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I've been asked to play on a Circus wagon for the annual Great Circus Parade in Wisconsin this summer and was wondering if anyone has done this and what your advice would be.

I'm not fond of heights and am a little concerned about playing on a 12 foot tall circus wagon pulled by 12 draft horses. Would a Sousaphone be better than a tuba?

Any helpful tip is appreciated.

if you don't have to move around up there I'd suggest you wear a sousaphone and strap yourself to the nearest pole.

Jonathan Cruz
BBb bass
Brass Band of Central Florida

A helicon really works best for this kind of thing. An upright tuba transmits all the bumps and jolts directly to your face, and a sousaphone catches too much wind. There is a reason why helicons were used a lot in mounted cavalry bands.
Hang on and have fun!

sousa definately sounds like the right idea. haha. what would make it really cool though is if you could come up with a pad to go on your shoulder with some springs inside, that way the sousa wouldn't bounce as much. the strapping yourself to a pole method sounded pretty good to!! good luck!

First let me express my jealousy - you are so lucky!!! In terms of sheer fun, that sounds like the greatest gig ever. As far as your instrument goes, definitely sousaphone. It was designed for being outdoors in parade situations and will project better than an upright tuba. Also, remember that this is supposed to be a circus band - the visual effect and comic nature of sousaphones plays right into the circus vein.

tofu wrote:I've been asked to play on a Circus wagon for the annual Great Circus Parade in Wisconsin this summer and was wondering if anyone has done this and what your advice would be.

Any helpful tip is appreciated.

Perhaps a Sousaphone, a seatbelt, some Graval, and extra dental insurance would be the way to go.

Best of luck. (Anything for a chance to play, huh?)


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