yard practice
Some weeks ago, my sister asked me to play tuba in her wedding in August. I was touched, honoured -- and terrified. I haven't played a solo in public for 10 years, and haven't really played anything the last four years. But I started practising.
Arnold Jacobs is perhaps the most famous tubist ever. He played in Chicago symphony for decades, and was reagarded the world's best brass teacher by many. He once said that he became so good because the practice studio he got when he was a 16 year old student the Curtis institute was next to the corridor where Toscanini regularily walked by. "So I had to sound good," he said. "There was no way I could sound bad." Adopting this, I am practicing in the yard when weather allows. It makes me concentrate, and gives audience practice. No neighbours have complained yet, but I don't like to think about the fact that the principal trumpet of Oslo Phil lives a couple of blocks up the road.
I can swear I hear another tuba player practice yesterday evening, by the way. I should track him down.
Athlethes keep training logs. I have started a practice log at blogger: Tuba City. It's in Norwegian, I don't know any foreign brass players.
