Sousaphones vs. Marching "Contra" Tubas

[Three Valves]

OK, ok.

Even when the sound is decent, I can't get over the whole Corp Style vibe...

Show-Style, Baby!!

[tbn.al]

Check out definition number 22 on page 2.

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[Mark]

Probably too many people had gotten conked by a helicon bell by then, is why they were starting to be looked on with disfavor.

Actually, it was because it was too directional. See the threads on Sousa having J. W. Pepper make the first souzy as a raincatcher, like an upright tuba bell, to "disperse" the tone "over" the band.

If we are talking about marching outside, an upward facing bell will not disperse the tone over the band. It will disperse the tone into the heavens, never to be heard again.

[iiipopes]

You are all missing the point of the raincatcher thing: it was never meant for marching. It was for Sousa's concert band. Everybody is looking at it from this side of things backward instead of from the previous state of the art looking forward. Sousa wanted a helicon-style low brass instrument with better dispersion over the top of the concert band. The transcriptions of his actual words in interviews setting forth this purpose are scattered about the www; it should be easy to Google. It was after marching with it that it was observed the sound was not good for marching, so Conn made the bell forward version.

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