What? Yes just push through and you'll be fine forever. Tell that to all the retired Army tuba players with back problems or the Med Boarded Infantry guy who carried ruck packs everyday for 16 years that it'll be fine just do it more. Yes, as a young person in my 20s I can march around everyday and just deal with it. However, when I get to be in my 40s I don't want to be broken. I am someone that uses a sousaphone a lot, I like my job, and I want to be able to do what I do for many years to come. The "suck it up" method tends not to be so great down the road.KiltieTuba wrote:
Since were talking about weight differences - if you consistently play with a heavier instrument, your body will, over time, become accustomed to the weight. Your whole point about the weigh being an issue, is mostly invalidated once you take into account the fact that you don't tend to notice the weight as much once you played with it for longer periods of time.
Or...KiltieTuba wrote: 3. The somewhat standard size of the sousaphone has remained rather unchanged for the past 100+ years.
King and Conn have been making essentially the same body and bell since the introduction of the recording bell sousaphone. If there were so many problems with a large bell, as many people here claim there to be, one would think that one of these manufacturers would change their design to better fit the market. What's the saying? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
As you said, there is no Professional market. Why would a company spend time and money improving a horn that is going to be used mostly for students with little experience playing tuba? How many high school and college bands ask for people to pick up sousaphone for marching band? I would say most of them. Other than Military bands and a few number of freelance players almost all sousaphone use is by students. With this in mind, it makes plenty of sense why companies don't work on improving the sousaphone.
Again, I don't think any company is ever going to try to improve the sousaphone. The best shot for a better sousaphone would be to custom order a bell and have some like Dan Oberloh flip the First valve tuning slide and make a better neck and bit system. I would love to do this myself but alas my E4 pay makes that kinda hard. Maybe down the road.
Anyway, I am talking about the eastern European & some old American helicons with 15"-18" bells. Those smaller bells - especially 'fixed' and pointed in your direction - give a dry, farty sound compared to 24"+ bell sousaphones outside. 