I am in my 53rd year of playing Tuba, and I cannot imagine what it will be like when my playing days are over. Truly one of the great joys of my life. To play with your heart in what you are doing is beyond fun--it becomes a part of you. I play a Besson 3V compensating BBb tuba with a 17" bell, 1975 vintage. Many people tell me it does not sound like a tuba because they are used to a more brassy sound, but I have come to love the rich, mellow tone of the Besson. I would encourage anyone who has an interest in playing the Tuba, if you get the "bug", nothing else will do--you will be sold on the Tuba for life.
I'm an 82 year old geezer, and still play tuba in my church orchestra and 2 community bands, and in a brass sextet. Take GOOD care of your teeth, your eyes, your lungs, and your diaphragm. Don't smoke. It'll still be good for 3 more decades.
Thank you! Learning tuba now. Played trombone and sax as a kid. Guitar as young adult. What a fun and versatile instrument! Always been a goal to be a multi instrumentalist. Hope to be able to sit in w friends in many styles of music
Chris - What a story! Pedestrian trumpet player here who likes to noodle around on my baritone. Great respect for the physicality required to play the tuba. Honestly I do not know where you find the air. Love watching you play and manage the tuning with your left hand. Thanks!!!
I'm a tuba player and I like listening to every sax except the soprano. When I hear someone playing a soprano sax I think please! Someone put this guy out of their misery! Euthanize!
Vincent Beard Unfortunately you're spot on. So many excellent trombone players and tuba players play euphonium terribly because they play it like they're playing a different version of their own instrument rather than a different instrument
I remember in 2017 the only instrument I played was alto saxophone. Then in November there were fourms to switch instruments for competition season and we needed a tuba player. Me and one other person signed up for tuba and a month ago I was 2nd chair tuba for a band of the best middle school musicians in all of Illinois. Now I still play both instruments and I hope to become a professional one day.
I’m a sax player. It’s my primary instrument and what I’m studying in college. But I too was taken into the Cult of Tuba. Tuba was my way into drum corps and I even switch from saxophone to tuba in my college marching. If someone had told me that I’d be playing tuba in marching band and drum corps, I would have said y’all were crazy. Yet here I am
Chris, this is one of the best interviews/demo's Ive ever seen. I now need to go find the Bernstein recording of Mahler's Symphony #2. Also is goading me into practicing more. I'm at the opposite end of the brass, namely trumpet..
At 8:30, Chris is playing along in Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 (New World) a part that Dvorak himself did not write (Dvorak wrote only 14 tuba notes in this symphony, and they appear in a different movement). Is this from the Robert Ryker tuba part revision? Was it Chris' or Gerard Schwarz' idea?
I played trombone, and was told that I’d be changing to tuba over the summer before 8th grade. Loved it! Now it’s been 50 years since I’ve played and I WANT A TUBA!!!
I've returned to playing the tuba after a gap of almost 40yrs. Amazed that it was still there. Joined a Brass Band in 2021 and within two months was playing at live gigs and the following year played in the Northern Ireland Championships and European Championships. My advice "Go for it! Enjoy it!"
Same. I was a clarinet player. But then I made the choice to switch after being given the opportunity by my teacher. I’ve got to say. One of the best musical decisions I have ever made!
I had a similar story in eighth grade...too many trumpets/cornets...and I wasn't that good nor aggressive enough to 'move up' to first or second chair. Band teacher suggested the tuba...I guess I was OK, and had nobody to challenge my status as 'first tuba'! Didn't continue band in ninth grade for some reason... Nowadays I want to return and play New Orleans jazz tuba...which is about as far as you can get from the examples here, but hey...it's still A TUBA!
Many thanks for explaining, can you please explain about the piece that you're moving in your left hand, is it to fix the intonation? Thank you in advance.
I see you are playing a 4 valve non-compensating euphonium. Do you prefer that to a compensating euphonium? If so, is it the 4th valve position or some other reason?
