Dixieland Tuba 101:

Getting Started with Traditional Jazz,

presented by Dr. Thomas Bough,

Northern Illinois University,

Yamaha Performing Artist.

www.ThomasBough.com
 Dixieland = Collective Improvisation

Everyone has a role….understand yours!

 Bass Lines

Dixieland bass lines are very similar to bass

lines in a march.
Some of the earliest jazz performers were
known for playing marches in a ragtime
style, i.e., “ragging the march”.
 More Information

For more information about the correlation between

Dixieland and marches, as well as a historical
overview of the style, a thorough discography and
transcriptions of a dozen Dixieland standards, check
out my DMA dissertation “The Role of the Tuba in
Early Jazz Music from 1917 to the Present: A
Historical, Pedagogical and Aural Perspective”.
Google “ UMI Dissertation Express” to order.
 Dr. Jazz (Bough) Audio

Thomas Bough (tuba)  Dissertation

Recording,
Arizona State University, 1999.
 Tradition

Dixieland, like all jazz, is primarily an

AURAL tradition. No clinic, method book, or
dissertation (even mine) will replace careful
listening, musical analysis, and active
imitation of the style.
 Initial Listening List
• Sam Pilafian and Travelin’ Light
• Dixie Power Trio
• Dukes of Dixieland (with Rich Matteson playing tuba)
• Lu Watters and His Yerba Buena Jazz Band
Other great tuba jazz players include:
• John Sass
• Youngblood Brass Band (with Nat McIntosh playing
tuba)
• Dirty Dozen Brass Band

There are lots more great players out there, but this is a
good start.
 Publications
Both Alfred Publications and
Hal Leonard Publications offer Dixieland
play-along and instructional CD’s, which
might be helpful.

The ITEA journal has featured many

articles over the years on this topic.
Check it out!
There are lots of GREAT materials on
jazz bass line construction and jazz
improvisation available from a variety
of publishers. They may not
necessarily focus on early jazz, but
they can provide a starting point for
learning to construct a bass line.
 Dixieland
Bass line
Construction
 Chord Changes

Learn to play changes! Not only will you

become a better musician, but you will
have more commercial (gig) opportunities
as well.
 Most Rudimentary Bass line

Tonic-Dominant (I-V). Change octaves

(reasonably) to maintain interest.
 Gut Bucket audio

Lu Watters and His Yerba Buena Jazz

Band  (I-V)  
 Historical Notes
San Francisco was home to a wonderful
revival of Dixieland in the late 1940’s and
early 1950’s. The audio recordings made
during this era are generally technologically
better (especially in terms of the bass voices)
than those made in the 1920’s and early
‘30’s, which was the height of the Dixieland
era. Lu Watters and his Yerba Buena Jazz
Band were among the best from this era.
 Typical Dixieland Bass line

I-V plus short walks. Use dominant-7th

scale fragments and leading tones to
connect chords.
 Other bass line options
Long Walks. Less typical of this
style, but appropriate at times.
 Sheik of Araby audio

 Louis Armstrong and the Dukes of

Dixieland, with Rich Matteson

(Long Walks and double time vs. half-

time)
 Jazz Greats

Rich Matteson is one of the greatest

musicians, artists, performers and/or
entertainers to even play tuba or
euphonium. If you are not familiar
with his music and career, educate
yourself!
 Jazz Greats

Same for Louis Armstrong. For both,

LISTEN to their music, ANALYZE
what they are playing, then IMITATE
it in your own playing.
 Effects

Double time / half time effects

3 quarter notes per bar

Stop time. Play the downbeat every

bar, or every other bar, depending
on the tempo.
Avalon (Travelin’ Light) audio

Sam Pilafian and Travelin’ Light

(stop time) 
 Solo Breaks

King Oliver, Louis Armstrong’s mentor, said

“jazz happens in the breaks”.
These two-bar or four-bar rests inserted at
structural joints in the form of the music
are an integral part of this style.

Know when NOT to play!

 Cornet Chop Suey audio

Louis Armstrong: The Hot Fives, Vol. 1

(top time and breaks)

 Know the performance traditions of
each piece, so you can perform with a
high degree of authenticity.

Again, know when NOT to play!

 Muskrat Ramble audio
Louis Armstrong : The Hot Fives, Vol. 1
(traditions of each song)
 Riffs

(rhythmic ostinati, for our classically

trained friends)

Use characteristic rhythms from the

period to create accompany an entire
chorus.
 Tiger Rag (Sam) audio

Sam Pilafian and Travelin’ Light

(riff and lead)

Dixieland Style characteristics

Articulation and tone quality

 Bourbon Street Parade
by Jazz Incredibles(audio)
The Jazz Incredibles with “Red” Lehr

(tone quality)
Growls, shrieks, falls and flutter tongue

Use tastefully and sparingly to

create contrasts and musical effects
 Basin Street
by Jazz Incredibles audio
The Jazz Incredibles with “Red” Lehr. 

(growls, shrieks and effects) 

 Practice Tips

Learn the words and melody to all

songs, as well as the chord changes.
Knowing the words and melody will
help you track the form, help you
distinguish between songs, and is just
GOOD MUSICIANSHIP.
Write out multiple choruses of sample bass
lines to practice the cognitive skills
of bass line construction.
Record yourself playing multiple choruses
of sample bass lines (with metronome, of
course) to evaluate the development of
your skills.
 Form a rehearsal ensemble (or the next
great Dixieland band) to practice the skills
of collective improvisation. Invest some
time in listening to recordings TOGETHER
to learn the style and to develop a shared
vocabulary about what musical techniques
you like and how you will implement them
on a gig.
AS ALWAYS, get comfortable enough with
the musical and technical demands of
this style to allow yourself the freedom to
REACT TO and INTERACT WITH the
other performers in real time.
Compare song titles between your favorite
recordings to get a sense of which titles
occur the most frequently. Learn these
“standards” first, plus whatever tunes are
in your fake book.
 Tuba as Lead Voice
More common in small ensembles,
like a trio.
 Know your role!

Know your role! Even in professional trios,

the tuba is not always the lead voice.
Give equal attention to playing the melody
and to musical roles which support others.
Utilize your strengths but know
your limits.
Sweet Georgia Brown audio (Sam)

Sam Pilafian and Travelin’ Light 

(lead)
Out of time, unaccompanied, improvisatory solos
are a part of the Dixieland style in some cases.
Think of these as cadenzas in a swing style.
Their construction is simple, but not easy…
create melodic variations based on motific
fragments supported by scalar passages over
a limited degree of harmonic motion. In other
words….FLASH AND TRASH!
Tiger Rag audio (Jazz Incredibles)
Dixieland solo tradition allows for the use of
musical quotes and interjections, often
designed to be humorous. One should
avoid creating an entire improvised solo
based on nothing but quotes, but their
occasional use can be appropriate.
St. James Infirmary (Bough) audio
 Acknowledgements

• Special thanks to the U.S. Army for

hosting this conference
• Conference Coordinator Don Palmire
• Yamaha Corporation for their support
• And to my publisher Cimarron Music
Powerpoint slides assemble by

Gregory Matushek,
undergrad Music Education Major
Northern Illinois University