TubeNet

Hi,
I'm quite small (5'6", 9 stone) and I'm playing the sousaphone a lot at the moment.
I've got a shoulder pad, which helps a lot, but I still find it difficult to play long sets as my shoulder gets very tired towards the end.
Does anyone know of a way to use a belt or harness to spread the weight across more muscles?
Also, are there any suggestions of exercises I can do to build up my strength in the appropriate places?
Thanks for your help,
Tom

Tomtom wrote:Hi... Does anyone know of a way to use a belt or harness to spread the weight across more muscles?...Tom

Welcome, Tom. I haven't been here much longer than you, but I am about your size, 5'6", and about 10 stone, but age 65, but also fairly new to Sousaphone. I like to put a facecloth, a towel, between my shirt and my undershirt to spread the weight of the instrument. If you march with the Sousaphone you can teach yourself to move in a way that doesn't cause the instrument to bounce; you will have to learn to walk 'from the hips down' without much up-and-down in your gait.

There are some very experienced players here. More ideas will follow. Keep at it!

David

The older larger Conn sousaphones had a flat flange soldered to the bugle so that the weight was distributed across the shoulder instead of coming down on one point of the shoulder. Sam and Phil's Breathing Gym is now a standard for a workout to build physical endurance as well as better breath support, and is used as a physical workout by a lot of corps groups.

I think if you are clever with Velcro straps and/or camping gear nylon straps & buckles you could make some sort of belt and a hook around the bottom bow, but it might be pulling your pelvis and lower back in unpredictable ways after long use. Maybe try a modified motorcycle "Kidney Belt" or those elastic abdominal support belts that people in warehouses often use? (Not so tight as to mess with your breathing, however!)

You might first try using a regular tuba strap over your right shoulder down to the bottom bow - make some removable nylon straps with D-rings (or just buy two strap dog collars that are big enough - the fancy black leather ones with chrome spikes will do nicely ) to attach the tuba strap ends. I am not sure how much good it will do you in the long run.

the elephant wrote:I used to stand in my living room with the bell off and watch TV as a kid. I would do this for a few days prior to marching season for at least an hour.

This seals it. I thought so before but now I am certain of it.

You, sir, are a dork.

Jeff "Wondering why he chose to join this group of people" Benedict

I am short (notice I didn't say "small") and weak. When I took up the Sousaphone I weighed in at 125 pounds, 5'6". I must be unique in this group to have NEVER experienced any shoulder pain from marching a heavy Sousaphone (and I carried some VERY heavy ones in high school and college).

I strongly disagree with the comment about Wenger Sousaphone chairs - I think they are the best thing since sliced bread. I ALWAYS used one inside during high school - even (especially) the one summer I took an instrument home and practiced in the basement. My recollection is that I always STOOD for indoor practice with the Sousaphone during college. I see high school players nowadays sitting on regular chairs with a Sousaphone and it seems to encourage a very contorted posture (part of which carries over to how they play when standing). Whenever I tried to convince my kids' high school band director to get the chairs, I mentioned that we used to leave all the Sousaphones on the chairs, ready to play - and the BDs always recoiled in horror at what damages and other insults were likely to occur if they tried that in *their* band room. I guess some might blame that on "society's failures" - I think it says more about the BD than the kids. On the other hand, we used the Sousaphones 12 months out of the year - we didn't own any of those fancy "TUBA" thingies.

I also never used a pad, either at the shoulder or at the bottom of the loop. In my opinion, they just add weight, and don't really cushion anything - but again, note that I've never had any shoulder pain.

Now, BACK pain....nothing while actively carrying Sousaphones, but I have recurring lower back problems that *might* be related - but I don't think so...there's ample evidence of other causes for that pain.

Funny thing is I agree with a lot of the comments! A proper chair or rack is good when you can use it, and they are sometimes next to useless, exercise and conditioning might be good, padding may or may not help, a lighter horn is easier to carry, and you will probably mess up you shoulder and back after many years of playing.
This picture is an example of someone who was very small, usually a bit frail, drank and smoked and ate lots of good food, never exercised and played and marched with one of the biggest Sousaphones I have ever seen. http://www.ltwcmb.com/pix/dutch-67/rehearsal-67.jpg for another picture.
He eventually switched over to banjo as he got into his 60's, but he could still play and sing (and cook) and have a good time... until a broken sidewalk in New Orleans fractured his hip. ( I have this horn now, BTW. It is not in quite as good shape as in the picture.)

Your shoulder will get hurt. I've been playing sousa for a while...it's jsut something you get used to. I actually just got done with a basketball tournament (we got screwed out of the championship), and had the horn on my shoulder for 4 games over 3 days. With a ton of violent movements, and towards the end of the games, jumping up and down a lot with the horn on. My shoulder doesn't even hurt at this point...my right shoulder has a small knot, but that's probably more because of how I had to sleep in the bus. If you are consistant, and don't use a pad, you will get used to it in no time.

The metal "cushion" Conn put on its better sousaphones is a good thing. Something soft might cushion a little against impact between a couple hard surfaces, but it's not much use against a soft surface like your shoulder. That hard, relatively flat brass distributes the weight, and that helps a lot.

Tired shoulder, back and other body parts can of course be overcome with physical conditioning - unless they can't. If you injure your back trying to do something that someone else could do, you'll pay for it all your life.

I played a King sousa for a couple of years, all metal horn.
I had a cushion made by somebody that makes body protection for dog-training (leg and arm-protection)
That cushion fitted around the 'shoulder-bow' of the king with velcro.
That is pretty strong strong material and cushions really well. They have it in the colour you like.
Check it out.


Wim

My cushion of choice is copper pipe insulation. Is is very squishy and provides a flatter surface to sit on your shoulder. I actually prefer this to special-made sousaphone cushions. Endurance is also important, and as others have already noted, standing around at home wearing your souzy while watching TV or whatever is great for this.

Having marched in high school with a sousaphone, college with a right shoulder convertible and drum corps with a left shoulder contra, I'm along the lines of building up the muscle and embracing the pain until it goes away.

I had the "shoulder buldge" for my first year marching in high school. I also had it when I started drum corps. Both times, yes, it did hurt but eventually, it went away. The only time I had some sort of "padding" was in drum corps, when we had these pads made for us by the sewing crew but those where to protect the horn, not us (going all day with no shirt can get a lot of sweat on the horn...).

Again, embrace the pain. You love the pain, the pain will love you! Besides, it's not like those things are THAT heavy!

face it, it ain't gonna happen with a metal souzie.

I played a sousaphone all through school until my last semester of high school. We used Wenger/Conn/King chairs in the band room, without fail. When marching, I always had to hold the instrument up with my left hand, grabbing the circular bow just in front of my left shoulder. I have never been able to rest a sousaphone on my shoulder without stabbing pain, no matter how long I endured it. I stocked groceries during those years--it wasn't because I didn't have any shoulder muscles.

I find my current 14K more comfortable than my recollection of the plastic King that I played in school. Maybe I'm just tougher. Naw.

Rick "thinking some people have favorable shoulder shapes and others don't" Denney