Horn Envy - Small Person, Big Instrument Aspirations, My 7 year old plays euphonium and wants to play tuba Options

[kathrobert]

Small person with horn envy...

My middle son came back a couple of years ago from a Musicale percussion and fun music week desperate to play the tuba. Well at that stage he could have lived in a tuba - especially if you cut a door in it and poured cereal in through the mouthpiece.

So we waited, and he still wanted one, and we waited some more..

Then a music teacher friend suggested he try euphonium as a 'mini tuba' and he has done really well. Started a year ago and is thriving grade 1 disinction last June and now well on with grade 2 pieces.

But he still wants to play the tuba.

His teacher says euphoniums have much better repertoire, but his brother (clarinet) just got to go to the National Childrens Orchestra open access day and he couldn't as they only wanted tubas (tubae?) and not euphs.

I know nothing about brass, but have always thought a child with a burning desire to do something should be indulged where possible. However presumably you need to be big enough to lift the instrument before you play it?

How old do you reckon?

[Juniper]

Small person with horn envy...

My middle son came back a couple of years ago from a Musicale percussion and fun music week desperate to play the tuba. Well at that stage he could have lived in a tuba - especially if you cut a door in it and poured cereal in through the mouthpiece.

So we waited, and he still wanted one, and we waited some more..

Then a music teacher friend suggested he try euphonium as a 'mini tuba' and he has done really well. Started a year ago and is thriving grade 1 disinction last June and now well on with grade 2 pieces.

But he still wants to play the tuba.

His teacher says euphoniums have much better repertoire, but his brother (clarinet) just got to go to the National Childrens Orchestra open access day and he couldn't as they only wanted tubas (tubae?) and not euphs.

I know nothing about brass, but have always thought a child with a burning desire to do something should be indulged where possible. However presumably you need to be big enough to lift the instrument before you play it?

How old do you reckon?

The youngest I knew was about 9 or ten, mum used to carry it around for him. do you by any chance have a friendly brass shop near you that may let him try it for size, or maybe even a brass band. many have junior bands, most of which struggle to find youngsters willing or able to play tuba! (even harder to get parents to agree to cart around such a large instument!) they would probably be delighted to let him try. It seems more true in the brass band world that Euphoniums have the better repertoire but orchestrally the tuba seems the more popular. this is only my experience and others may disagree. living down here orchestras are few and far between but brass bands are two a penny! Good luck with it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[x-music-fairy-x]

I say if he wants to learn it why not? I agree he should go to a brass shop and try a mini- tuba out.
Orchestras and brass bands always want more tubas.
Also you could also say to him if it doesn't fit yet, that in a few years he could try it again, thing is with saying this he might loose his interest in playing as euph is not the instrument he wants to play.

[nickjones8]

Tuba - great instrument. Comes in different sizes, but the standard C tuba is probably far too big for him (and very expensive!). My guess would be that he is best sticking with euph or trombone for now,with the firm idea of moving onto tuba when he is ?12 or so.

Speak to brass specialist at education dept music section...?

[billyboy]

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As an ex brass player I would have thought the tuba is far to big an instrument to learn on at such a young age, better to continue playing the euphonium until his lung capacity improves, I tried to play the tuba or bass as they are known as in brass bands but even I found it very hard to fill the instrument,ie very difficult to get enough air into the lungs to play through phrases etc, find your local brass band who will be only to pleased to see a youngster wanting to play the tuba, one tip I can give is for your little boy to practice breathing exercises to improve his lung capicity, this can be done by when he is sitting to hold his breath and see how long he can hold it and gradually it will improve very quickly also when out walking see how long he can hold his breath, even count the distances between lamposts, told this by a very famous euphonium player, hope the above advise helps and good luck in your playing young man,

[kathrobert]

Thank you for all your words of wisdom - will continue to hold off for now. Euphonium is going very well and he is still enthusiastic about that, so no doubt tuba will follow in due course if he continues in the same vein.

Trying not to let my delight at his enthusiasm sweep us along in a frenzy of instrument accumulation, but they are very pleasing objects aren't they?!