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I'm starting to play the sousaphone in a marching band and noticed how bad my shoulder hurts after an 8+ hr practice which I get minimal breaks. I was wondering If i could make some sort of device to spread the weight over my shoulder (I dont mind the weight, its the tuba pressing directly on 1 spot on my shoulder that makes it hurt) I have plenty of materials at my disposal including:
Epoxy/resin
Various types of foam
toolbox liner
plaster
3/32" in polypropylene sheets
fiberglass sheets? (I'm not sure If I have any, but I'm sure my father has some)
Various tools including: Drill, planer, miter and jigsaw, staple gun, air compressor, oven to heat plastics, etc.
Thats all I can think of for now, but Ill update this as I find more useful materials


Thanks!

You won't be able to use some fancy-shmancy pad in a performance. What I did? I just wore it. Never took it off during band. You'll build up a resistance. By the time school came around, it felt like nothing.

I just fold up a towel. Cheap, easy to acquire, and it also comes in handy when you need a towel. In a tasteful black.
If the band director objects to the appearance (that's never been an issue for me) I suppose you could get a towel in an approved color, or put it under your uniform.

DHMTuba wrote:I just fold up a towel. Cheap, easy to acquire, and it also comes in handy when you need a towel. In a tasteful black.
If the band director objects to the appearance (that's never been an issue for me) I suppose you could get a towel in an approved color, or put it under your uniform.

That's what I did.

I think your idea about what you need might be better than the advice you're getting so far, so ... go ahead and see what you can do, and let us know how it works out. There has been some more ingenious work reported here - I'm too lazy to search it out for you, but can suggest for tubenet search, use Google or something with the search term site:chisham.com.

The more high quality sousaphones historically have had more or less what you're talking about, built in - a brass shoulder rest plate that distributes the weight. The edges are rolled up a little.

Admittedly I used a dish towel the first week of my first year. It did the trick. But I recommend using it only toward the end of practices so that you can get your skin/muscles/connective tissues/soul used to the horn. And you will get used to it.

Also, get ready for the "tuba zits" to appear on top of your left shoulder. Our sousa section theorized they are from the crushing of the skin pores. (Or from being a greasy teenager.) A badge of honor if you ask me!

Anyway, yes it hurts like heck, but you'll get used to it! Don't use the towel all the time!

I hope you're high stepping. Too many bands seem to forget how to pick their feet up these days.

I agree with Joe, no pad is necessary. Position the horn so that it rests over muscle and you will be ok, just give it some time. I marched in the Michigan Band when I was 39, remember my shoulder getting sore, yet it was fine after a week or two.

Adam

I, too, agree with Bloke. It is important to position the sousaphone properly. Allowing a few days to adapt is also important. It's just not that bad.

Hire a stand-in.

Hire a stand-in

In all seriousness, im planning on making the pad sometime around next week, so i'll keep you guys posted

lost wrote:In my day, we walked 10 miles to band camp in 4 feet of snow with a jumbo sousaphone on our shoulders...and we didn't complain. We liked it.

Didn't you mean to add the "uphill" part also! I actually did carry my tuba to and from school a distance of about 1.5 miles, but no hills!