usually require much more rhythmically conservative bass lines than Bootsy played with James Brown, but you can sure take a breath at some appropriate place after 1.

Favorite Bootsy story:

Victor Wooten said in an interview that when he was a kid he found Bootsy's number in the phone book while on tour and in the same city. The guys called him up, and when he picked up, Vic says, "uh, hi Bootsy, this is Victor Wooten, how are you?"

Bootsy said, "aw, it's all on the one, baby!"

And the guys cheered like they heard the secret word on Pee-wee's Playhouse.

I've been following this thread and since it hasn't come up I'd like to mention Cyclacle,Circurlar, Rotary (all referring to the same thing) breathing. When I arrived in Orlando in 83' all of the bands wanted swing four to the bar grooves so all of the tuba players obliged, some very successfully, but most lost the groove when they snuck in their little breaths. My last full time year I played 3 sets a day in a "Western Swing band" besides the bigger band sets and it screamed for swing feel bass so I started using the circular breathing to allow me to just concentrate on the lines rather than when I was going to sneak a breath.It didn't happen overnight but in a few weeks it became second nature and breathing became a non issue. What lit up my curiousity about it was Chester Schmitz telling me how he (and Don Harry) could play in any register at any volume while using it. There's a recording of the Boston low brass playing the choral from Dvorak9 in one breath that Chester convinced them to do. Not like rolling off a log, but doable with some practice.That's all I got, good luck, Ed

There are places where it fits to not play on one of the 4/4 beats, but to play an eighth/grace note leading into the next 4/4 beat.

benefit: My circular-breathing loud sniffing neither drowns out the ride cymbal nor the trombonist playing his chorus.