Wendy lafferty & Riley Girton Tuba Wendy lafferty & Riley Girton

Why the tuba? There had been a demand for the range and sound of the tuba long before it was actually invented As orchestras began to grow in size, composers began wanting more depth and body in their compositions – which made inventors try harder and harder to fulfill these needs.

The serpent The first member of the trumpet family First invented in france by edme  Guillaume in 1950 The original serpent was made from wood and leather Metal versions did exist, but not used as often. The mouthpiece was made out of different materials, depending on the sound which was needed. wood, bone, ivory, oxhorn, ceramic, and various metal alloys such as brass, bronze and pewter

The serpent cont. The original serpent was coiled back like a snake, and was played with 6 keys. More keys were added later to add greater facility to the instrument. This was most commonly used as an accompaniment to religious chants. The The first known composers were Leoninus and Perotinus, or Leonin and Perotin which took place in the 12th century. These were the first known composers of western music.

The ophicleide In 1821 a bugle maker in dublin ireland named Joseph Halliday created the ophicleide. His design was based on the keyed trumpet – which had been around since the late 18th century Ophis – greek for serpent Cleis – stopper or cover This instrument looks nothing at all like the one that came before it – it is made of brass, it has keys and pads like a saxophone, it stands upright. This, however, is not what matters when classifying it. The internal design of this instrument is what really proves its relevance to the serpent. It is a brasswind of conical bore utilizing holes – which when covered or uncovered change the pitch of the instrument.

Doesn’t it look more like a saxophone? It does, in fact! The saxophone was actually one of several attempts to fuse the ophicleide and woodwind design. Adolphe sax’s first saxophone was actually named after the ophicleide. The largest version of the ophicleide is the contrabass Monstre Ophicleide, built by robb stewart, an expert at making replicas of 19th century brasswinds.

Other members of the family The bass horn Another variation of the serpent Manufactured around 1800 Came about 20 years before the ophicleide The origin is uncertain, but the earliest dates back to england The russian bassoon Belgian-made instrument from serpent design – consisting of two wooden tubes joined at the bottom Made about 1820 The helicon designed to be a marching horn carried on the shoulder Thought to have been invented in Russia around 1845 The forerunner of the sousaphone Very popular in Europe and the united states.

The Bass horn The Russian Bassoon The Helicon

Types of Tubas and Euphoniums BBb/Bb Tuba Octave below Trombone 18 feet long CC/C Tuba M2 above than BBb/Bb Tuba 16 feet long Used more by advanced/professional players Eb Tuba P5 below Trombone 13 feet long

Types of Tubas Cont. F Tuba Sousaphones P4 below Trombone 12 feet long John Phillip Sousa Carriage BBb or Eb Can be brass or fiberglass

Euphoniums (Tenor Tubas) Most commonly pitched in Bb Octave above tuba; same as trombone Some pitched in C Can have 3 or 4 valves Conical bore like tubas Can be front facing for marching band

Baritones Small bore unlike Euphonium Pitched in Bb Brighter sound than euphonium Cylindrical bore like trumpet or trombone Typically 3 valves Saxhorn is older version of baritone

Flugelhorn and Alto Horn Soprano tuba Same range as Bb trumpet Alto Horn Pitched in Eb Looks like a small euphonium Uses corent-like mouthpiece

Marching Band Versions

Tuba/Euphonium Fundamentals Posture Instrument comes to person Tuba placed in between legs Left arm wraps around Instrument at an angle Euphonium

Fundamentals Cont. Playing technique Embouchure is relaxed Wide and open oral cavity Large aperture Mouthpiece centered on lips LOTS of air Euphonium = Trombone

Fundamentals Cont. Other aspects Articulation Crazy Range D1-F4 and beyond! Four valves = alternate fingerings