Contra line vs sousaphone line

[brassbow]

Just thought this would be an interesting discussion. A dci Contra line versus a college sousy line.
Tone, Contra
rhythm sousa
power hmmmmmm

[VinnyFromBrooklyn]

i have marched both contra and sousaphone and personally i like contras because the tone is great on them and you can get a descent amount of power out of them but you can not dance/jump around with them like you can with a sousaphone sousaphone i believe has more power as long as you have the lungs for it

[Bandmaster]

I have NEVER heard a contra line that can out blow the a really good sousaphone section. Now the contra's will have a "prettier" and more centered tone quality to be sure, but NOT better sound projection. I have sat in the stands and listened to "thousands" of competitive shows over the years, even judging a few along the way, and can say without a doubt that sousaphones project sound off the field MUCH better! Because of the larger diameter of their bells, sousaphone "radiate" sound more efficiently, even when facing away from the audience. Turn a contra section around to back field and see what happens to their sound projection?

That being said, I do like contras and they have their proper place to be used in marching. I marched with one, a GG Kanstul, while I was doing senior corps 10 years ago. I found that contras are just as easy (or hard) to march with as a sousaphone. They do make for a cleaner and more unified look for the horn line while designing and performing marching drill. In drum corps I would NEVER use a sousaphone, it just wouldn't be right! But as a former band director, I will take the sound of a good sousaphone section any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[Jess Haney]

Although the previouse commenters can attest to sousies I prefer the contra. Contras can add uniformity and articulation clarity. Sousaphones can project better, which allocates them better for smaller marching bands but it you have the numbers contras can put up a pretty good wall of sound. The focus and core sound of a contra is just more to my liking. Also there are a wide range of visual accents you can do with a contra including jumping. And the horn up/down snaps with the rest of the horn line just look cleaner.

[Tuboss2]

Power, sousaphone all day. It's easier to blast out stuff(don't worry guys I know...blast and sound good!). But sousa's have Bigger bells then contras. And as previously said by vinnyfrombrooklyn, as long as you got your self a hell of a air supply and tip top in shape lungs, you'll out muscle a good contra player ever single day. Espically outside.

[tuba114]

I marched contra for a few years in DCI and sousaphone in HS & College. Having played both, I'd pick the sousaphone every time. From my experience the contras are just not as good as a Conn or King Sousa. Contras have no horsepower in the low register at all, they have a small range in which the instrument sounds decent (Bb2-F3), pitch is awful, and the sound is just too weak for my taste. Also, I think it may be unfair to compare DCI contra lines to sousaphone lines. In DCI they play the same music for months and the tuba parts are often not that difficult. If any section worked on the same 10-12min of music everyday for months, It'd probably be just as clean as the top 12 corps on finals night. Plus, marching contra is like trying to manhandle a cow up a back staircase.