6/4 CC tubas are notorious for being difficult to play in tune without slide manipulation. Their BBb counterparts are often more in tune without the need of excessive slide manipulation. The reason being is that most 6/4 CC tubas are actually based off a cut-down BBb that was custom built back in the 1930s by York which is now owned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The BBb variants often played more in tune because they were designed for that key, whereas the CC variants were just cut down BBb tubas. The altering of the bugle by just 2 feet caused the harmonic series to shift a bit out of tune on some partials which is why slide manipulation is so common on older CC tubas and even moreso on 6/4 CC tubas. I own a 6/4 BBb tuba and I have tested it's CC variant. The BBb played better, sounded better (to me at least), and had better intonation tendencies than the CC.
Why do you keep moving the tuning slide? Idk if you cover this in the video I'm early in sorry but is it while playing you have to constantly change who you're tuned to or is it something else?
Interesting. He keeps a tenor tuba/euphonium in his arsenal so I'm assuming he gets these gigs in the Seattle orchestra? ... which would be unusual because in my experience it's usually one of the tenor trombonists who picks up a tenor tuba on the odd occasion one's required (because the range is pretty much identical). I think it's a much tougher "ask" to expect someone who usually plays a bass or contrabass tuba to play the euphonium convincingly.
Tenor tuba is just another name for Euphonium because most people don't even know what a Euphonium is. Baritone (short for baritone horn) is a different instrument; a type of horn and not a tuba; pitched the exact same as the euphonium but with a much brighter sound.
Is there any way to make my slides move faster without lapping them? I grease and clean them pretty much every day and they don’t move as fast as I want them to.
I wish I had a cool backstory with the tuba, but really during the choosing your instrument part of beginners someone told me that people who play tuba can get scholarships, and I just chose it because of that. I don't regret anything though.
may someone explain why he is moving his slide, i suppose he is correcting his pitch like a trombone player does all the time, but i honestly never have seen anyone doing that
Not true. When you go to music school you have a class where you listen to notes and see how flat/sharp they’re so he is trying to make each note in tune bcuz tubas are not perfect so that is what he is doing. Hope it helps.
Moving slides slightly has to do with the harmonic series, every pitch isn't always in tune. For example, if you have a c tuba and you play a b flat (1st valve) and the b flat is in tune, ideally, one would pull out the first slide slightly when you play an f since on that harmonic, f is around 1.96 cents sharp, so to compensate, you would pull out the slide slightly. This is applicable to every pitch in the harmonic series to allow the player to freely play the instrument without having to bend or change what they do to achieve the intonation they desire (and different pitches on each harmonic each have their tendencies, the 5th partial on a brass instrument is usually around 13.69 cents flat, the 9th partial about 3.91 cents sharp, etc).This is not something that many tubists do, but its something that many professional trombonists (especially bass trombonists) do. Personally, I do this as well. Hope that helped! 👍
Carson Clay im not a tubist, but until someone answers, I'll guess: Tuning. All that plumbing can't make every note reasonably in pitch with just valves.
It's because of the natural intonation tendencies of brass instruments. The 5th partial on all brass instruments will always ride a little flat. The 6th tends to ride a bit sharp. The partials above that vary from horn to horn. The 3rd partial on most tubas tends to get sharper the lower you go in pitch, with the 4th valve slide needing to be pulled out quite a bit to get the D (or C) in tune. As a result you either have to lip up or push in the 4th slide for the low G (or F) on the 2nd partial or it will be flat. Intonations issues on modern tubas tend to be mild and manageable, but the older horns like the Alexander 163 or Holton 345 needed a lot of work to get them in tune.
"bass tuba", well... that's all tubas. In the brass band we call them an Eb bass, to differentiate it from the Bb bass, but either way, they're both still bass instruments. As for that "Tenor Tuba", although technically correct due to the instrument's origins, it is in fact a Euphonium. Yours seems to sound particularly un-sweet.
