TubaForum.net

Maybe y'all have known about this for the last 5 years... But I just stumbled upon this Buffet Group spare parts catalog from 2017, and I had never seen it before. Always kind of fun to look at this stuff.

https://www.buffetcrampongroup.com/wp-c ... -HH-v2.pdf

yep...
snips and snidgets...no tubing, pistons, bows, bells, braces...

I'll take three Buffet brand snidgets, please.

That buffet doesn’t look the least bit appetizing.

It always irks me when “the industry” calls our instruments “background brass”.

It may be irking, but flipping past symphony orchestra websites, one will look long and hard to find one programming a tuba concerto, trombone concerto, or even a horn concerto. The primary stars are the fiddles, the principal oboe, and the principal trumpet, with a few others being the runners-up.

Around age 18 - when I realized that my job back there (in the background) was to help everyone else sound as good as they can possibly sound, that's when I started to function better in symphony orchestras. When I have lines that mirror other instruments lines, the way to not have the music director utter the word "tuba" is to completely imitate their style and to not much exceed their decibel output.

Some 25 years ago when I had aspirations of playing in a professional orchestra, I knew I had to become a proficient soloist to secure the job, but knew that upon securing said job, I’d probably never ever bother the music director to have any tuba solo programmed, even the RVW that has a good orchestration.

Bricklayers don’t need to be architects.

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 9:42 am It may be irking, but flipping past symphony orchestra websites, one will look long and hard to find one programming a tuba concerto, trombone concerto, or even a horn concerto. The primary stars are the fiddles, the principal oboe, and the principal trumpet, with a few others being the runners-up.

Around age 18 - when I realized that my job back there (in the background) was to help everyone else sound as good as they can possibly sound, that's when I started to function better in symphony orchestras. When I have lines that mirror other instruments lines, the way to not have the music director utter the word "tuba" is to completely imitate their style and to not much exceed their decibel output.

All true, and I understand that. But can’t they think of a better term? Why not just say “low brass”? Or even better, since they use the term “small brass” for trumpets and such, why not “large brass” for us?

Yeah.. the term does sound a bit demeaning, and most of what I find that I play seems to double the basses, double the organ foot pedals, or serve as "sustained pitched percussion" (depth charges with diminuendos, etc.)

I find that my favorite scoring includes that were the low brass or the entire brass are playing chorale style, and I'm providing them with something good on which to build. When the tuba manages to come really close to perfect tuning, it's pretty amazing how it can make the chords "pop"... Admittedly, I get a kick out of that, and doing such seems to encourage some people to continue to call me, which is good..

...so I guess what I'm saying is that I have come to enjoy being the background guy.

DonO. wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 8:11 am It always irks me when “the industry” calls our instruments “background brass”.

Though honestly and ignoring the obvious bias that would exist on a tuba forum, isn’t that kinda accurate?

Could be worse, they could have called us "back round brass"

The catalog is the easy part. Try getting something from them; even established repair shops have a problem.

Edit - some of the stuff pictured on the first page appears to be made by others…..

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 12:10 pm Could be worse, they could have called us "back round brass"

Or “back round ass”!

DonO. wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:28 pm

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 12:10 pm Could be worse, they could have called us "back round brass"

Or “back round ass”!

That's what my wife says when she doesn't want me near her.