Sousaphones and Height

Hank74 · Post by **Hank74** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:37 pm

In making this post, I was curious as to whether tall people would be more likely to play souasphones in college and other marching bands. That's because I would see this during parades. This includes myself performing in a FD band over the summer on a fiberglass sousa. I'm 6' 4" myself.

If anyone wishes to chime in, feel free to do so and if you don't mind, could you please provide your height? It's something which I've observed.

Bandmaster · Post by **Bandmaster** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:54 pm

I think playing tuba/sousaphone is more of a personality thing than it is a height thing. I marched sousaphone in hundreds of parades when I was younger and I am 6'6", but in college my section leader for several years was 5'5", so go figure? I know very few tuba players taller than I am.

I go watch several band reviews every year here in SoCal, and the tallest kids I have seen march in a parade bands tend to be trombone players. Once in a while I will see a tall trumpet player.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:33 pm

When I started marching with a souzy as a freshman in high school, I believe I was 5'6" or 7" and grew to 5'9" by senior year. We had (then) old 1st generation King fiberglass souzys that doubled indoors for concert season until as a senior the school had the budget to purchase King tubas for concert band.

I played trumpet pretty well, and knew I'd be in first section concert band eventually as my ability improved with my seniority. But the appeal of carrying this huge white megalith that EVERYBODY would see ME playing on the field was too much for the ego: I HAD to do it.

The look on my poor mother's face when I first brought it home was priceless, but she warmed up to it, especially after the first home game, and, yes, indeed, she really could see me out on the field!

fpoon · Post by **fpoon** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:06 am

Amen to Bandmaster.

It's all about personality.

I know at my college, we've had people who are like 6'6 and then a fellow senior of mine is about the smallest lady I've ever met. She's MAYBE 5'1. I'm about 5'9 myself.

timayer · Post by **timayer** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:03 am

First time I marched was in 6th grade. I was about 4'11'' and had to march with a sousa (that's what I get for playing tuba in concert band I guess). It was a very difficult process if there was any sort of wind, and I couldn't stop very well, so I kept running into the flute player in front of me.

Steve Marcus · Post by **Steve Marcus** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:52 am

This is, admittedly, an unfair question with an unfounded assumption for an answer, but...

Which sousaphone player on this line would you guess is the most enthusiastic, energetic, dedicated player? (If you answer one of the sax players, you should take a TubeNet vacation.)

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/semarcus1/p ... 147827/285

Steve "who, at 5'3", is hired to march with a sousaphone for miles in several parades on each July 4 (and actually enjoys it) by a conductor who would never permit a fibreglass (or as he calls it, cardboard) horn" Marcus

P.S. I'm not so sure I would "enjoy" it so much if I had to do it every day as WoodSheddin does...

KevinMadden · Post by **KevinMadden** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:17 pm

I have seen only one occasion where a tuuba player was not allowed to play tuba because they were too short.

In 2006 at Spartans we had a 16 year old girl of about 5' 4" or a bit shorter audition for our contra line (which plays 5/4 G Kanstul Grande Basses) It wouldn't have been a problem except we like the bells level across the line, and the rest of the line stood between 5'10" (me) and 6'5"

KevinMadden · Post by **KevinMadden** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:00 pm

the elephant wrote:
KevinMadden wrote:I have seen only one occasion where a tuuba player was not allowed to play tuba because they were too short.

In 2006 at Spartans we had a 16 year old girl of about 5' 4" or a bit shorter audition for our contra line (which plays 5/4 G Kanstul Grande Basses) It wouldn't have been a problem except we like the bells level across the line, and the rest of the line stood between 5'10" (me) and 6'5"
You needed to cut out Mr. Stretch. There is less of a difference between you and the girl than you and the tall guy! (You are one inch closer to her in height.)

tit wasn't just three of us, there weer four other guys in the line of height 6' 6'1" 6'4" 6'3"
I was the shortest player... it felt weird