I am in my 53rd year of playing Tuba, and I cannot imagine what it will be like when my playing days are over. Truly one of the great joys of my life. To play with your heart in what you are doing is beyond fun--it becomes a part of you. I play a Besson 3V compensating BBb tuba with a 17" bell, 1975 vintage. Many people tell me it does not sound like a tuba because they are used to a more brassy sound, but I have come to love the rich, mellow tone of the Besson. I would encourage anyone who has an interest in playing the Tuba, if you get the "bug", nothing else will do--you will be sold on the Tuba for life.
I'm an 82 year old geezer, and still play tuba in my church orchestra and 2 community bands, and in a brass sextet. Take GOOD care of your teeth, your eyes, your lungs, and your diaphragm. Don't smoke. It'll still be good for 3 more decades.
Thank you! Learning tuba now. Played trombone and sax as a kid. Guitar as young adult. What a fun and versatile instrument! Always been a goal to be a multi instrumentalist. Hope to be able to sit in w friends in many styles of music
Ah yes, the story of how all tubists come to be tubists. You don't choose the tuba life, the tuba life chooses you. A truly wonderful thing.
Robert Huntington same I wanted to do clarinet and now I'm the only tubist
I chose tuba life it didn't like me then trombone life chose me
I chose the trombone life, then I got fat.
I went from percussion to trumpet to trombone to tuba. and I instantly fell in love with tuba.
Robert Huntington yes, this is true. I was the biggest kid in 6th grade and switched from trumpet!
Chris - What a story! Pedestrian trumpet player here who likes to noodle around on my baritone. Great respect for the physicality required to play the tuba. Honestly I do not know where you find the air. Love watching you play and manage the tuning with your left hand. Thanks!!!
That Bernstein Mahler 2 recording is legendary. Low brass chorale is the sort of you need to hear to believe
Most Excellent presentation... Thank You!
that bass tuba sound is beautiful!
I love this video. However, I disagree with one statement: "everyone loves a saxophone". Well, I don't. I definitely prefer a tuba.
Agreed. Saxophones and their wretched timbre can go die in a fire.
Clarinets > Saxophones. Even in Jazz.
I'm a tuba player and I like listening to every sax except the soprano. When I hear someone playing a soprano sax I think please! Someone put this guy out of their misery! Euthanize!
I'm personally impressed by how he sings a C2 at 6:13.
Kleine besbas
Mason Atha me too
I CAN SING THAT NOTE BAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA MY CODENAME FOR THAT NOTE IS "C FOR COLORADO" I FUCKING CAN'T HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
C 1
Mason Atha | Me too, considering the average bass range stops at E2
*Grabs Euphonium* Then we got the tenor tuba...
It's also called a tenor tuba
Kevin Nicholson ohh ok cause I just thought it was called a euphonium cause that’s what I play
tenor tuba, common in the British brass band. Ummmm seems legit
Michael Kirby Tubas, Euphoniums, and Trombones can read in treble clef if the musicians have played trumpet once.
@@kaidensmith8203 i play basically the same instrument baritone
The Amplified Raspberries would be a great name for a brass band...
You can tell he's a tuba player playing a euphonium for sure.
Vincent Beard Unfortunately you're spot on. So many excellent trombone players and tuba players play euphonium terribly because they play it like they're playing a different version of their own instrument rather than a different instrument
When I say terribly I'm obviously exaggerating, this guy couldn't play any low brass instrument terribly
I remember in 2017 the only instrument I played was alto saxophone. Then in November there were fourms to switch instruments for competition season and we needed a tuba player. Me and one other person signed up for tuba and a month ago I was 2nd chair tuba for a band of the best middle school musicians in all of Illinois. Now I still play both instruments and I hope to become a professional one day.
I’m a sax player. It’s my primary instrument and what I’m studying in college. But I too was taken into the Cult of Tuba. Tuba was my way into drum corps and I even switch from saxophone to tuba in my college marching. If someone had told me that I’d be playing tuba in marching band and drum corps, I would have said y’all were crazy. Yet here I am
Chris, this is one of the best interviews/demo's Ive ever seen. I now need to go find the Bernstein recording of Mahler's Symphony #2. Also is goading me into practicing more. I'm at the opposite end of the brass, namely trumpet..
