Tuba asthetics???

[Ryan_Beucke]

Getting back to the question about never seen Helicons or Sousaphones in Orchestra, I think a lot of Orchestras might think they would look silly to the audience if they had a horn like that in the back. Everyone knows what happens whenever the tuba player puts a mute in...the audience chuckles, because that's such a big mute! I'm sure if the tuba player sounds great on that horn, then probably all of the other tuba players in the audience as well as some more musicians will be more accepting. But honestly, that's not a very big section of the audience. Most of the audience will just think that it looks funny.

[Tubaman485]

I have never seen a sousaphone in an orchestra, I have heard of one being played in an orchestra within the past few years but have never truly seen it. I dont feel the sousaphone is a "disrespected"(for lack of a better word) horn. I still smile and enjoy a marching band performance when you got that University Sousa line just rockin on the field. Maybe people just feel it gels better on a football field than in a symphony.

Josh

[MaryAnn]

The (more experienced/better-sounding/capable-of-playing-louder) 1st part player was using a top-action Yamaha Eb (bell facing the back of the stage) and an undergrad was playing a Miraphone 186 on the 2nd part...

...All I could hear was the undergrad - playing the front-action 186.

Well, Duh. I don't get it; what does the placement of the pistons have to do with whether you can hear the sound? Like, why are you saying that top pistons apparently have a backward facing bell and front pistons have a forward facing bell? I thought there was bell-front, bell-up, top action, front action, and that these were all separate from each other.
MA, who is feeling really confused today

[Rick Denney]

I don't get it; what does the placement of the pistons have to do with whether you can hear the sound?

Top-action piston tubas have bells that point to the player's right, and front-action instruments (either piston or rotary) have bells that point to the player's left. As you know, the tuba player usually sits stage left at the back, between the bass trombone and the string basses, at least in U.S. orchestras. A right-facing bell points into the ceiling at the back of the stage, while a left-facing bell points into the ceiling out in the hall.

To correct the problem, the right-facing bell tuba ought to be on the other side of the orchestra from where we usually see them. I don't know if this is common practice in England where right-facing bells are commonly used, but I'll bet it's something they've thought about and addressed.

And it's especially an issue when two tuba players sit next to each other but use bells that point differently.

In our band, we avoid the problem (our current two players use bells facing in opposite directions) by sitting squarely in the middle and playing louder to counteract the absorbing qualities of the stage wing curtains.

Rick "who wants an indirect path but not that indirect" Denney

[MartyNeilan]

50 years ago, the Navy Band bought a complete set of top-action Martin BBb tubas, and these were played with sousaphone bits.

Rick,
Technically, these weren't sousaphone bits. The Martin tubas of this vintage were designed using two moveable bits specifically for these horns; you cannot play the horn without them. These special bits fit together flush with cylindrical fittings, unlike the overlapping sousaphone bits found on many other horns - think a shape like >>> ). For all intents and purposes, the Martin bits were part of the leadpipe. Nowadays, many guys use Conn Sousaphone bits on the Martins because the original bits are VERY had to come by, but there are other alternatives as well.
Marty "who doesn't mean to be correcting the resident genius" Neilan

[TubaRay]

It appears to me that you WERE correcting our Resident Genius. We may have to ask Sean for a ruling.

[Rick Denney]

Technically, these weren't sousaphone bits.

I stand corrected. They looked like sousaphone bits on the picture I saw in Stauffer's book.

Rick "who ain't no genius" Denney