OK, so I have hardly mastered the tuba yet but whilst practicing this evening I just couldn’t supress the urge any longer to explore some tuba hacks. As this also presented a way of trying to master recording the damn thing (which I still failed at but improvements were made) I felt slightly less like I was just knobbing about. I really can’t help myself, it’s in my nature to use things in ways that weren’t intended.

Here are the methods and results:

1. Unscrew the top part of the third valve, remove the nut (so it doesn’t clank around too much) and then use this as a sort of “breathy momentary valve” whilst playing some notes. Slight reverb, delay and EQing.

[audio:tuba_hack1.mp3]

2. Same as above but sing into the mouthpiece. Slight reverb added.

[audio:tuba_hack2.mp3]

3. Same as above but bassssss. Layered original plus lightly distorted version.

[audio:tuba_hack3.mp3]

4. Using the bell as a drum with the mic deep in the bell. Untreated audio.

[audio:tuba_hack4.mp3]