Fantastic orchestra !
They are all amazing musicians.
I just wanted to hear more low brass at 0:20 😥
I love watching that conductor in the beginning
One of my favorite youtube videos. Why would anyone dislike this?
Zac Riley there high brass
At 8:30, Chris is playing along in Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 (New World) a part that Dvorak himself did not write (Dvorak wrote only 14 tuba notes in this symphony, and they appear in a different movement). Is this from the Robert Ryker tuba part revision? Was it Chris' or Gerard Schwarz' idea?
You can hear him so well in the beginning
What’s the name of the excerpt he plays at 2:02? It sounds beautiful.
Chris Olka is very good at the contrabass tuba.
I played trombone, and was told that I’d be changing to tuba over the summer before 8th grade. Loved it! Now it’s been 50 years since I’ve played and I WANT A TUBA!!!
I've returned to playing the tuba after a gap of almost 40yrs. Amazed that it was still there. Joined a Brass Band in 2021 and within two months was playing at live gigs and the following year played in the Northern Ireland Championships and European Championships. My advice "Go for it! Enjoy it!"
I didn't know that Ed Harris could play the tuba? Seriously, this is a nice and very informative video about an instrument I don't hear much about.
9:22 that happened to me too. ..
4:10 nice posture
Very glad to hear this. A wonderfull Tuba player
I’m primarily a bass trombonist and still play tuba on the side and tuba life also chose me even when I focus on my bass trombone studies
Olka. What a tuba kinda name!
9:30 Marching band was fucking fun.
Interesting and inspiring. Thanks a lot for this!!
...me too! (they had enough trumpets but no tubas) Glad I switched, though!
There are no longer tubas in my music class, so I need to switch to the tuba.
Same. I was a clarinet player. But then I made the choice to switch after being given the opportunity by my teacher. I’ve got to say. One of the best musical decisions I have ever made!
You’re tuba video is great, you’re also the most attractive of the pro orchestra tuba players on you tube x❤
thanks for the great insight into tuba life...my knowledge is very thin, so I am trying to learn more on this earvelvet.
0:03 Now that he's no longer heading up the FBI it looks like James Comey is working as an orchestra conductor.
Rochut #2!
I noticed too
And Bordogni 3
I had a similar story in eighth grade...too many trumpets/cornets...and I wasn't that good nor aggressive enough to 'move up' to first or second chair.
Band teacher suggested the tuba...I guess I was OK, and had nobody to challenge my status as 'first tuba'!
Didn't continue band in ninth grade for some reason...
Nowadays I want to return and play New Orleans jazz tuba...which is about as far as you can get from the examples here, but hey...it's still A TUBA!
*grabs cimbasso*
me: wtf is that
lol same I jumped outta my damn seat when he grabbed it
If that makes you go wtf check out an Ophicleide...
And then thereʼs the extinct Sarrusophone, a double-reed driven kissinʼ cuz to both the Sax and Ophicleide.
Many thanks for explaining, can you please explain about the piece that you're moving in your left hand, is it to fix the intonation? Thank you in advance.
yes it's for fine tuning
I see you are playing a 4 valve non-compensating euphonium. Do you prefer that to a compensating euphonium? If so, is it the 4th valve position or some other reason?
I noticed that there is a wire which connected to the main water key. Is that a overflow key mechanism for the yamayork?
So what is the difference between a tenor tuba and a euphonium?
I've never seen a slide on a tuba that you're constantly moving. Is that like a fine tuner?
