TUBAWENDY 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 18 TH 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• TUBAS

• 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

• P4 BELOW TROMBONE• 12 FEET LONG

• SOUSAPHONES• 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• FLUGELHORN

• 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