sousaphone

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Søren
pro musician
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Re: sousaphone

Post by Søren »

now,somebody teach me to play new Orleans style jazz/funk ;-) thanks to all ...
Start to play Traditional jazz a little. That will give you a good idea of many of the standard chord progressions. You will then need to team up with a good drummer (like other music coming from New Orleans, the key is in the rhythm).

Then buy some CD's of some of the New Orleans bands.
Listen to (in no particular order):
Dirty Dozen BB
Rebirth BB
New Birth BB
Soul Rebels BB
Young Blood BB (old stuff with Nat on sousaphone)
Dr John
The Meters
Bonerama
New Orleans Nightcrawlers
ect.

Then you are all set to "Funk it up"

I went to New Orleans and listened to everything I could, and then went to Louisiana Music Factory (http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com) and bought 50 cds. That was 10 years and countless gigs ago, and I can still learn from those cds.
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Dan Schultz
TubaTinker
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Re: sousaphone

Post by Dan Schultz »

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BTW... if you are looking for a size comparison... the GIRTH of the body just above the bell collar is about 29 5/8".
Dan Schultz
"The Village Tinker"
http://www.thevillagetinker.com" target="_blank
Current 'stable'... Rudolf Meinl 5/4, Marzan (by Willson) euph, King 2341, Alphorn, and other strange stuff.
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TUbajohn20J
4 valves
4 valves
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Location: Sugar Land, Texas

Re: sousaphone

Post by TUbajohn20J »

bigbob wrote:Does anyone have any comparison pictures of all these big sousaphones?? Thanks..BB
Conn sousas

Conn 14 K 4/4 size ------ Conn 38K 6/4 size
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Conn 40K 6/4 size ------ Conn 20K 6/4 size
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Conn 32K 4/4 size ---- Conn 22K 6/4 size (fiberglass equivelant of the 20K)
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Conn 46K "Jumbo"
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All of the sousaphones listed above (except for the Jumbo) have a .734 bore, and either short action pistons or long action. Some with 24" and 26" bells. The 4/4 horns just have smaller branches/ bell throats than the much larger 6/4 horns.
Conn 26J/27J
Conn 22K Hybrid
Lee Stofer
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Re: sousaphone

Post by Lee Stofer »

In the "Jumbo Summit" photo above of three players with Conn Jumbo BBb sousaphones, I have worked on the one to the left, owned by Any Loree (in the blue shirt). I measured the valve bore as .770", with it actually exiting 3rd valve at closer to .780". The instrument needs a strong, athletic owner to carry it, but it is not hard to play at all.

Proportions, and condition of the instrument are both critically important. I normally play at least one gig on every instrument that I offer for sale, partly so that I can intelligently tell a prospective buyer about it. So, I've had the opportunity to play a lot of sousaphones. Some of my favorites over the years have been;

- an old Olds fiberglass, where I replaced the original valveset-to-body bracing system with the Allied band bracing system. which makes it sturdy and secure. And, with only simple hand tools, one can remove the valveset in less than 5 minutes. That horn, after being repaired and detailed-out, was an amazing player. It would really project well, and sounded better than one might imagine.

- a 1930's King metal sousaphone, wrapped more like an Elkhart Conn 14K than the most popular King sousaphones. It pretty-much sounded like a King 2341 concert horn, and was more roomy and comfortable for a larger player.

- a 1946 Conn 20K, rescued off of the wall of an establishment in Norfolk, Virginia. The brass had turned dark, and the remaining lacquer had turned blue-green, but with some TLC, it soon became my mainstay dixieland horn.

- a 1929 Conn 46K, now owned by Andy Loree. The sousa in the "Jumbo Summit" photo above is satin-silver, with a bright-gold-plated bell, inside-and-out, and is a marvelous player. I used that instrument for several jobs in Atlanta before Andy bought it, and aside from shoulder pain, it was pure joy. At one gig, the announcer introduced me as, "The guy playing the world's largest tuba", which was not accurate, but funny.

I have briefly owned and played more, but the bottom line is that any of them can be a great player. I now have finished the 1924 Buescher sousa, which is wrapped more compactly than a 20K but is approximately the same bore dimensions throughout. I have only gotten to take it out once, but it is a pretty intense-sounding instrument
Lee A. Stofer, Jr.
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iiipopes
Utility Infielder
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Re: sousaphone

Post by iiipopes »

bloke wrote:"...So sayeth the" bloke
Here endeth the lesson.
OK, I confess: the 1662 BCP in me is coming out....
Jupiter JTU1110, RT-82.
"Real" Conn 36K.
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