6/4 CC tubas are notorious for being difficult to play in tune without slide manipulation. Their BBb counterparts are often more in tune without the need of excessive slide manipulation. The reason being is that most 6/4 CC tubas are actually based off a cut-down BBb that was custom built back in the 1930s by York which is now owned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The BBb variants often played more in tune because they were designed for that key, whereas the CC variants were just cut down BBb tubas. The altering of the bugle by just 2 feet caused the harmonic series to shift a bit out of tune on some partials which is why slide manipulation is so common on older CC tubas and even moreso on 6/4 CC tubas. I own a 6/4 BBb tuba and I have tested it's CC variant. The BBb played better, sounded better (to me at least), and had better intonation tendencies than the CC.
CorvetteCo
Are details of the rubber patch on the bell bow in one of your videos or comments? Thanks.
Why do you keep moving the tuning slide? Idk if you cover this in the video I'm early in sorry but is it while playing you have to constantly change who you're tuned to or is it something else?
Because some of the notes are out of tune so he has to use the tuning slide to tune ir
Interesting. He keeps a tenor tuba/euphonium in his arsenal so I'm assuming he gets these gigs in the Seattle orchestra? ... which would be unusual because in my experience it's usually one of the tenor trombonists who picks up a tenor tuba on the odd occasion one's required (because the range is pretty much identical). I think it's a much tougher "ask" to expect someone who usually plays a bass or contrabass tuba to play the euphonium convincingly.
Pulling up with that Bordogni #2 just nonchalantly like that
Contra and tenor tuba.... nice
Dude your sound is huge it's really good
Does anyone knows the name of the very first excerpt Mr. Olka played on both the CC Tubs and the Tenor Tuba?
Stanley Ross brodogini #3
What’s the difference between a baritone/euphonium and a tenor tuba?
Tenor tuba is just another name for Euphonium because most people don't even know what a Euphonium is.
Baritone (short for baritone horn) is a different instrument; a type of horn and not a tuba; pitched the exact same as the euphonium but with a much brighter sound.
Which orchestra is this? Extremely neat playing, so clear
Chris what's the name of the very first excerpt you played on 6/4 tuba?
Those tubas are so low the vibrations shake the mic lol imagine hearing it live
Is there any way to make my slides move faster without lapping them? I grease and clean them pretty much every day and they don’t move as fast as I want them to.
Tenor tuba - euphonium? Differentiate?
I wish I had a cool backstory with the tuba, but really during the choosing your instrument part of beginners someone told me that people who play tuba can get scholarships, and I just chose it because of that. I don't regret anything though.
9:15 wtf thats just messed up of the bd
He sounds best on the F tuba.
may someone explain why he is moving his slide, i suppose he is correcting his pitch like a trombone player does all the time, but i honestly never have seen anyone doing that
Nuram0 on a C tuba, you need to tune a lot of the notes using slides because many pieces are keys with sharps and flats
Not true. When you go to music school you have a class where you listen to notes and see how flat/sharp they’re so he is trying to make each note in tune bcuz tubas are not perfect so that is what he is doing. Hope it helps.
i see. So its basically the same trombone players do their whole lifetime. listening and correcting the pitch?
Moving slides slightly has to do with the harmonic series, every pitch isn't always in tune. For example, if you have a c tuba and you play a b flat (1st valve) and the b flat is in tune, ideally, one would pull out the first slide slightly when you play an f since on that harmonic, f is around 1.96 cents sharp, so to compensate, you would pull out the slide slightly. This is applicable to every pitch in the harmonic series to allow the player to freely play the instrument without having to bend or change what they do to achieve the intonation they desire (and different pitches on each harmonic each have their tendencies, the 5th partial on a brass instrument is usually around 13.69 cents flat, the 9th partial about 3.91 cents sharp, etc).This is not something that many tubists do, but its something that many professional trombonists (especially bass trombonists) do. Personally, I do this as well. Hope that helped! 👍
Nuram0 i always did that when i play the tuba
I don’t even have an instrument. Idk what I’m doing here
oh damn thats a yamayork!
As a eupho player, I’m a little offended that he called it a tenor tuba, instead of euphonium. But this is still a great video.
