Etudes appropriate for Eb tuba

[Matt K]

I picked up an Eb tuba a few months ago and want to get a little better at my dexterity. Anybody have any (ideally PDF available!) materials that lie well in the Eb tuba range? Mine is only 3 valves!

[ghmerrill]

You might look at Walter Sear's Advanced Duets for Tuba (Vol 1)
(https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/produ ... 07369.html)

I don't think it's in PDF anywhere.

The Tuba 1 part is written for "high tuba" and the Tuba 2 part for "low tuba". There used to be a CD for it, and some of the tracks are on YouTube. You could treat either part as an "etude". Then find another tuba player (or bass trombone player), and play the pieces as duets. They're really nice.

Don't let the 3 valves deter you (my 1924 Buescher is a 3-banger). Explore the wonderful world of "ghost tones" on your 3-valve Eb. They're fun, and you will want to use them.

Ah ... Looks like the book with CD is available here: https://www.stantons.com/sheet-music/ti ... cd/TB6/CD/

[BGuttman]

Take some bass clef music and use tenor clef fingerings. For example is played with no valves, as is , , etc.

One of the reasons the Eb tuba was used in Civil War (US) bands was that the fingerings of a bass clef part looked exactly like the fingerings of the other treble clef instruments.

There are some Eb tuba methods if that's what you really want, also.

[ghmerrill]

Take some bass clef music and use tenor clef fingerings.

I get the historical point, but as to why anyone would want to approach learning to play tuba in this manner ... I remain mystified.

[BenM]

I've been practicing Wagner's Meistersinger overture, which sits nicely in 3-valve Eb range (A below the staff up to E above the staff).
-Ben

[BGuttman]

Take some bass clef music and use tenor clef fingerings.

I get the historical point, but as to why anyone would want to approach learning to play tuba in this manner ... I remain mystified.

It worked for me,

[ghmerrill]

Really ... ghost tones are a real thing -- especially on the Eb tubas. Once you learn them, you should be able to play chromatically down to the true pedal Eb. Tone quality will be a challenge, but they are highly useable. The fingerings for them tend to vary a bit from individual horn to individual horn.

[ghmerrill]

There are, of course, the usual Rochut etudes for tuba and bass trombone. These are always good and will probably be familiar to you -- if you don't have them already. Also available in digital form:

https://cherryclassics.com/products/bor ... ume-1-1-30

[Crazy4Tbone86]

The H. W. Tyrell Tuba Studies were originally written for B-flat tuba, but I find that they are great for getting acclimated on the E-flat tuba. The pieces concentrate on flat keys, the range is good for E-flat tuba and it drills the arpeggiated chords used in those flat keys.

The studies are referred to as “advanced” but they are intermediate at best. If you are looking for excercises in the sharp keys, they are definitely lacking. Unfortunately, flipping the key signature doesn’t work too well with this book either. Since many of the pieces are in E-flat and A-flat concert pitch, switching to the opposite sharp key would be the equivalent of C# and F# major in treble clef.

[fsgazda]

There is a Pares scale book specifically for Eb tuba. like to use it with bass trombone students.

[ghmerrill]

The H. W. Tyrell Tuba Studies were originally written for B-flat tuba, but I find that they are great for getting acclimated on the E-flat tuba.

Yes, the Tyrell book is one of the best.

If you want to have some real fun, get James Graham's "Concert Music for Tuba". It's a collection of classic sonatas, concertos, etc. rewritten for tuba (and especially nicely suited for F or Eb tuba). These include sonatas by Corelli, five Mozart horn concertos, and stuff from Schumann, Saint-Saens, Sciabine, Gliere, and Strauss. These are transcribed from the original violin, French horn, and 'cello parts.

Available in a digital edition: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/produ ... 23175.html

They're great fun to play -- especially as a kind of warm-up exercise for concert band rehearsals. It's always great for the French horn players to arrive while you're belting out the Rondo from Mozart's No.4 Horn Concerto at allegro vivace.

[spencercarran]

To the OP's question, most of the standard bass trombone etude books (many of which are tuba etude books anyways) would be suitable choices. Bordogni, Tyrell, Blazhevich, Kopprasch, etc. Throw in some of the usual solo rep (Lebedev concerto, Ewazen) and there's plenty enough to get some practice finding your way around the horn.

Take some bass clef music and use tenor clef fingerings.

I get the historical point, but as to why anyone would want to approach learning to play tuba in this manner ... I remain mystified.

Because I already know how to play euphonium and I already know tenor clef (or transposing treble clef, from British band experience). Now I can just pick up an Eb tuba and play, without needing to relearn fingerings.

Incidentally, you can use the same trick with alto clef to play C tuba, if you're so inclined.

[Matt K]

Thanks for suggestions everyone will pick up a few of these! Glad to finally get some tuba under my fingers!