View source for Tuba

{{Short description|Brass instrument}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name           = Tuba
| image          = Yamaha Bass tuba YFB-822.tif
| caption        = A bass tuba in F with front-action piston valves
| background     = brass
| classification = {{hlist
  | [[Aerophone]]
  | [[Brass instrument|Labrosone]]
}}
| hornbostel_sachs = 423.232
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = [[brass instrument valves|Valved]] [[brass instrument|lip-reed]] [[aerophone]] with wide [[conical bore]]
| inventors      = [[Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht]] and [[Johann Gottfried Moritz]]
| developed      = 1835 in [[Prussia]]
| range          = [[File:Tuba range.svg|220px|center]]
| related        = {{hlist
  | [[Euphonium]]
  | [[Sousaphone]]
  | [[Helicon (musical instrument)|Helicon]]
  | [[Contrabass bugle]]
  | [[Subcontrabass tuba]]
  | [[Wagner tuba]]
  | [[Baritone horn|Baritone]]
  | [[Saxhorn]]
  | [[Ophicleide]]
  | [[Serpent (musical instrument)|Serpent]]
  | [[Cimbasso]]
}}
| articles       = 
| musicians = [[List of tubists]]
| sound sample = 
  {{listen|filename=Tuba-range-C-low.ogg |title=low register |embed=yes}}
  {{listen|filename=Tuba-range-C-high.ogg |title=high register |embed=yes}}
}}

The '''tuba''' ([[Latin]], "trumpet";<ref>{{cite web |title=tuba definition |work=Latin Dictionary |url= http://www.latin-dictionary.org/tuba |access-date=4 February 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150622120737/http://www.latin-dictionary.org/tuba |archive-date=22 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|tj|uː|b|ə}};<ref>{{Cite web |title=tuba (noun): Pronunciation |work=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary |publisher=Oxford Learner's Dictionaries |url= https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/pronunciation/english/tuba|access-date=18 April 2021}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|t|uː|b|ə}}) is a large [[brass instrument]] in the [[bass (sound)|bass]]-to-[[contrabass]] range with a wide, [[bugle]]-like [[conical bore]] and between three and six (usually four or five) [[brass instrument valve|valves]]. It first appeared in 1835 in [[Prussia]] as the {{lang|de|Baß-Tuba}}, an application of five valves to a bugle scaled up to [[Eight-foot pitch|12-foot ({{prime|12}})]] F, providing a fully [[Chromatic scale|chromatic]] contrabass range with a deep, full ''[[timbre]]''.{{sfn|O'Connor|2007|p=1–3}}{{sfn|Forsyth|1914|p=530}} Subsequently, the Paris maker [[Adolphe Sax]] developed the E♭ and B♭ band tubas with piston valves as members of his saxhorn family by the 1850s, and [[Václav František Červený]] in [[Austria-Hungary]] developed contrabass tubas in {{prime|16}} C and {{prime|18}} B♭ with rotary valves in the 1870s.

As with any brass instrument, sound is produced with a lip vibration or "buzz" in the [[mouthpiece (brass)|mouthpiece]]. A person who plays the tuba is called a ''tubaist'' or ''tubist'',<ref>{{cite dictionary| url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuba?show=0&t=1338078328|title=Tuba|dictionary=Merriam-Webster|access-date=2012-05-26}}</ref> or simply a ''tuba player''. In [[British brass band]]s and [[military band]]s, they are known as a ''bass player''.

==History==
<!-- TODO: Červený, rotary valves, ''Kaiser'' contrabass in B♭; tuba-making in Germany; bombardons, generale pellitone, valved ophicleides, etc.; In America: Sousa, William Bell; York company, rotary vs. front-action pistons; Arnold Jacobs and the CSO Yorks; Britain: band E♭ and B♭ basses, Boosey & Hawkes (from Distin & Co.) and Besson, Blaikley compensating valves -->

The early history of the tuba was the search for a practical valved brass instrument with a bass and contrabass voice, suitable for use in bands and the orchestra [[brass section]].{{sfn|O'Connor|2007|p=1}} Before the emergence of the first [[brass instrument valve|valves]] in the 1820s, brass instruments were either restricted to a single [[harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]] like the [[natural trumpet]] or [[bugle]], or used a [[slide (wind instrument)|slide]] like the [[trombone]], or used keys and [[tone hole]]s like the [[keyed bugle]] or [[serpent (instrument)|serpent]].

=== Origins ===

{{see also|Serpent (instrument)|Ophicleide}}
{{Multiple image
  | total_width = 260px | align = right
  | image1 = Manifattura italiana, Serpentone, fine sec. XVIII. Museo Civico di Modena, foto P. Terzi.jpg
  | image2 = MIMEd 4287. Gautrot Ophicleide in C.png
  | alt1 = Photograph of a serpent
  | alt2 = Photograph of an ophicleide
  | footer = Euphonium ancestors: [[serpent (instrument)|serpent]], late 18th century, ''left''; [[ophicleide]] by [[Pierre-Louis Gautrot|Gautrot]], mid-19th century, ''right''. Museo Civico di Modena; [[University of Edinburgh]] | footer_align = left
}}
For the earliest low-pitched brass instruments, none of these solutions were ideal. Natural instruments can only approach [[Diatonic scale|diatonic]] or [[Chromatic scale|chromatic]] scales in their high register, [[bass trombone]]s had long slides with handles which were unwieldy for rapid passages, and the ''[[timbre]]'' of the serpent was often criticized.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|pp=128-31|loc="serpent"}}

