the playing techniques of the tuba
die spieltechnik der tuba
la technique du tuba

Jack contribution to Bärenreiter’s long-running series of instrumental guidebooks was published in 2020. Aimed at both composers wanting to get the best out of the tuba in their compositions and tubists looking to explore their instrument in more detail, it presents a brief history of the tuba family, outlines how sounds are made on the instrument, how these sounds can then be controlled by various means, and how external equipment can be used to modify or add to these sounds. Included are more than 250 music examples, diagrams and tables, some 100 audio and video samples recorded on instruments ranging from the serpent to the microtonal tuba, detailed fingering charts for F, E-flat, C, and B-flat tubas as well as for the euphonium, ophicleide, and serpent, and repertoire lists of solo, chamber, ensemble, and orchestral literature.

The bilingual English- and German-language edition can be purchased directly from Bärenreiter as either a physical book or an eBook (the audio and video examples can also be accessed on their website via the ‘Multimedia’ tab). Particular thanks are extended to the Arts and Humanities Research Council of Great Britain for their financial support; this work was created as part of Jack’s PhD thesis, which can be downloaded in full here.

The French-language edition of The Playing Techniques of the Tuba / Die Spieltechnik der Tuba can be downloaded at the following password-protected link. To obtain the password, please email Jack directly, or contact him using the contact form on this website. Jack would like to extend special thanks to Marie Le Carlier for producing this translation, and to Jean Xhonneux for proofreading.