Introduction New member. Doubler.

[Grumpikins]

Howdy doo. I use the name Grumpikins online and try to keep my personal info mostly private. I am a Tuba player who often plays other instruments as needed by the groups I play with. I originally went to college to be a music teacher but life had other plans for me. There is an abundance of very good tuba players where I live so I often find myself filling other roles. Saxophone is one area we have frequently been short. When I was in school everyone said saxophone would be the most difficult instrument to learn. I didn't find it difficult at all and really enjoyed it. So here i am looking for advice from experienced players.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Hi Grumpikins and a big welcome to the Cafe

 

[Stocker]

Welcome!

An abundance of tuba players and a dearth of saxophonists is pretty unusual - my old college band director would've loved to have that. (I switched from tenor to baritone in that band after we had eight tenors one semester.) I too was a music education major for a while until things didn't pan out right.

 

[Woodpad]

Welcome to the cafe, I have never been to a saxophone deserted area. Can you find a good tech? In my memory saxophone isn't that difficult to learn, but mastering needs time.

 

[teen37]

Howdy doo. I use the name Grumpikins online and try to keep my personal info mostly private. I am a Tuba player who often plays other instruments as needed by the groups I play with. I originally went to college to be a music teacher but life had other plans for me. There is an abundance of very good tuba players where I live so I often find myself filling other roles. Saxophone is one area we have frequently been short. When I was in school everyone said saxophone would be the most difficult instrument to learn. I didn't find it difficult at all and really enjoyed it. So here i am looking for advice from experienced players.

Hey 👋 welcome ☺️ so here there's an abundance of sax players too I think as I got talking to one in a local big band at a 40s evening at Sleap airfield in Shrewsbury in August and he said he should've taken up double base/guitar or drums as getting a good one that could keep time was difficult and there were too many sax players, 🙄🤷

 

[mizmar]

There is an abundance of very good tuba players where I live

That does sound a bit weird; tuba of all instruments. Any ideas how things developed like that? Some regional school music admin did a typo and ordered 1000 tubas? Or something?

 

[teen37]

That does sound a bit weird; tuba of all instruments. Any ideas how things developed like that? Some regional school music admin did a typo and ordered 1000 tubas? Or something?

Yeah, it's a bit of an oddity round here too, not the first instrument kids think of taking up here..... Just not cool enough me thinks 😎🤷

 

[Targa]

Yeah, it's a bit of an oddity round here too, not the first instrument kids think of taking up here..... Just not cool enough me thinks 😎🤷

Maybe they should start showing Hancock’s Half Hour.

 

[Grumpikins]

I see that I have caused some confusion. I'm a middle to elder aged tuba player involved in several different community bands nearby.

The summer band consists of a tuba professor who lives here in the summer, a performance grad student, a performance undergrad student, a hs student, and two othe schmos like me.

The winter band is a Jr college program that doubles as a community band to fill the ranks and staffing fluctuates a lot. This group is where I'm finding myself playing other instruments because it's typically a small group and we have another regular tuba player who is very good. But I can play many other instruments (if I have them) and go where there's empty spots.

Plus some other side work.

 

[mizmar]

I see that I have caused some confusion...

Probably not. Confusion is always lurking at the edge of threads. We tend just drift into a state of confusion if left alone to dwell on something too long.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Howdy doo. I use the name Grumpikins online and try to keep my personal info mostly private. I am a Tuba player who often plays other instruments as needed by the groups I play with. I originally went to college to be a music teacher but life had other plans for me. There is an abundance of very good tuba players where I live so I often find myself filling other roles. Saxophone is one area we have frequently been short. When I was in school everyone said saxophone would be the most difficult instrument to learn. I didn't find it difficult at all and really enjoyed it. So here i am looking for advice from experienced players.

Hi Grumpkins and a hearty welcome from me!

Good luck in learning to play sax!I know a couple of amateur players who've learned to play both saxes (reeds) and 'brass' (often tuba!) I've never quite figured out what started out first (sax/brass) and what they learned to play later.

Mike

 

[Tenor Viol]

Hi, welcome. I'd agree that getting to grips with the sax is a lot easier than some instruments I could mention, e.g. any double reed instrument

 

[Jeanette]

Welcome have fun here 😃