To replace the serpent and its various [[upright serpent|upright derivatives]], the Paris-based maker [[Jean Hilaire Asté]] invented the [[ophicleide]] in 1817, extending the [[keyed bugle]] into the bass register with a folded, [[bassoon]]-like form.{{sfn|Herbert|Myers|Wallace|2019|page=303|loc="Ophicleide"}} It was a sufficient improvement, in both intonation and ''timbre'', that it was widely adopted in brass and military bands. It was also used in the orchestra particularly by French composers, most notably [[Hector Berlioz]].{{sfn|Bevan|1996|p=2}} Although the ophicleide was initially successful, and serpents were still being used in bands and church ensembles, neither instrument could play much below [[Scientific pitch notation|C₂]] into the contrabass range.{{sfn|Bevan|1996|p=2}}

=== The first tubas ===

In [[Prussia]], the military bandmaster [[Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht]] required an instrument capable of a secure contrabass compass for his bands, and with the Berlin-based instrument maker [[Johann Gottfried Moritz]] invented the {{Visible anchor|Baß-Tuba|text={{lang|de|Baß-Tuba}}}} in F (Prussian patent 9121, granted 12 September 1835). It used five {{lang|de|[[Berlin valve|Berlinerpumpen]]}} valves (forerunners of the modern Périnet [[piston valve]]s) to provide a [[chromatic scale|chromatic]] compass down to F₁, its first fundamental or ''[[pedal tone|pedal]]'' tone.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=202–207}} Berlin valves, invented by Wieprecht two years earlier, were capable of operating on the wider bore tubing of larger instruments than the earlier Stölzel and Vienna valve designs. This contributed to the ''Baß-Tuba'' being the first successful contrabass valved brass instrument.{{sfn|Bevan|1996|p=3}} The first tenor tuba was invented in 1838 by Moritz's son, [[Carl Wilhelm Moritz]], which was a forerunner of the [[euphonium]].{{sfn|O'Connor|2007|p=7}}

Paris-based instrument maker [[Adolphe Sax]], like Wieprecht, was interested in marketing families of instruments ranging from soprano to bass, and developed his ''[[saxhorn]]'' series of brass instruments, pitched in E♭ and B♭. Sax's instruments gained dominance in French military bands, and later in Britain and America. Their widespread success was a result of the movements of popular instrument makers, notably [[Gustave Auguste Besson]], who moved from Paris to London, and [[Distin family|Henry Distin]], who started manufacturing them in London, and later moved his business to the United States.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=427}}{{sfn|O'Connor|2007|p=10}} The saxhorns in E♭ and B♭ constitute almost the whole instrumentation of the modern [[British brass band]], with the addition of [[cornet]]s, [[trombone]]s and a [[flugelhorn]].{{sfn|Bevan|1996|p=4}} Modern E♭ and B♭ band tubas are not far removed from their contrabass saxhorn ancestors, differing only in having a wider conical bore and often adding a compensating fourth valve.

The [[Helicon (instrument)|helicon]] is thought to have first appeared in Russia in the mid-1840s, and first patented in 1848 in Vienna by Stowasser. Like the [[Ancient Rome|Ancient Roman]] [[buccina]], its tubing is wrapped under the right arm with the [[Bell (wind instrument)|bell]] resting on the player's left shoulder. The helicon also became popular throughout Europe and North America, particularly for its suitability for [[marching band|marching]] and [[mounted band]]s.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=450–451}}

=== Early American tubas ===

{{Multiple image
  | total_width = 260px | align = left
  | image1 = Over-the-Shoulder bass saxhorn in E-flat MET DP-12679-056.jpg
  | image2 = Musikinstrumenten-Museum Berlin - Sousaphon in B - 1107434 (rot1).jpg
  | alt1 = Photograph of an over-the-shoulder bass saxhorn
  | alt2 = Photograph of a sousaphone
  | footer = Early American tubas: Over-the-shoulder bass saxhorn in E♭ built {{circa|1870s}}, ''left''; [[sousaphone]] in low B♭ built {{circa|1925}}, ''right''. [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]; [[Berlin Musical Instrument Museum|Musikinstrumenten-Museum Berlin]] | footer_align = left
}}
In the United States saxhorns had become popular by the mid-19th century, particularly in military and brass bands. In 1838, the New York maker Allen Dodworth patented his "over-the-shoulder" (OTS) instruments, with bells pointing backwards over the player's left shoulder, that included an E♭ bass model.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=427–429}} This design allowed soldiers, usually marching behind the band, to better hear the music.<ref name="villanueva">{{Cite web |title=Brass Bands of the Civil War |first=Jari |last=Villanueva |url=https://www.jvmusic.net/brass-bands-of-the-civil-war/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=JV Music - Musical Arrangements |language=en-US |archive-date=2025-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505231000/https://www.jvmusic.net/brass-bands-of-the-civil-war/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Demand for bugles and OTS saxhorns grew, particularly in the early 1860s during the [[American Civil War]], and tens of thousands were made in the United States or imported from Europe. After the war, the bands and their music remained popular, and manufacturing demand remained strong.{{sfn|Pirtle|2002|p=70–71}} From these ensembles and musicians emerged the American [[Drum and bugle corps (classic)|drum and bugle corps]] tradition,{{sfn|Pirtle|2002|p=71}} and the mixed-winds concert bands popularised by [[Patrick Gilmore]] and [[John Philip Sousa]].{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=429–30}}

