Sousaphone

What is a sousaphone?

The sousaphone is a form of the tuba and, like the tuba, belongs to the family of bugles and brass instruments. In terms of function and bore, the instrument is a bass or contrabass tuba in F, E flat or C and B flat with three or four, rarely five valves. Like all horn instruments, it has a conical tube whose diameter increases from the mouthpiece to the bell. The bell has a diameter of around 65 centimetres and can be removed for transportation.

An instrument developed on the initiative of the American composer John Philip Sousa and in collaboration with the instrument manufacturer J. W. Pepper, Philadelphia, in the nineties of the 19th century and named in honor of Sousa. The oldest known sousaphone dates back to 1893. Pepper built an instrument in which the bell could be directed upwards for playing and forwards for marching. The instrument maker C. G. Conn built a sousaphone that was favored by Sousa and his orchestra.

Sousa wanted to develop an alternative to the bass tuba in order to be able to play low notes in marches. In contrast to the tuba, the sousaphone is not carried in front of the body but around it and is mainly used in marching music, i.e. in parades and processions.

Structure of the sousaphone

Originally, the sousaphone was built with a forward-facing bell. However, Sousa wanted to avoid directing the low notes towards the audience. He therefore never used this design in his pieces and modified the instrument so that the bell was directed upwards. Because of this shape, the sousaphone was also called the “rain catcher”. Today, the bell is facing forward again.

Tone or sound production of the sousaphone

The sound of the sousaphone is loud and full. The large cup mouthpiece makes it easier to produce notes than with some other brass instruments. However, the distance between the lowest and highest notes is smaller than with other instruments, so fewer notes can be played. The sousaphone only has 3 valves. Some tubas have up to 6 valves, which is why it is rarely used as a solo instrument.

Sound and playing style of the sousaphone

The sound of the sousaphone is loud and powerful. The large cup mouthpiece makes it easier to produce notes than some other brass instruments. However, the range is smaller than other instruments as the sousaphone only has three valves, whereas some tubas have up to six valves. The sousaphone is therefore rarely used as a solo instrument.

Construction and material of the sousaphone

In order to reduce the weight, parts of the bell and the tube have been made of plastic since around 1960. Nevertheless, the instrument weighs around 12 kg. It is a typical instrument of American marching bands.

Development of the sousaphone design

Originally, the sousaphone had a front-facing bell. However, Sousa preferred a version with the bell pointing upwards so that the audience was not directly exposed to the sound. This design earned him the nickname “Rain Catcher”. Today, the bell is once again directed forwards.