Proper Sousaphone Position

[SousaSaver]

Hello all -

I would like your opinions on proper Sousaphone holding position, bell angle, etc.

I plan on starting a Sousaphone blog (oh boy...) and am compiling as much information as I can before I get the ball rolling.

I plan to include interviews with players and educators, product reviews, how to pick the right horn for you, history etc. Basically everything you would ever want to know if you are a Sousa nerd. So this is where I start. After I compile some data and a few contributors, then I will launch the blog and let you all know about it.

Thanks in advance !

KS

[Dan Schultz]

I suppose Bloke and the military tubists on this forum are probably the authorities.

However... I've dealt with a lot of morons in the marching band realm who despite their good intentions... do not know their butts from a hole in the ground.

A couple of years ago, I modified some sousaphones for one of those morons who thought the bell should be directly over the head of the player. A la....

[Homerun]

....what bloke said

[SousaSaver]

Maybe it is my lack of sleep, but I may be misunderstanding you Bloke.

Using the left shoulder as a fulcrum, does the body of the Sousa go parallel to the player, (like Dan's photo above) or perpendicular to the player, ala this picture of Damon Bryson a.k.a. Tuba Gooding Jr?



Sorry, I am a bit confused.

[Rick Denney]

Maybe it is my lack of sleep, but I may be misunderstanding you Bloke.

Using the left shoulder as a fulcrum, does the body of the Sousa go parallel to the player, (like Dan's photo above) or perpendicular to the player, ala this picture of Damon Bryson a.k.a. Tuba Gooding Jr?



Sorry, I am a bit confused.

Damon Bryson. Dan's picture was a joke, he was demonstrating how modern bozos want it done wrong.

For a single player who is dancing around a stage, he can hold the instrument any way he pleases, if he gets the results.

But for marching in formation, in a military style, the sideways configuration Dan pictured will result in the sousaphones invading each others' turf. Plus, the sousaphone players will be having to wear berets instead of the same hats others wear. When held properly, a sousaphone player should be able to wear a shako. In my high-school band, we wore Stetsons, and I never had the hat and the bell collide. Also, the gooseneck will have to point sharply to the player's right, with the bits turned the same direction, limiting their adjustment range and also making it easy for the gooseneck to be turned by the player's face. My sousaphone gooseneck pointed nearly right at my head, allowing the bits the full range of adjustment.

It's true, though, that bands that still use sousaphones have lost their way. The last time I saw the Aggie Band, one of the last vestiges of a military band that values crisp marching above showiness (or, it is true, music), the sousaphone players were holding their instruments sideways, with their bells bumping into their garrison caps, when in the old days they had no problem wearing a peaked service cap or even a campaign hat if they were seniors.

Rick "who never sees bells right above the heads in pictures of early bands" Denney

[imperialbari]

Yup, already pulled the circle shaped colon and some intestine from somebody.

K

[imperialbari]

Who is the player in the ad?

Klaus

[TubaRay]

Here you go!

Excellent!!!

[SousaSaver]

Here you go!

PERFECT! That answers my question. It also helps to solidify the opinion that I originally had...

[TUbajohn20J]

In my opinion, these are acceptable...set up as "front to back" positions




And this method will work pretty good if wearing a hat..

[Dan Schultz]

Us 'fat guys' need to modify things a bit to accommodate out stature. However... when I assemble a sousa... I normally align the bell perpendicular to the body wrap as a 'starting' point. You can visualize this by placing the bell so the flare is parallel to the ground and assembling the body so it vertical.

[SousaSaver]

Thanks for all the input everybody! Keep the comments coming.

[Funcoot]

What is the issue with doing that exactly? It's worked fine for us.

[Funcoot]

1/ When held in this side-to-side (rather than front-to-back) position, the sousaphone rides across the back of your neck. If it doesn't cause the person in this picture problems with their neck and spine, I promise it has caused those sorts of problems to countless others.

...This has been the source of my numerous back problems? Excuse me while I lay down, I believe I may have an aneurysm.

My back problems started when I joined band, and I know they came from playing tuba, I just couldn't figure out the factor. I just passed thought it to be the weight. I feel like a moron.

It never impeded our playing or visibility, but seriously? I am a little angry. I didn't know any better. Everyone else in the county does it and I've even seen college players doing it too. I thought it was normal.

[TUbajohn20J]

Don't feel like a moron. Yes that position is common, but wrong. Everybody in my college section holds their horn sideways like that except for me and one other person. I tried this way just for fun once, and couldn't stand it!

[TUbajohn20J]

My advice for people who use King or Jupiter sousas who hold their horns in that "side to side" position, try setting your horn up like this... with the neck and bits coming from your left, and the bell turned further to the left. Notice the amount of headroom you have compared to your forehead being right behind the bell. It might feel a bit weird at first, but it's correct, and I promise its a lot more comfortable. (this goes for any sousa but especially Kings, Jupiters, or Conns)

[SousaSaver]

Honestly, I played using both positions (that is before I knew any better...) and I find that the "proper" position we have been discussing seems to be the best.

Keep the pictures coming!

[kontrabass]

The hand on the neck is NOT unnecessary if, like me, your neck does not have a tight fit on the receiver, and will go swaying in the wind if you let it go.

[Brian C]

The hand on the neck is NOT unnecessary if, like me, your neck does not have a tight fit on the receiver, and will go swaying in the wind if you let it go.

Have you tried wrapping it a few times with tape to ensure a tighter fit in the receiver?

I've played school sousas where part of the receiver has broken off (probably due to messing with the screw). Ordinarily, teflon tape would work. I wished I'd known that in high school, when we would try to use electrical tape.

Many years ago, when I was in high school, I was taught the incorrect position. Holding the sousa left-to-right ensure that it rested on my left shoulder, actually on top of my arm. This led to stretching of the ligaments. Many years ago, I read on here of a young woman who had the same problem, except that her arm permanently fell out of joint.

[SousaSaver]

The hand on the neck is NOT unnecessary if, like me, your neck does not have a tight fit on the receiver, and will go swaying in the wind if you let it go.

Have you tried wrapping it a few times with tape to ensure a tighter fit in the receiver?

I've played school sousas where part of the receiver has broken off (probably due to messing with the screw). Ordinarily, teflon tape would work. I wished I'd known that in high school, when we would try to use electrical tape.

Many years ago, when I was in high school, I was taught the incorrect position. Holding the sousa left-to-right ensure that it rested on my left shoulder, actually on top of my arm. This led to stretching of the ligaments. Many years ago, I read on here of a young woman who had the same problem, except that her arm permanently fell out of joint.

I think I need to refine my opinion on this: If your neck doesn't fit properly, pester the person in charge to get a tech to look at it. It just occurred to me today as I was fitting a new Conn neck to an old 14K. The neck was too tight and required special items to fit it into the receiver. It was so tight that I almost got the neck stuck. I was able to gently twist it out, but I noticed lots of flex in the pipe when doing so.

So about tape. If you use tape to make your neck fit in snugly, be careful. If you are a section leader and are doing this for a Sousa player who is careless, the neck could get stuck and they could do great damage to the lead pipe, putting the horn out of commission for a while. You could have a tech look at your horn and properly fit the neck so no future damage happens.

I know that all people aren't careless, but I try to plan for the worst and hope for the best. I am of the opinion that if you are shimming something to make it work, then it doesn't really work. Tape is OK to get by, but try to have your horns properly fixed.