In 1893, Sousa, unhappy with the sound from his BB♭ contrabass helicon tubas, had the Philadelphia instrument maker [[J. W. Pepper & Son|J. W. Pepper]] build a helicon with an upward-pointing bell, to better diffuse the sound. This ''sousaphone'' model was later made by the American manufacturers [[Holton (Leblanc)|Holton]] and [[C. G. Conn]], who some time in the early 20th century turned the bell forward to create the iconic modern form.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=456–457}}

=== The tuba in Italy ===

{{see also|Cimbasso}}

The Italian word {{lang|it|cimbasso}}, thought to be a contraction of the term {{lang|it|corno basso}} ({{lit.|bass horn}}), first appeared in scores as ''c. basso'' or ''c. in basso'' in the 1820s.
Initially the [[cimbasso]] was a form of [[upright serpent]] or bass horn, but over the course of the 19th century the term was used loosely to refer to the lowest bass instrument available in the brass family, including the ophicleide and early Italian valved instruments such as the ''pelittone'' and ''bombardone''.{{sfn|Meucci|1996|p=144–5}} The [[Italian opera]] composer [[Giuseppe Verdi]], dissatisfied with the sound of these instruments, commissioned a valved [[contrabass trombone]], built in the 1880s for his late operas.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=414}} By the early 20th century this instrument, which he and [[Giacomo Puccini]] called simply the ''trombone basso'' in their scores, had disappeared from Italian orchestras, replaced by the tuba. The modern cimbasso, commonly called for in [[film score|film]] and [[video game music|video game]] [[soundtrack]]s, was revived from Verdi's instrument, via the German contrabass trombone in F, in the early 1980s.{{sfn|Bevan|1997|p=297–298}}

== Construction ==

In [[organology]], the tuba is classified as a bass ''[[bugle|valved bugle]]''. The valved bugles are a large family of brass instruments that includes the euphonium, [[flugelhorn]], and the wider-bored members of the [[saxhorn]] family, distinguished by having valves and a wide [[conical bore]].{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=}} The conical bore of bugles is wider than other conical brass instruments, like the horn or cornet, or the [[cylindrical bore|cylindrical-bore]] trumpet and trombone. The bore diameter increases as a function of the tubing distance from the [[mouthpiece (brass)|mouthpiece]]. This causes the instrument to favor lower spectral content, producing a mellow, warm ''timbre''. The wide rate of taper of the last portion of the tubing leading to the bell, combining with the bell's large diameter, amplifies these lower frequencies and produces a deep contrabass sound.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=}}

=== Sizes ===

Tubas are made in four pitches. The length of tubing (with no valves engaged) determines the [[Fundamental frequency|fundamental pitch]] of the instrument. The smaller {{Visible anchor|Bass tuba|text=''bass tuba''}} is built in [[Eight-foot pitch|12-foot (12′)]] F or 13′ E♭, while the larger {{Visible anchor|Contrabass tuba|text=''contrabass tuba''}} is built in 16′ C or 18′ B♭. Often the contrabass tubas are called "CC" or "BB♭" tubas, based on an English variant of the [[Helmholtz pitch notation]] no longer in use, and the ''bass''–''contrabass'' distinction is not always used by composers or musicians.

[[File:MIMEd 2131. Higham tuba in F.png|thumb|"Barlow" model British F tuba ([[University of Edinburgh]])]] 
The original 1835 {{lang|de|Baß-Tuba}} in F survives as various much-modified models of F tuba. It is commonly used by professional players as a solo instrument and, in America, to play higher parts in the classical repertoire, often parts originally written for F tuba. In most of Europe, the F tuba is the standard orchestral instrument, supplemented by the C or B♭ tuba only when the extra weight is desired. [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]], for example, specifically notated the low tuba parts for ''Kontrabasstuba'', which are played on C or B♭ tubas in most regions. The traditional tuba in Vienna is in F with six rotary valves, in two groups of three for each hand. In Britain from the late 19th century until the 1960s, the standard orchestral tuba was in F, with four or five piston valves, and a narrower bore profile closer to the euphonium.{{sfn|Bevan|1996|p=8}}

The E♭ tuba often plays an octave above the B♭ tubas in brass bands, where it is commonly built with three top-mounted piston valves and a fourth compensating valve on the side. In the United Kingdom, the E♭ tuba began to displace the old British F tuba in the 1960s, and is still found in British orchestras today, although some players are favouring larger C instruments since the 1990s.{{sfn|Bevan|1996|p=8}}

The C tuba is used as an orchestral and concert band instrument in the US, but B♭ tubas with rotary valves are the contrabass tuba of choice in German, Austrian, and Russian orchestras. In the United States, the B♭ tuba is the most common in schools, largely due to the use of B♭ sousaphones in [[High school (North America)|high school]] marching bands. Many professionals in the US play C tubas, with B♭ also common, and many train in the use of all four pitches of tubas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trombone and Tuba |url=https://www.uv.es/clil/ePortfolio/html/jorapra/brass/trombonetuba.html |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=www.uv.es}}</ref><!-- proficiency in all 4 is rare - usually F, CC, and either E♭ or BB♭; c.f. Adler-McKean --> The B♭ saxhorn-style tuba, with three top-mounted piston valves and usually a fourth compensating valve on the side, is standard in British brass bands.

