Practicing on a sousaphone

[passion4tuba]

now that marching season is comming up , i wanna make sure i focus on practicing on my souzy, what key changes should i make note of when playing on a sousaphone, compared to a concert tuba.

[ThomasP]

You'll make your money on the Concert Tuba. I know Sean makes money playing sousa, but he, and others he plays with, won the job on a "concert Tuba"

[Art Hovey]

You just have to get used to carrying the weight on your shoulder instead of your lap, and remaining upright in gusts of wind. The rest is all the same.

[a2ba4u]

I have a feeling that I will regret responding to this post but....

I respectfully disagree with Art when I say that it is NOT all the same. Sousa and concert are different horns and much different styles of music. The key points that I would submit when practicing the sousa are:

1. Work to play loud THE RIGHT WAY. The high decibel level is much different from the concert style and is executed inappropriately 99.9% of the time. When playing loud for sustained periods of time, you should not feel pain in your face or tingling in your extremities. You should feel like you are using YOUR WHOLE BODY to produce the sound. The tone quality that you're looking for is "edgy" but not "sizzly" or "blatty" (note my intelligent use of technical language).

2. Practice LISTENING HARDER than when you are in concert band. Listening for intonation in concert band is cake compared with listening on a marching field. The weather, the larger distances, and the generally lower quality of marching instruments are all factors that you aren't dealing with in concert settings and that make it that much harder to play in tune.

3. Get your entire section to work on points 1 and 2 individually and as a group.


Kyle

[pulseczar]

You should make sure that the sousaphone's gooseneck will tighten enough that you do not have to hold the neck in order to play the instrument. 99% of all sousaphone players (at least in pictures) seem to hold on to the gooseneck when they play and (in my view) this is 99% unnecessary (and kinda looks dumb).

I'd disagree. In marching band the sousaphone's flying around left and right, back and forth at considerable speeds and it really helps to keep the hands on the mouthpiece to help center the lips onto the mouthpiece.

[iiipopes]

Having had (mumble) years of experience marching with souzys, both street and field, here's my take FWIW:
1) Physically you have to be in good shape to carry the weight, not only the shoulder, but your legs and stomach muscles as well. At my peak, I could leg press more than the football players.
2) Air, Air, Air, and more Air, all the way to the bottom of the soles of your feet, so to speak. And not just all at once, but controlled.
3) Balance. If you do any show stuff, I'm serious, so you have less risk of falling flat on your face, or worse. Put a long 2X4 or two on the ground in your back yard and practice walking on it, not only to get used to marching straight lines without help, but balance, as with a souzy you become like balancing a pencil in your hand with a shot glass perched atop it. Full is optional.
4) Listening AND Watching. If your band is big enough, there will be lag between you and the drummers and the rest of the band, because the souzys are usually on the far side. Not only do you have to listen for pitch, intonation and blend, but you have to watch your director or drum major to learn to anticipate so that at the down beat you are actually heard, and therefore providing the appropriate foundation for the band, instead of just beginning your intonation. Otherwise, being on the far side, you WILL sound late.
5) I prefer a Bach 18 style mpc instead of a Helleberg style mpc in order to get the added overtones for good edge and projection. I absolutely recommend a Kelly 18 IMHO the best tuba/souzy outdoor mouthpiece made. Besides, it comes in school colors!
6) It's not just that the gooseneck needs to tighten appropriately. Since a souzy does not have a leadpipe as such, the mpc, bits and gooseneck all have to fit properly together to make up for it. Half or more tone is lost through badly fitting or maladjusted bits and goosenecks. Some Kings have a different sized bit for the mouthpiece end and gooseneck end. Make sure they are in the right order.
7) Dirt, Dirt, and more Dirt: a souzy will take more, sometimes much more cleaning and maintenance than a concert tuba. Make sure everything works, and you have lots of extra valve oil and slide grease, and dump slides early and often, especially in cold weather, so nothing freezes or seizes up.
8 ) Memorize your music. It may not be required, but you'll be on top of the heap if you do. This may also include memorizing your marching cues, but nobody said this was a "cake walk!"
9) Comfortable shoes, pre-broken in. With almost everybody going to vinyl cor-fams, they WILL cause blisters if you don't get them right to start with, including wearing two pairs of socks so one can breathe and wick away moisture and the other can take the rubbing. If possible, use soccer cleats for field marching, even if you have to dye the stripes black, or whatever your color is. The first time the guy next to you falls flat on his butt and you don't in the same slippery spot, you will know why you have the cleats, especially on cold Friday nights when the dew or frost settles in just as you are about to start the show.
10) In addition to the intonation quirks mentioned above, a King, with its smaller bore, may project better, but will need help getting the bigger sound. A Conn, with the larger bore, is big, but definitely needs the Bach 18 and good support for projection.
11) As far as brand of souzy, there are only two real souzys in common use: Pre-UMI Kings and Pre-Cyborg Conns. Martins are good, but too rare, Olds/Reynolds are just not that plentiful, and usually beat to death after all this time. Nothing else has the cohounas to stand the test of time. NOTHING. I play a @70 year old Conn/Cavalier. I challenge anybody to say in the future they are playing a 70 year old anything else.
12) If you are lucky enough to play a Conn, see if you can have the upper loop of the 1st valve slide converted into a usable slide. Since your left hand naturally sits there, you can then pull for the usual culprits and really help the band fill the field by being better in tune.
13) Have fun, knowing that YOU are the ones that will be seen and talked about, for better or worse. Take pride and polish your bell up carefully, but good enough to use it for a mirror. Make sure you have good suspenders for your uniform pants. Do I really need to say why? I've seen it happen. To girls. And we still had to play.
14) A great marching band has mystique, tradition, pride and reputation. All earned. Do what you can do to perpetuate it, because with all sorts of multimedia now available, you are only one game away from the school/university deciding they don't need it, but need new sports uniforms instead of marching uniforms.
Well, so much for my 2 cent's worth.

