Not A TUBA

“It’s Not a Tuba” Let me start off by asking you all a simple question. Imagine yourself driving down the road and your favorite song comes on the radio. Do you reach down to the radio and crank up the treble all the way? No, that isn’t what usually happens. The bass line is a very important part to any song, and most commonly turned up so you can feel the music. In concert bands and marching bands a tuba, sousaphone, or upright bass is used to play this bass line. Now an upright bass is never confused with a tuba or a sousaphone, but a sousaphone is constantly confused with a tuba. A sousaphone is a unique and rather new instrument, It has its distinctive qualities, and a better look on field. The first incarnation of the sousaphone was made in 1849 Vienna by Ignaz Stowasser and was called a helicon. It was then introduced to the US buy the Pepper Company in 1893. It wasn’t taken too seriously, hard to transport, too heavy, and the sound wasn’t significantly louder. Needless to say they didn’t sell and no one used it. Until John Philips Sousa came along and saw it’s potential. He changed the design to allow easier transportation and storage, plus better sound. They then became very popular, and Conn mass produced them. The reason the first sousaphone was a failure was mainly because of the Bell. The Bell on the original sousaphone was pointed strait up like a tuba. When Sousa got a hold of the instrument he rotated the bell so it was facing forward making the sound louder and directional. He also made it so the bell was removable and able to rotate. The instrument itself wraps around the body and is supported by the shoulder of the player. When watching a marching show during half time the audience can clearly see the Sousaphones. If we marched tubas they would look like overgrown trumpets and wouldn’t stick out. Also because of the size of the sousaphone it produces a louder and more noticeable sound than a tuba. Because of the size of the Sousaphone it makes the show more flashy and exciting. There is a difference between sousaphones and tubas. Sousaphones are unique instruments, with many good points that separate them from tubas. Even thought they are different instruments they do play the same parts in the song and sound very similar, this is why they get confused.