==== Quarter designation ====

Even within instruments of the same pitch, tubas also vary in size: the overall width of the tubing sections, the bell diameter, and rate of bell taper. The size is usually denoted in quarters, with 4/4 designating a normal, full-size tuba.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=36}} Smaller instruments, often student or intermediate models, may be described as 3/4 instruments. Often with only three valves, these are common in schools for use by young players where a full-size tuba may be too large. Larger instruments are denoted as 5/4, or 6/4 for the largest tubas, sometimes known as ''grand orchestral tubas''. These include the [[C. G. Conn|Conn]] 36J "Orchestra Grand Bass" from the 1930s, and the replicas by several manuacturers of the large [[York Band Instrument Company|York]] tubas owned by the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]].

The designations have no standardised measurements. Between manufacturers, they do not correlate to tubing bore diameters or bell diameters reported in instrument specifications, so they are only useful for making comparisons between models within a single manufacturer's catalog.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=36}}

==== Other sizes ====

{{See also|Euphonium|Subcontrabass tuba}}

The [[euphonium]], pitched in 9′ B♭ a fourth above the bass tuba in F, is sometimes referred to as a {{Visible anchor|Tenor tuba|text=''tenor tuba''}}, particularly by British composers.<ref name="Grove">{{Cite Grove |last=Bevan |first=Clifford |author-link=Clifford Bevan |title=Euphonium |id=09077}}</ref> This term can also refer more specifically to the German {{lang|de|Baryton}}, a similar instrument in B♭ with rotary valves.{{sfn|O'Connor|2007|p=10–11}} These instruments are used to play tenor tuba parts, and often ophicleide parts and the high tuba parts written for the small French tuba.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=232}}{{sfn|Bowman|2007|p=251}}

The small French tuba is based on the bass saxhorn, built in 8′ C with six piston valves. This instrument, standard in French orchestras in the late 19th century until at least the 1950s, was expected by French composers of that time.<ref name="kleinsteuber-2017">{{Cite thesis|title=An Argument in Favor of the Saxhorn Basse (French Tuba) in the Modern Symphony Orchestra |last=Kleinsteuber |first=Carl |date=2017 |institution=University of North Texas |degree=DMA |url= https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984120/ |access-date=9 May 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221005191453/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984120/ |archive-date=5 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> A notable high exerpt from the orchestral repertoire is the tuba solo in the "Bydło" movement in [[Maurice Ravel]]'s orchestration of [[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]]'s ''[[Pictures at an Exhibition]]'', though the part also descends into the low register in other movements, to low F♯{{sub|1}}.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=347-348}}

A small number of very large novelty ''[[subcontrabass tuba]]s'' have been built, and five playable instruments with functioning valves survive, mostly in museums.<ref name="Detwiler-known-subcontras">{{Cite web |title=Gallery: Known Subcontrabass Tubas |last=Detwiler |first=Dave |work=Strictly Oompah |date=6 February 2021 |url= https://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2021/01/gallery-known-subcontrabass-tubas.html |access-date=18 December 2025 }}</ref> Two in 36′ B♭, an octave below the B♭ contrabass, were built by Gustave Besson on the suggestion of [[Patrick Gilmore]], and one survives in the [[Harvard University Band]] where it was restored and features occasionally in concerts.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|p=141-2|loc=subcontrabass tuba}} Another with four valves now owned by [[Amati Kraslice]] was originally exhibited by the Czech maker Bohland & Fuchs in 1928.<ref name="MTR-1928">{{Cite journal|title=Bohland & Fuchs Show Largest Brass Bass Horn |journal=[[The Music Trade Review]] |volume=87 |number=8 |date=25 August 1928 |page=16 |url= https://elibrary.arcade-museum.com/classic/Music-Trade-Review/1928-87-8/16 |access-date=23 December 2025}}</ref> In 1956, one of two 32′ C tubas built {{circa|1899}} by the German maker Rudolf Sander featured in the first comedy [[Hoffnung Music Festival]].{{sfn|Yeo|2021|p=141-2|loc=subcontrabass tuba}} In 2010, a fully playable ''Riesentuba'' in 36′ B♭ with four rotary valves was built and resides in Germany at the Markneukirchen Musical Instrument Museum.<ref name="Detwiler-2019">{{Cite web |title=The wonderful world of Giant Tubas! |last=Detwiler |first=Dave |work=Strictly Oompah |date=31 May 2019 |access-date=13 September 2024 |url= https://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-wonderful-world-of-giant-tubas.html }}</ref>

=== Variations ===

{{Multiple image
  | total_width = 260px | align = left
  | image1 = Yamaha Contrabass tuba YBB-321.tif
  | image2 = Yamaha Contrabass tuba YBB-641.tif
  | alt1 = Photograph of a Yamaha tuba
  | alt2 = Photograph of a Yamaha tuba
  | footer = Main styles of tuba. The saxhorn-style (''left'') has "top action" valves left of the bell; the German-style (''right'') has "front action" valves right of the bell. [[Yamaha Corporation]] | footer_align = left
}}
The development of tubas took place in several regions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, which has resulted in many different forms with different bores, bell tapers and sizes, and different types and number of valves.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|pp=31–33}} Broadly, tubas can be divided into two main groups.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=212|loc=Fig. 4.9}}

