Wessex TB 162 : First time playing in an ensemble.

[AggieDan]

I got this horn in July and had futzed around with it a little. I bought it direct from Wessex and it took just a few days to arrive on my doorstep. My daughter had some fun with it, too. But, I hadn't really played in an ensemble with it.

I recently joined a new group of musicians that bill themselves as being for folks that "enjoy playing." And there are no auditions. And my Monday evenings were free, so why not? This was my second rehearsal with them and figured I'd try out the Wessex as we're early in the cycle and if it sounded like crap, I could switch back to the Miraphone 186.

I quickly learned that holding the instrument the entire time while seated was really not working for me. The duck-leg isn't all that comfortable against a bare arm. I may look into having someone either remove it or maybe 3D print a smooth cover for it. Being seated really emphasized a personal challenge. I'm working on it, but I've gained a bit of weight and my belly kept hitting the bottom of the horn when I took a deep breath.

So, I stood and then opted for the small harness included with the horn. This got the horn to almost the perfect playing position. Mah belly was mostly out of the way, but I want to kind of cradle the horn with my left arm, which puts my right hand at a semi-awkward angle. But, as it was only a single anchor point harness I may try another I have that will use both anchor points. Honestly, I started a diet last week (with zero oversight from my loving wife). So, maybe I can make the belly be less of an issue by Christmas.

I'm getting better, but I still have a tendency to overblow the horn if I'm not careful. Just learning the horn, I guess. When I first started playing it, it felt REALLY stuffy, especially when using 3rd and/or 4th valve fingerings. Now, it only feels kind of stuffy, so I guess I'm just getting used to it.

One thing that really surprised me was just how tired I was after playing the thing for a couple of hours. Granted, I was trying to balance a moderately sized community band as the only tuba player. But, the playing fatigue is much higher than on either my Miraphone 186 or Dynasty M875. Those are, unsurprisingly, much, much easier to blow.

Overall, the horn is fun to play. I'm not trying to do a sales pitch or put down the horn. Just that I figured folks might appreciate an honest review of my experience with it as a semi-decent amateur player. Now, the Miraphone is going to definitely remain my primary indoor instrument. But, this will definitely replace the Allora for secondary indoor instrument. I feel more confident in sending the Miraphone in for work (bottom bow semi-crushed and missing reinforcement, hole in lead pipe, 2 loose braces that make the horn buzz...) now that I have the Wessex. That should tell you something about the quality of the Allora.

[Charlie C Chowder]

Tuba stand........

I have three of them, one set for each tuba I take out. I also have the belly to big for my lap problem, and it allows me to lean forward to get closer to the music. Old eyes.

CCC

[AggieDan]

@Charlie C Chowder thanks for the recommendation. I hadn't even thought of that. Which is weird considering I have one for my Miraphone as part of my travel kit for outdoor performances. I'd mostly stashed the stuff because I picked up my Dynasty M875 and that quickly became my go to for outdoor gigs.

This is such an expensive hobby!

I actually cheat on the music, though, to compensate for my vision. I spend a fair amount of time in MuseScore these days. I might flip pages more often, but I can read the music!

[Charlie C Chowder]

At TC I have mostof the music memorized after these many years. With the "Banjoliers" I'm reading reading chord charts. I suck at sight reading.

CCC