0:38
me: HOLY FRICK
I kept repeating that part lol
Orlando? Oh wow!!!
are tenor tubas just euphoniums?
Yes, they are.
anyone know, what brand and model the Cc tuba is?
It can be bought, but you better take out a mortgage. Around $40K the last time I checked.
It is a Yamaha York 6/4 I think
ycb 826
Which slide is he constantly moving?
1st valve slide.
CorvetteCoonass can you explain why? Im constantly wondering
Carson Clay im not a tubist, but until someone answers, I'll guess: Tuning. All that plumbing can't make every note reasonably in pitch with just valves.
It's because of the natural intonation tendencies of brass instruments. The 5th partial on all brass instruments will always ride a little flat. The 6th tends to ride a bit sharp. The partials above that vary from horn to horn. The 3rd partial on most tubas tends to get sharper the lower you go in pitch, with the 4th valve slide needing to be pulled out quite a bit to get the D (or C) in tune. As a result you either have to lip up or push in the 4th slide for the low G (or F) on the 2nd partial or it will be flat.
Intonations issues on modern tubas tend to be mild and manageable, but the older horns like the Alexander 163 or Holton 345 needed a lot of work to get them in tune.
What brands are those bass and contra tubas?
Lego Gillen the bass is a Yamaha yfb-822 and the contra is a Yamaha ycb-826
What mouthpieces is he using
Jacob Howard CB2 or CB1
new world symphony has like 14 notes for tuba lol
Anyone know what Mouthpiece he uses?
Probably his own line of Mouthpieces. He might be using the "CB1" sold my Dillon Music
Bordogni 3!
2
What cimbasso is in this video??
Plese give me i dont many for boying im contry haiti
oh fuck I didnt even notice Joe alessi
Anyone know what f tuba mouthpiece he uses?
I think it's a 24AW Yamaha?
Dat bass tho
I'll bet the mouthpiece wasn't rusty. They're made of brass & usually silver plated, neither of which rusts.
The mouthpiece becomes badly tarnished and we call it "rusty".
5:23 john Oliver at trombone
Nobody there looks anything at all like John Oliver.
dnarbredlih left trombone
Rutgers University represent!
He sure makes a Euphonium sound unpleasant.
His mic just peaked is all
3:45 thats a euphonium
also known as a tenor tuba
like a contrabass trombone is also sometimes called a slide tuba
TubaManX Surely be to God nobody calls a contrabass trombone a slide tuba
Peadar Films they do..
the mouthpiece is still a tuba mouthpiece, not a euphonium one
*grabs cimbasso*
me: HOLY YOSEMITE
It’s called a Euphonium!!!!!!!
In orchestral scoring, they’ll say “tenor tuba” or euphonium
Learn about the Chris Olka with Tuba
Big, velvet fog :D
uh champ thats a eupho ay
The Eubanks method is the best!
Rubank
❤️
ヤマハヨーク！！
First absolutely non-sexy instrument :D
I bet you play trumpet, yes?
@@recruitdifficulty1638 You just lost your bet ;)
@@recruitdifficulty1638 I think that he is a violist xd
@@ohorok2 - Damn it.
I play tuba but it's nothing like the ones you have. It's smaller than bass tuba but bigger than the tenor tuba. It also only has three valves.
that's called a 3/4 tuba
I play an E-flat bass.
That’s a euphonium not a tenor tuba
Da Memester Himself they’re both the same dude
bruv stop playing bordogni
It is only single C. If it was double C, then it would be an octocontrabass.
"bass tuba", well... that's all tubas. In the brass band we call them an Eb bass, to differentiate it from the Bb bass, but either way, they're both still bass instruments.
As for that "Tenor Tuba", although technically correct due to the instrument's origins, it is in fact a Euphonium. Yours seems to sound particularly un-sweet.
It's a euphonium not a tenor tuba
Which orchestra is this? Extremely neat playing, so clear
It's a euphonium not a tenor tuba
It's both. The first is a subset of the second.
It should have been called a tenor tuba or baby tuba