The saxhorn-derived, "French style" tubas have piston valves mounted vertically and operated from the top of the instrument ("top action"), and from the player's viewpoint the leadpipe from the mouthpiece is attached to the left side of the bell, with the valves and tubing positioned to the right of the bell. These are common in France, Britain, and throughout the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]], particularly in brass and military bands. The "German style" tubas, derived from the ''Baß-Tuba'' and later Červený ''Kaiser'' tubas, have the leadpipe attached to the right side of the bell, and the tubing and valves to the left, with the valves mounted in the middle and operated from the front ("front action").{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=49}} German style tubas usually have rotary valves, although American models based on early 20th century [[York Band Instrument Company|York]] tubas use piston valves, oriented horizontally so the finger buttons are operated in the same position.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|p=198}} In either group the valves are operated by the right hand, although saxhorn-style instruments with a fourth compensating valve often place the fourth valve on the side, operated by the left hand.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=49}}

A tuba with its tubing wrapped for placing the instrument on the player's lap is sometimes called a ''concert tuba''. In the early days of recorded music in the 1920s and 30s, ''recording tubas'' were made with the bell pointing forward ({{lang|fr|pavillon tournant}}) so their sound could more easily be directed towards the recording microphone. <!-- TODO: use image File:Tuba 20J Conn BBb.jpg -->

==== Tubas for marching ====

{{Multiple image
  | total_width = 260px | align = right
  | perrow = 2/2
  | image1 = Musikinstrumenten-Museum Berlin - Helikon in Es - 1107081 (crop).jpg
  | image2 = Yamaha Sousaphone YSH-411.jpg
  | image3 = EuphoniumAndTuba wb (crop).jpg
  | image4 = Columbus saints indy 14 03 (crop).jpg
  | alt1 = Photograph of a helicon
  | alt2 = Photograph of a sousaphone
  | alt3 = Photograph of a bandsman playing a tuba
  | alt4 = Photograph of a drum & bugle corps player playing a contrabass bugle
  | footer = [[Helicon (instrument)|Helicon]] in E♭, c. 1900, ''top left''; modern [[sousaphone]] in B♭, ''top right''; E♭ bass with marching harness, ''bottom left''; [[Drum and bugle corps (modern)|drum & bugle corps]] [[contrabass bugle]] player, ''bottom right''
  | footer_align = left
}}

{{See also| Helicon (instrument) | Sousaphone | Contrabass bugle }}

Standard tubas can be played whilst standing and marching, which is the usual practice in [[British brass band]]s and [[military band]]s. For player comfort and to avoid serious injury, a strap joined to metal rings on the tuba or a leather harness for the bottom bow are used to take the weight, via an over-shoulder strap or waist band.

In North America, most marching bands use the [[sousaphone]], which is designed to be easier to hold and play while marching.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Detwiler |first=Dave |title=Heritage: Marching Through the Early History of the Sousaphone |journal=ITEA Journal |date=2015|volume=42 |number=2 |pages=27–29}}</ref> The earlier [[Helicon (instrument)|helicon]], on which the sousaphone is based, is still used by bands in Europe and other parts of the world.

Some tubas, known as ''marching tubas'', are capable of being converted into a [[marching band|marching]] configuration, where it rests on the left (or occasionally, right) shoulder with the bell facing directly in front of the player. The [[leadpipe]] can be manually screwed on next to the valves, or can swivel between the marching position and a normal upright "concert" position. Some marching tubas, the ''contrabass bugles'', are made only for marching. These were invented in the 1960s for use in modern [[Drum and bugle corps (modern)|drum and bugle corps]]. Originally built in {{prime|21}} G with only two valves, since 2000 they are built with three or four, in {{prime|16}} C or {{prime|18}} B♭.<!-- cite Pirtle, page no. -->

=== Valves ===

{{Main|Brass instrument valves}}

Tubas are made with either [[piston valve|piston]] or [[rotary valve|rotary]] valves.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=49}} Rotary valves, patented in Prussia by Joseph Riedl in 1835, were first used on tubas in the 1850s by the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] maker [[Václav František Červený]]. The modern piston valve, developed by [[François Périnet]] in 1839, had by the 1850s replaced the [[Berlin valve]]s used on early [[saxhorn]] instruments.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=47}}

Pistons can be ''top-action'', oriented vertically so the buttons are operated from the top of the instrument, or ''front-action'' or ''side-action'', oriented horizontally so the buttons are at the front of the instrument, operated from the side.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=49}} Piston valves require regular oiling to keep them freely operating, while rotary valves are sealed, and seldom require oiling. Piston valves are easy to dismantle and reassemble, while rotary valves disassembly and reassembly generally requires an experienced instrument technician.

[[File:Tuba Melton Meinl Weston.png|thumb|upright|C tuba with five rotary valves]]
Tubas usually have four or five valves, but can range from three to six. Three-valve tubas are usually inexpensive student models or smaller marching instruments to conserve weight; the [[sousaphone]] usually has three valves. Among professional players, four and five valve tubas are the most common. F tubas usually have five or six valves,{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=49}} including the six-valved {{lang|de|Wiener Konzerttuba}} (Vienna concert tuba) used in Austria.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=43–44}}

A valve works by adding a loop of tubing of a certain length to the main tubing of the instrument, thus lowering its fundamental pitch. On modern tubas, the first three valves work the same way as other valved brass instruments: the first lowers the pitch by two semitones (whole step), the second by one semitone (half step), and the third by three semitones (minor third).

