The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands.

Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried.

The sousaphone is a valved brass instrument with the same tube length and musical range as other tubas.

Excepting the instrument's general shape and appearance, the sousaphone is technically very similar to a standard ( upright ) tuba.

It has been incorrectly noted that the tuba is a conical brass instrument and the sousaphone is a cylindrical brass instrument ; actually both instruments are semi-conical — no valved brass instrument can be entirely conical, since the middle section with the valves must be cylindrical.

While the degree of conicity of the bore does affect the timbre of the instrument much as in a cornet and trumpet, or a euphonium and a trombone, the bore profile of a sousaphone and most tubas is similar.

However, the sousaphone ( uniquely ) is also commonly seen manufactured from fiberglass, due to its lower cost, greater durability, and significantly lighter weight.

Perhaps the most highly regarded sousaphone ever built is the Conn model 20K, introduced in the mid-1930s and still in production.

In schools that cannot afford two kinds of tuba for each player, having only the sousaphone type is common.

Despite the disdain of sousaphones held by most serious tuba players, a quality modern sousaphone is often a better choice for the high school or semi-pro player due to more stable intonation and less breath effort needed to generate tone.

In large marching bands, the bell is often covered with a tight fitting cloth, called a sock, which enables the sousaphone section to spell out the school's name, initials, or mascot.

As such, the sousaphone is an Illinois tradition.

Sinaloa, a state of Mexico, has a type of music called Banda Sinaloense, and the sousaphone is used there as a tuba.

A famous marching band tradition involving a senior sousaphone player is dotting the " i " in Script Ohio, as performed by The Ohio State University Marching Band.

At post game, " In My Life " by The Beatles is played featuring a sousaphone solo while the band sings.

Another tradition that features the sousaphone section is after every pre-game show at Florida State University when the section ( known by all the marching band members as " Flush ") run in a circle around the Seminole head on the field with the head drum major in the center of the circle.

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone.

Page is a regular spectator at the Twin Cities Marathon, famous for playing the sousaphone near mile 3.

The tradition is characterised by black faces, tattered shirts or coats, lots of stick-clashing and a big band traditionally comprising melodeons, fiddle, concertina, triangle and tambourines, although now often also feature a tuba or sousaphone, flute or oboe.

New Orleans or Dixieland jazz bands occasionally use tuba, sousaphone, or bass saxophone in place of the double bass which is used in many traditional 1920s-era jazz bands.

Based in Denver, Colorado, the quartet is made up of Nick Urata, who sings and plays theremin, guitar, bouzouki, piano, and trumpet ; Tom Hagerman, who plays violin, accordion, and piano ; Jeanie Schroder, who sings and plays sousaphone, double bass, and flute ; and Shawn King, who plays percussion and trumpet.

Beginning around 1890, the early New Orleans jazz ensemble ( which played a mixture of marches, ragtime, and Dixieland ) was initially a marching band with a tuba or sousaphone ( or occasionally bass saxophone ) supplying the bass line.

Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument in Dixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands.

Beginning around 1890, the early New Orleans jazz ensemble ( which played a mixture of marches, ragtime, and dixieland music ) was initially a marching band with sousaphone ( or occasionally bass saxophone ) supplying the bass line.

While serving for two years in the United States Marine Corps, he played the tuba and horn in the Marine Corps Band, although he was also skilled in the sousaphone and percussion ( New York Times, January 26, 2010 ).

More than many New Orleans groups, the Youngblood band focuses on tight ensemble playing and pushing the boundaries of brass band music beyond its traditional genre, which allows them, even when performing live, to provide solid, diverse backing for Skogen's rapping and McIntosh's virtousic sousaphone work.

This family includes all of the modern brass instruments except the trombone: the trumpet, horn ( also called the French horn ), euphonium, and tuba, as well as the cornet, flügelhorn, tenor horn ( alto horn ), baritone horn, sousaphone, mellophone, and the old saxhorn.

Depending on the model, the fiberglass version normally does not have as dark and rich a tone as the brass ( King fiberglass sousaphones tended to have smooth fiberglass and a tone somewhat more like a brass sousaphone ; Conn fiberglass sousaphones often had rough fiberglass exteriors and a thinner sound ; the Conn was also lighter ).

He toured Europe and Australia and also developed the sousaphone, a large brass instrument similar to the tuba.

The marching brass bass, or sousaphone, a modified helicon, was created by J. W. Pepper – a Philadelphia instrument maker who created the instrument in 1893 at Sousa ’ s request using several of his suggestions in its design.

* A bass horn, such as a tuba, serpent, and sousaphone from the wind family and low-tuned versions of specific types of brass and woodwind instruments, such as bassoon, bass clarinet, bass trombone and bass saxophone, etc.

They developed the ' Connsonata ' electric organ ( 1946 ; later known as the Conn organ ), the ' Connstellation ' line of brass instruments ( mid-1950s ), and the first fibreglass sousaphone ( 1960 ).

Cohran's sons make up eight of the nine members of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, a brass ensemble consisting of 4 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 euphonium, a sousaphone and drums.

Contrary to popular belief, the sousaphone was not initially developed as a marching instrument, as the professional band Sousa started after leaving the Marines ( for which he wanted this new instrument ) marched only once in its existence.

After having the sousaphone designed for the Marine Band, it was natural that as Marching Illini became the first band to march and play at the same time, they also were the first band to use sousaphones on the field.

Another marching band tradition features four sousaphone players performing the dance routine to " Long Train Runnin '" at every post game performance by The Ohio University Marching 110.

Also featured on the TV show, were Shep's Banjo Boys, a 7-piece band comprising ( for the first 5 series ) Charlie Bentley ( tenor banjo ), Andy Holdorf ( trombone ), John Drury ( sousaphone ), John Orchard ( piano ), John Rollings ( drums ), Graham Shepherd ( banjo ) and Howard Shepherd ( lead banjo ).

A German oom-pah band composed of Axis leaders Tojo on sousaphone, Göring on piccolo, Goebbels on trombone, Mussolini on bass drum and an unnamed man on snare drum marches through a small German town, where everything, even the clouds and trees, are shaped as swastikas, singing the virtues of the Nazi doctrine.

He attended Maine Township High School in suburban Chicago where he played sousaphone in the school's marching band, later learning the bass violin.

) During the ceremony, the band formed a three-tiered wedding cake ; at each corner of the cake, serving as a candle, was a sousaphone that was on fire.

However the bass part is still played in a style imitating a sousaphone, using a Synthesizer or substituting using a double bass or a bass guitar.