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TYPES OF TUBAS
Bb TUBA
Growing up playing in school bands means you will be playing a Bb Tuba. The Bb is the lowest sounding tuba and has a deep, rumbling tone and a wide dynamic range. It is so important that young bands get used to listening down to a big low sound in the room, so Bb tuba is most suitable for that environment. The majority of band music is written in flat keys like Bb, Eb, F, and Ab, so playing a Bb tuba really makes a lot of sense for the purpose of ease of playing.
3-Valve, top-action pistons 4-Valve, rotary valves
C TUBA
It is a difference of length. A tuba pitched in C will have less overall tubing than a Bb, making it pitched up a whole step.
At the professional level, many wind symphony and orchestral tubists play C Tubas. Orchestral music is often pitched in sharp keys like C, G, D, A, E, and B, so in terms of ease of play, it makes sense to play on a C instrument. Playing a C Tuba also means it will be easier to play cues for other instruments pitched in C.
Here is a video of our resident tubist and Shadow Mountain High School alumnus, Ben, playing on his new C Tuba:
Eb TUBA
This tuba was created to provide a voicing in between the Bb Tuba and the
other low brass instruments of the brass band or military band.
It is smaller in size and often used as a solo instrument.
F TUBA
The F Tuba is the smallest in the tuba family and used for solo playing and chamber groups.
It does not have the very low range of a Bb or C. Its tone is closer to that of the euphonium.
SOUSAPHONE
The Sousaphone was created so that a player could walk or march while playing.
The wrap around design works well for most marching groups today.
Notice the use of the left hand on the lead pipe for stabilization.
MARCHING TUBA / "CONTRA"
After World War I, American churches and veteran groups formed drum and bugle corps, who used bugles keyed in G.
For the bass voice of the brass section, drum corps used a contrabass bugle that looked like this:
This huge instrument is played over the left shoulder and is commonly referred to as the "Contra".
By the year 2000, drum and bugle corps started switching over to Bb and F brass instruments.
Some people still refer to the Marching Tuba as a "Contra",
but it is, in fact, just a marching version of the Bb Tuba.
"Horns Down" or "Set" Position
"Horns Up" or "Playing" Position
"Standby" or "Parade Rest" Position
Enough about The Order!
As stated, the Bb Tuba is our main focus here since it is, after all, your....
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