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I'm currently learning how to play the tuba in school, and I'm finding it extremely difficult to sit at the edge of the seat like I'm supposed to due to the weight of it. If I sit on the edge, I have to rest it on my lap, which gets painful very quickly. Right now, I sit at the back of my chair with my tuba resting between my legs.

How can I avoid doing this or at least continue doing what I'm doing, but in a more proper manner?

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The best solution would be to buy a tuba stand. It sits on the ground between your legs and has a curved portion that rests right in front of your chair where you place the tuba:

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Is there a reason you feel that you're "supposed" to sit at the front of the seat? I'm a tuba player myself, and I sit at the back of the chair with the tuba sitting on the chair. Plenty of great tuba players do this, so don't be afraid to keep doing so! As long as you have a straight back and relaxed neck/shoulders and can breathe the way that the tuba requires, you should feel free to sit however you like.

Lastly, playing tuba can be a really unnatural thing. If you want to transition to having the tuba on your legs, feel free to switch it on and off your leg during the course of your playing. As the weeks go by, you'll become more accustomed to it, you'll build the necessary muscles, and the pain should go away.

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    I had a tuba playing buddy in college who used a padded brick. No, really. He (or his mother) actually sewed up a padded sleeve for a brick and he put that between his legs and used that to rest the tuba on.
    – GeezerGeek
    Nov 5, 2018 at 12:18
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    Where one sits on a chair is very dependent on the type of chair. The ones used by professional groups and in many colleges are designed for musicians and allows players to maintain good posture and proper breathing while sitting at the back. However, many chairs slope down as they go back, which will cause some restriction in lung expansion. Sitting at the edge compensates for the problem of these chairs and allows players to drop the knees slightly and allow for full lung expansion.
    – Heather S.
    Nov 5, 2018 at 12:19
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    @GeezerGeek I've seen people use books, too. Which are perhaps easier to procure than padded bricks :-)
    – Richard
    Nov 5, 2018 at 12:19
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    AFAIK there are also tuba harnesses, which may be tough on your back but at least will hold the tube in the correct position.
    – Carl Witthoft
    Nov 5, 2018 at 14:13

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