==== Fourth, fifth, and sixth valves ====

The fourth valve lowers the pitch by five semitones (a perfect fourth), and used instead of the combination of valves 1 and 3 which is too sharp. When tuned properly, it helps solve the intonation of valve combinations of valves 1, 2, and 3. Using valve 4 with valves 1, 2, and 3 extends the range down to the fundamental pitch, but as with other valve combinations, some of these lower notes will be too sharp.

The fifth and sixth valves, if fitted, provide alternative fingering possibilities to improve intonation, particularly in the octave between the fundamental pitch ([[pedal tone]]) and the second partial, and for smooth trills and ease of playing. Usually, the fifth valve is tuned to two and a half semitones (flattened whole step), and the sixth to one and a half semitones (flattened half step). In C tubas with five valves, the fifth valve may be tuned as a flattened whole step or as a minor third, depending on the instrument. The B♭ rarely has a fifth valve, but if fitted is tuned similarly to that of a C tuba.

==== Compensating valves ====

Most high-end saxhorn-style tubas in E♭ and B♭, instead of providing a fifth or sixth valve, provide a compensating system on the fourth valve to adjust intonation when using valves in combination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-comp.cfm|title=Compensating System|website=Dwerden.com|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> This reduces the need to constantly adjust tuning slides while playing, and also simplifies fingering. The compensating piston valve was invented in the 1870s by [[David Blaikley]], the factory manager at [[Boosey & Hawkes|Boosey & Co.]], who patented it in 1878.{{sfn|O'Connor|2007|p=6}} The tubing of the fourth valve is re-routed back through the other three valves to add an extra set of small correcting tubing loops.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=51}} This achieves correct intonation in the lower range of the instrument when using the fourth valve.{{sfn|Herbert|Myers|Wallace|2019|pp=436–437|loc="Valve"}}

The patent limited its application outside of Britain, and tubas with compensating valves are mainly found in Britain and [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] countries. Compensating valves can make the instrument significantly more "stuffy" or resistant to air flow when compared to a non-compensating tuba, and it also makes the instrument heavier.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=51–52}}

=== Materials and finish ===

The tuba is generally constructed of [[brass]], which is either [[electroplating|electro-plated]] with [[silver]] or coated with a thin transparent [[lacquer]].{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=34}} Unfinished brass will eventually [[tarnish]] and must be periodically [[polishing|polished]] to maintain its appearance.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Winter|first=James|title=Brass|journal=Music Educators Journal|year=1975|volume=62|issue=2|pages=34–37|doi=10.2307/3394871|jstor=3394871|s2cid=221063884}}</ref>

=== Manufacturers ===

There are many types of tubas that are manufactured in Europe, the United States, and Asia. In Europe, the predominant models that are professionally used are [[Meinl-Weston]] (Germany) and Miraphone (Germany). Asian brands include the [[Yamaha Corporation]] (Japan) and Jupiter Instruments (Taiwan). [[Holton Instrument Company]] and [[King Musical Instruments]] are some of the most well known brands from the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Instruments and Equipment|journal=Music Educators Journal|year=1969|volume=55|issue=9|pages=101–102|doi=10.2307/3392572|jstor=3392572|s2cid=221060268}}</ref>

== Performance ==
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2019}}
{{See also|List of tubists}}

=== Notation ===

In orchestras, concert bands, and US military bands, the tuba is written at concert pitch in the [[bass clef]] as a non-transposing instrument, like the orchestral trombone, cello, and bassoon. High passages are seldom written in [[tenor clef]]. Tuba players reading music in bass clef must therefore learn the valve fingerings for each different size of tuba. Players are used to reading at least four [[leger line]]s above and below the bass staff.

In British brass bands, all instruments except the bass trombone are [[transposing instrument]]s using the [[treble clef]] notation popularized in France by the instrument maker Adolphe Sax for his families of instruments.{{Sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=69–70}} Thus the tuba parts are notated in treble clef, sounding an octave and a sixth below written for E♭ tuba, like the [[baritone saxophone]], or two octaves and a second for B♭ tuba, like the [[contrabass clarinet]]. This allows band musicians to change instruments without having to learn new fingerings for the same written music.

