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Tuba Developing a proper pizzicato style on the tuba can prove to be of value to the entire ensemble. The string bass plays a pizzicato by plucking the string. The sound begins, rings, then tapers off. To achieve this effect on the tuba, you must: Lighten up or warm the attack of the note. If the attack resembles the "punch" often heard on the plastic sousaphone, your articulation is too percussive. The note must have length. Pizzicato does not mean staccato. Do not play the note so short of clipped that you cannot distinguish tone or pitch. Remember, after a string is plucked, the sound still rings. The end of the note must decay. Don’t release the note so abruptly that the sound just stops. Imitating the string bass pizzicato on the tuba is not only important when performing orchestral transcriptions, it can also be useful when playing "oom-pah" parts in marches. The trio section of Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever is a good example. If the notes are attacked warmly, given length, and tapered nicely, the band can more easily find a tonal and pitch center, resulting in a more musical effect. |
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