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A musical instrument resembling a tuba, but with the tubing encircling the player's body. It was designed by John Philip Sousa to be played while marching, and was first made in 1898.

The sousaphone is a type of tuba often used in a marching band. At that time they used hélicons, instruments that somewhat resemble sousaphones, but have a far narrower bore, and a much smaller bell which points between straight up and the player's left. Sousa wanted a tuba that would send sound upward and over the band with a full warm tone, much like concert tubas, an effect which could not be achieved with the narrower-belled (and thus highly directional) helicons.

Today, the sousaphone is a valved brass instrument with the same tube length as other tubas, but shaped differently so that the bell is above the head, the valves are situated directly in front of the musician a few inches above the waist, and most of the weight rests on one shoulder. Thus, the sousaphone can be carried far more easily than a traditional concert tuba, while still retaining the tuba sound. Sousaphones generally come with a three valve configuration, rather than the four valves often used on modern concert tubas.

In recent years, sousaphones have been available made of fiberglass instead of brass. However, fiberglass sousaphones are much lighter than its brass counterparts and provide well for smaller players who othewise cannot play the brass instruments. The fiberglass version has been given the nickname as "white trash" by some sousaphone players because they do not sound as rich as the brass.

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 and to reduce the possibility of a spectator throwing objects into the large, inviting target.

The sousaphone is an important fixture of the New Orleans brass band tradition, and is still used in groups such as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

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External Links

Virginia Tech Music Dictionary: Sousaphone