{{Image frame |align=center |innerstyle=background:white;padding:0.5em;
  | caption = Brass band transposing treble clef notation, and the resulting concert pitch for tubas in B♭ and E♭
  | content = <score lang="lilypond"> \relative {
    \cadenzaOn
    \clef treble \key c \major
    c'8[ ^ \markup \tiny "written, transposing" d e f] g4 c
    s4 \bar "|"
    \clef bass \key bes \major \time 4/4
    bes,,,!8[ ^ \markup \tiny "sounds (B♭ tuba)" c d ees!] f4 bes!
    \bar "|"
    \clef bass \key ees \major \time 4/4
    ees,!8[ ^ \markup \tiny "(E♭ tuba)" f g aes!] bes4 ees!
  }</score>
}}

Concert band music sometimes provides tuba parts in E♭ and B♭ treble clef as well, to accommodate players from either background, although professional players are usually familiar with either notation.{{Sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=68}}        <!-- TODO:
=== Range ===
=== Techniques ===
=== Notable players ===   -->

=== Range ===

The written range of the tuba is large, partly because different sized instruments have been used at different times and in different regions. The CC or BB♭ ''Kontrabaß'' tubas called for by Wagner and later German composers could scarcely reach middle C, while the range of the euphonium-like French C tuba built an octave higher in early 20th century French music ranges from its pedal F{{sub|1}} to the C{{sub|5}} above middle C. On any tuba, the range from F{{sub|1}} to C{{sub|4}} (middle C) is easily accessible, but the full working range from contemporary solo repertoire includes the [[pedal tone|pedal range]] to at least B♭{{sub|0}}, and extends up to at least C{{sub|5}}.{{sfn|Herbert|Myers|Wallace|2019|p=484|loc=Appendix 2: The Ranges of Labrosones}}{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=182}}

{{Image frame |align=center |innerstyle=background:white;padding:0.5em;
  | caption = Range of the tuba; higher and lower notes are possible.
  | content = <score lang="lilypond"> {
    \new Staff \with { \omit Score.TimeSignature }
    \clef bass \key c \major \cadenzaOn \omit Stem
    c,,1 _ \markup \tiny "C₁"
    \glissando
    a' ^ \markup \tiny "A₄"
    \grace c''4 ^ \markup \tiny "↑"
  }</score>
}}

Higher notes are possible since the upper range is limited only by the fitness of the players' embouchure, although notes above the ''[[Cutoff frequency|bell cutoff frequency]]'' around the tenth harmonic are difficult to centre and continuous ''[[glissando|glissandi]]'' are possible, making valve fingering largely redundant.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|pp=60-63}} The wide bore profile of the tuba means that pedal notes are easily produced, compared to other brass instruments.{{sfn|Adler-McKean|2020|p=32, 58}}

=== Resonance and false tones ===

Some tubas have a strong and useful resonance that is not in the well-known harmonic series. For example, most large B♭ tubas have a strong resonance at low E♭ (E♭<sub>1</sub>, 39&nbsp;Hz), which is between the fundamental and the second harmonic (an octave higher than the fundamental). These alternative resonances are often known as [[Acoustic resonance#False tones|false tones]] or privileged tones. Adding the six semitones provided by the three valves, these alternative resonances let the instrument play chromatically down to the fundamental of the open bugle (which is a 29&nbsp;Hz B♭<sub>0</sub>). The addition of valves below that note can lower the instrument a further six semitones to a 20&nbsp;Hz E<sub>0</sub>. Thus, even three-valved instruments with good alternative resonances can produce very low sounds in the hands of skilled players; instruments with four valves can play even lower. 

The lowest note in the widely known repertoire is a 16&nbsp;Hz double-pedal C<sub>0</sub> in the [[William Kraft]] piece ''Encounters II'', which is often played using a timed [[Flutter-tonguing|flutter tongue]] rather than by buzzing the lips. The fundamental of this pitch borders on [[infrasound]] and [[missing fundamental|its overtones define the pitch]] in the listener's ear.

=== Jazz ===

[[File:Riverside Stompers - Martin Stanzel solo - Dieter Bietak 2007.jpg|thumb|upright|"Kaiserbass" (tuba in B♭) and&nbsp;[[cornet]]]]
The tuba has been used in [[jazz]] since the genre's inception. In the earliest years, bands often used a tuba for outdoor playing and a [[double bass]] for indoor performances. In this context, the tuba was sometimes called "brass bass", as opposed to the double bass ''(string bass)''. Many musicians played both instruments.

This practice was mostly used in the [[New Orleans]] jazz scene. The tuba was used most frequently with the [[Louis Armstrong]] groups and prominent in the album ''[[Hot Five]]''.

In modern jazz, it is not unknown for their players to take solos. [[New Orleans]] style [[brass band]]s like the [[Dirty Dozen Brass Band]] and the [[Rebirth Brass Band]] use a sousaphone as the bass instrument. [[Bill Barber (musician)|Bill Barber]] played tuba on several [[Miles Davis]] albums, including the sessions compiled as the ''[[Birth of the Cool]]'' and ''[[Miles Ahead (album)|Miles Ahead]]''. New York City-based tubist [[Marcus Rojas]] performed frequently with [[Henry Threadgill]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=William |first=Pryor |title=New Orleans Jazz and the Trad Jazz Movement |journal=IAJRC Journal |date= |volume=49 |pages=61–65}}</ref> Starting in 1955, [[Stan Kenton]] made his fifth trombonist double on tuba, namely on ballads to make use of the tuba's distinct warm, enveloping sound.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 January 2021 |title=Howard Johnson, 79, Dies; Elevated the Tuba in Jazz and Beyond |last=Russonello |first=Giovanni |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/arts/music/howard-johnson-dead.html |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref>

== Repertoire ==
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2019}}
{{See also|Tuba repertoire}}

A [[symphony orchestra]] typically includes a single tuba, although a second is sometimes called for in large works, such as Stravinsky's ballet ''[[The Rite of Spring]]'' (1913), and [[Havergal Brian]]'s [[Symphony No. 1 (Brian)|Symphony No. 1]] (1927). The tuba serves as the bass of the orchestral [[Brass instrument|brass]] section, and it can reinforce the bass voices of the [[String instrument|strings]] and [[woodwind]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuba |url=https://philharmonia.co.uk/resources/instruments/tuba/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Philharmonia |language=en-GB}}</ref> It provides the bass of brass quintets and choirs, although sometimes a small brass ensemble will use the [[euphonium]] or [[bass trombone]] as the lowest voice.

