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Assembling Your Tuba
Lay the closed case down on the ground with the thinner half facing up.
Undo the latches and open the case.
Carefully remove the body of the tuba from its case and hold it firmly in one hand.
You can hang on to the tuba now or set it down, but a true master will keep his instrument close by.
Some tubas will have trouble standing by themselves.
If it seems like your tuba might fall over, place it against your chair or the wall.
Retrieve your mouthpiece from its case.
Carefully insert your mouthpiece into the lead pipe and give it a firm quarter-turn for stability.
Parts of Your Tuba
You are now familiar with the body and the mouthpiece,
but you must get to know all of the slides before we move ahead.
Most elementary, middle, and high schools use Bb (BBb) tubas, which come in a variety of sizes and wraps.
For the purpose of this web site, we are going to focus on the school-owned tuba at Shadow Mountain High School.
It is a 4/4 size Cerveney & Synove, model CBB 681.
Whichever tuba make and model you have, you should still find this section helpful
since most tubas have the same basic components.
Main Tuning Slide
This is the slide you will use most regularly for getting the instrument MOSTLY in tune.
Pulling it out will lower the overall pitch.
Pushing it in will raise the overall pitch.
In general, manufacturers design brass instruments to be sharp (too high) when the main slide is all the way in,
so expect to have it pulled out somewhat.
First Valve Slide
As you progress as a tubist, you will learn how to use this slide while you play
in order to get certain notes to sound more in tune.
Second Valve Slide
You will not adjust this slide very much or very often, but it is important to know about,
especially since every tuba is different in regards to pitch.
Third and Fourth Valve Slides
Again, your use of these slides will depend wholly on your particular tuba and how it plays certain notes.
Be patient, my Apprentice. The answers are coming.
Speaking of answers, it is time for you to learn about the
mystical power, known to us as.....
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