Sousaphone and New Orleans Brass Bands technique

andreaIT · Post by **andreaIT** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:04 pm

Hi! I'm Andrea a tuba and sousaphone player - marching band. I'm new on this forum.
During last period I starting to listen various brass band from New Orleans (TBC Brass Band, Rebirth Brass Band) by youtube and the sousaphone players often emit a sound like a bellow. I searched about this technique but I didn't find anything.
Some idea?

Thanks

UDELBR · Post by **UDELBR** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:16 pm

We used to call it "blasting".

andreaIT · Post by **andreaIT** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:37 pm

Thanks very much....Today I tried to reproduce it with my sousa but, for now, I'm not able.
Maybe is necessary a strong blow and a wide open mouth...

PS Excuse me for my English but is not my mother tongue.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 5:08 pm

One thing to remember... even though some of what you may perceive on the street as 'blasting'... most of these guys are very talented musicians. Jon Gross... who often plays with 'Rebirth' and 'Treme' is just one example of a very good musician.

andreaIT · Post by **andreaIT** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 6:01 pm

I know that playing loud while you are marching is difficult...I like this kind of music. It's funny to hear and to play.
Above all for me it's very interesting how the sousa is employed.

On this video at a time 0:40 and 2:14 one can listen what I'm speacking about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YKyxrG2QwI" target="_blank"

PS At a minute 1:05 there is a serier of it

Tim Jackson · Post by **Tim Jackson** » Sun Jun 28, 2015 10:04 pm

Ripping or blasting is easily done by using all your wind on each note! This type of sidewalk blowing looks like fun and certainly offers an element excitement. I can't imagine subjecting my lip to that level of trauma for any length of time. There could be an occasional need to straighten out a trumpet player or dragging drummer. I played plenty of street band gigs while in New Orleans. The groups I played with played tunes... the tunes you play on paying gigs$$$. Standard Dixieland tunes and traditional jazz, even some funky riffs depending on the players. Anything from Snake Rag to Sweet Georgia Brown. These were also the level of players that worked regular pay gigs and if you knew tunes, playing around Jackson Square might help you network on to paying gigs. Take a close look at the "Brass Bands" that are blowing their brains out... then dig a little deeper. Spend some time with a good tuba teacher. Study some jazz music that uses tuba! Learn some cool jazz tunes... transcribe a few trumpet/sax solos. Doing riff tunes is also part of the scene and can be great music. If you blow your brains out you'll never make it off the sidewalk. Look at some of these guys... they blew their brains out...now they are all wind, no brains.

Tim

jacobg · Post by **jacobg** » Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:34 pm

You mean like this?

https://youtu.be/8JtFjseKQOc?t=54s" target="_blank

Bob Bigalard · Post by **Bob Bigalard** » Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:49 pm

jacobg wrote:You mean like this?

https://youtu.be/8JtFjseKQOc?t=54s" target="_blank" target="_blank

+1

David Richoux · Post by **David Richoux** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:03 am

Hey, don't be so quick to be damn damming! That is a group of musicians protesting the firing of a band director (for unknown reasons) - if dozens or hundreds of musicians can gather and play with that amount of precision and energy to support their cause, more the better!

TubeNet

Sousaphone and New Orleans Brass Bands technique

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