[greatk82]

As a young person that has spent alot of time on a parade field, I would recomend a back brace of some sort. I haven't always wore one, but after a back injury, I realize how important it is. They aren't that much money, and help stablize your lower back.

[Rick Denney]

As a young person that has spent alot of time on a parade field, I would recomend a back brace of some sort. I haven't always wore one, but after a back injury, I realize how important it is. They aren't that much money, and help stablize your lower back.

Have you ever worn one while playing? I figure you have, but I'm wondering how you were able to breathe. I have tried one while standing with a tuba for the ten seconds that it took to realize that I could not take in even a half breath while wearing that thing.

It's much better (for those who have not had back injuries) to build your core strength, and that means not skimping on the abs at the gym.

Rick "who has recovered from serious back problems" Denney

[greatk82]

Rick,
I have worn one many times while playing both sousaphone and concert horns. The mild hindrance to my breathing is justified by the easing of the excruciating pain. It doesn't totally eradicate the pain, but at least I can get through a ceremony. Furthermore, I would rather play in a back brace than in a flack vest, with SAPI plates, 210 rounds, canteens and a ballistic helmet.

[Rick Denney]

Furthermore, I would rather play in a back brace than in a flack vest, with SAPI plates, 210 rounds, canteens and a ballistic helmet.

Amen!

And your back brace probably doesn't push what's on the front side up into your lungs like it does with me.

Rick "offering no argument" Denney

[AndyL]

I challenge anybody to say in the future they are playing a 70 year old anything else.

Your sousa is a "spring chicken" compared to the 81-year-old Conn I still play frequently in community bands (and occasionally march with).

Eh? You say your Conn is _only_ 70-years-old?

[Lew]

I challenge anybody to say in the future they are playing a 70 year old anything else.

Your sousa is a "spring chicken" compared to the 81-year-old Conn I still play frequently in community bands (and occasionally march with).

Eh? You say your Conn is _only_ 70-years-old?

Yea, I've been playing an 80+ year old Conn 28K and a 100+ year old Distin BBb tuba, although I have to admit that my main horns are newer ones and my favorite sousaphone is a Reynolds Eb from the 1950s.

[iiipopes]

Guys, my point exactly. Thanks. BTW, sorry I forgot to mention York!