Volume

[Roel]

What can I do to get more volume on my sousaphone. I just want to be able to play louder, or with mmore projection when playing in a loud band.

At first I'd think about etudes or technique studies?

My mouthpiece is a Marcinkiewicz Tommy Johnson N4, it might be too big/deep?

I should mention I'm a trumpet player

Thank you!

[Roel]

Thanks!
My sousa is a King, built in the 70's.
Any thoughts about the mouthpiece?

[rudysan]

The Marcinkiewicz N4 is more on the shallow side. But the 33,66mm inside rim diameter seems very wide, especially if you are a trumpet player. Try something with a narrower inside rim diameter. If you want to stay with the same type of cup, a Miraphone C-4 (TU-23) might be good.

[eupher61]

http://www.math.com/tables/geometry/volumes.htm

[swillafew]

I heard a story years ago about a teacher who made whole ranks of saxophones march uphill playing whole note scales. The way the story went, they got pretty loud after a fashion. You could adapt the idea I'm sure.

[happyroman]

Well, as a trumpet player, what you need to realize is that the tuba/sousaphone requires a large volume of air which is blown out at very low pressure. The trumpet is the opposite, low air flow rates under higher pressure.

From a technical standpoint, you want to blow the air fast, but hard. In other words, you do not want the lips to resist the blowing, which will result in increased pressure, strain, and a strident sound. I suspect that, as a trumpet player, you are using the same playing approach on your sousaphone as you do with the trumpet.

I would suggest doing long tones, such as Arban, Page 1, No.1 with varying dynamics (cresendo and decresendo) on each note. Hold the notes for eight beats, going from soft to loud followed by loud to soft, focusing on as little air pressure as possible and maintaining your finest quality of tone. Start with very fiull lungs and use lots of air, breathing as often as necessary, probably one breath per note.

Finally, the most important thing will be to develop a concept of what a loud sousaphone should sound like. Always work from the standpoint of being as musical as possible.

Here is what Arnold Jacobs had to say about loud playing.

It’s the same concept of the ball riding on top of a water fountain. When playing loud, you simply use a bigger fountain. In fact, when I get very loud I don’t get very physical, but I get very musical. If you get physical without getting musical, you might push against resistance. As a result, you increase the resistance and then you have to increase the push and pretty soon, they’ll cancel each other out.

There are players who have a horrible sound by the time they reach 108 dB. They have a very small embouchure—like a small reed—and when trying to play loud, they force it. They show signs of physical stress, but on the decibel meter they are not getting any louder. There is just more resistance and more push, but not more sound.

By playing musically, your embouchure is learning to cooperate. In other words, the big increase in effort is for a big sound. Some players simply blow as a big physical effort, but they don’t get the big sound. Instead, they get big resistance and airy tones. They play with a great deal of physical efforts and their tones get rough and hard. That’s not right.

---Arnold Jacobs

[Donn]

The perceived presence of the tuba in the mix is very largely about attack. The rest of the note has to be there (maybe), but it isn't so good for the music if it's loud, that just adds to the noise the trombones etc. have to cut through. (Of course I'm not talking about a brass quintet here, or anything of that nature.) Sousaphone players who play too loud overall, either because they can't hear themselves or because they're confused about what's musically useful, are kind of a stereotype. Don't add to it.

[Roel]

Thanks, everybody!

Somehow I got it! After trying for a week to find balance in my playing, and focussing on the sound and music, it worked! Everybody was stunned about the difference in energy but also in time, phrasing and sound I got in only one week. Too bad my next sousaphone gig is in a few month, I'll have to focus on my trumpet playing for a while now.

Many thanks for the great advice. Special thanks for the Jacobs-quote!

I stayed with my mouthpiece/instrument configuration, I think the N4 is shallow enough to get a focussed sound and clear attacks.