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Tuba Types for Musicians

This document discusses different types of tubas used in bands and orchestras. It describes the upright tuba as the most commonly used type, especially in orchestras. It is usually in BB-flat or CC and has 4 or 5 valves. A convertible tuba can switch between an upright and marching configuration. Recording tubas have a forward-facing bell like an early record player. Sousaphones are carried on the shoulder with the bell facing forward. Orchestral tubists may use F, CC, or BB-flat tubas depending on the country and composition.

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Brad Churchwell
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313 views1 page

Tuba Types for Musicians

This document discusses different types of tubas used in bands and orchestras. It describes the upright tuba as the most commonly used type, especially in orchestras. It is usually in BB-flat or CC and has 4 or 5 valves. A convertible tuba can switch between an upright and marching configuration. Recording tubas have a forward-facing bell like an early record player. Sousaphones are carried on the shoulder with the bell facing forward. Orchestral tubists may use F, CC, or BB-flat tubas depending on the country and composition.

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Brad Churchwell
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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mainland Europe.

The bell of the oval-shaped instrument points


to the left of the player.
Designs of tubas used in the modern band or wind ensemble also
exhibit the timbre of the saxhorn family:
1. Upright tuba. Most commonly used in today's band and wind
ensembles, the upright tuba is generally the choice of professional
players and serious students. It is often referred to as the "orchestral
tuba" because of its almost exclusive use in orchestras throughout the
world. Upright tubas vary considerably in design and character. They
are usually in BB-flat or CC (though sometimes E-flat or F), with four
(or five) valves, which may be piston or rotary, and a small to large
bore.
2. Convertible tuba. A model of upright tuba, this instrument
converts from a concert instrument (held conventionally on the lap of
the player) to a marching or "corps" tuba (carried on the shoulder
with bell facing forward) by the use of interchangeable lead pipes.
The convertible tuba is usually BB-flat with three piston valves.
3. Recording tuba. So called because of the forward-facing bell,
which resembles somewhat the large bell cone of an early cylinder
record player. The nomenclature "recording tuba" perhaps also owes
its origin to early recordings in which the tuba was used to rein-
force-or supplant-the string bass, which did not record well on the
early microphones and recording equipment. In any event, these
instruments were very popular in dance bands and concert bands of
the thirties and forties. More often than not, recording tubas have
detachable/interchangeable bells (upright and bell front) which vary
in size from small to extremely large bore, and have from three to five
valves. Most recording tubas are BB-flat and the valves are usually
pistons.
4. Sousaphone. Designed to rest on the player's shoulder with
forward-facing bell over the player's head, most sousaphones are
BB-flat and have three piston valves. They may be all metal or have
a metal valve section attached to a fiberglass or plastic body and bell.
Tubas used by today's orchestral tubists throughout the world
areinvariably upright models of the instrument, but they may vary
greatly in other aspects. The orchestra player's choice of a primary
instrument varies from country to country and from player to player.
In most of Europe (with the exception of France and England) the
preferred basic orchestra tuba is the F tuba with the CC or BB-flat as
a major alternative for works requiring more sound and/or extended
low range. The C tuba (usually with six valves) has traditionally been
the primary instrument of French tubists. This "French tuba" is often
regarded as a tenor tuba in C outside of France and is comparable in
bore size (and with a parallel upper range) to that of a large
euphonium. The six valves add sufficient tubing lengths to extend the
low range and thus allow the player to perform orchestral parts
written for the other tubas. Many excellent solo compositions have
been written by French composers with the French tuba in mind. The
extended upper range required by these compositions is a source of
great consternation to tubists who attempt to perform these works on
CC or BB-flat tubas. Likewise, the extended low range becomes a

10 THE ART OF TUBA AND EUPHONIUM

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