Since the mid-20th century, a considerable body of repertoire has amassed for tuba as a solo instrument,{{sfn|Skillen|Goldstein|2006|pp=1-2}} both with ensemble or piano accompaniment, and unaccompanied.{{sfn|Northcut|Gray|2006|pp=173-4}}{{sfn|Sinder|Funderburk|2006|pp=217-8}}

The tuba is the principal bass instrument in [[concert band]]s, [[Brass band (British style)|brass bands]] and [[military band]]s, usually two to four in number. Brass band music has two parts, for E♭ and B♭ tubas respectively, often referred to as ''basses''.{{sfn|Bevan|2000|pp=430–431}}<ref name="Odello-2014">{{Cite journal |last=Odello |first=Denise |title=British Brass Band Periodicals and the Construction of a Movement |journal=Victorian Periodicals Review |date=2014 |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=432–453 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43663256 |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref> Tubas are also used in [[marching band]]s, [[Drum and bugle corps (modern)|drum and bugle corps]] and in [[jazz band]]s.

Well known and influential orchestral parts for the tuba include:
<!-- what value is this list really adding? TODO: rewrite as prose, explaining notability/other reason(s) for each, as elsewhere -->
* [[Modest Mussorgsky]] (orch. [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]]): ''[[Pictures at an Exhibition]]'' – ''[[Pictures at an Exhibition|Bydło]]'', ''[[Night on Bald Mountain]]''
* [[Richard Strauss]]: ''[[Also sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)|Also sprach Zarathustra]]'', ''[[Eine Alpensinfonie]]'', ''[[Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks|Till Eulenspiegel]]'', ''[[Ein Heldenleben]]'' 
* [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]]: All symphonies, except the [[Symphony No. 14 (Shostakovich)|Fourteenth]]
* [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]: ''[[The Rite of Spring]]'', ''[[Petrushka (ballet)|Petroushka]]''
* [[Edgard Varèse]]: ''[[Déserts]]''
* [[Richard Wagner]]: ''[[Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg]]'', ''[[Lohengrin (opera)#Act 3|Lohengrin]]'', ''[[Ride of the Valkyries]]'', ''[[Faust Overture]]''
* [[Sergei Prokofiev]]: [[Symphony No. 5 (Prokofiev)|Fifth Symphony]], ''[[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)|Romeo and Juliet]]''
* [[George Gershwin]]: ''[[An American in Paris]]''
* [[Silvestre Revueltas]]: ''[[Sensemayá]]'', ''[[La noche de los mayas (suite)|La noche de los mayas]]'', ''[[Homenaje a Federico García Lorca]]''
* [[Gustav Holst]]: ''[[The Planets]]''
* [[Gustav Mahler]]: Symphonies Nos. [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)#Movement 3|1]], [[Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)|2]], [[Symphony No. 5 (Mahler)|5]], [[Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)|6]], and [[Symphony No. 8 (Mahler)|8]]
* [[Ottorino Respighi]]:  ''[[Fountains of Rome (symphonic poem)|Fountains of Rome]]'', ''[[Pines of Rome]]''
* [[Hector Berlioz]]: ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]'', ''[[La damnation de Faust|Hungarian March]]''
* [[Paul Hindemith]]: ''[[Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber|Symphonic Metamorphosis]]''
*[[Johannes Brahms]]: [[Symphony No. 2 (Brahms)|Symphony No. 2]]
*[[Anton Bruckner]]: Symphonies Nos. [[Symphony No. 4 (Bruckner)|4]], [[Symphony No. 7 (Bruckner)|7]], and [[Symphony No. 8 (Bruckner)|8]]

Notable [[concerto]]s have been written for the tuba by many composers, including [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] ([[Tuba Concerto (Vaughan Williams)|Tuba Concerto]]), [[Edward Gregson]], [[John Williams]], [[Alexander Arutiunian]], [[Eric Ewazen]], [[James Barnes (composer)|James Barnes]], [[Joseph Hallman]], [[Martin Ellerby]], [[Philip Sparke]],{{sfn|Sisk|2017|pp=3–20}} [[Kalevi Aho]], [[Josef Tal]], [[Bruce Broughton]] (Tuba Concerto), [[John Golland]], [[Roger Steptoe]], [[David Carlson]], [[Jennifer Higdon]] ([[Tuba Concerto (Higdon)|Tuba Concerto]]), and [[Marcus Paus]] ([[Tuba Mirum (Paus)|''Tuba Mirum'']]).

<!-- TODO: other repertoire, e.g. Jazz, chamber music, popular, avant guarde etc. -->

== See also ==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Subcontrabass tuba]]
* [[Roman tuba]]
* [[Wagner tuba]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
{{ubli
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 | {{Cite Q|last=Bevan      |date=1996 |first=Clifford |author-link=Clifford Bevan
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 | {{Cite Q|last=Forsyth    |date=1914 |first=Cecil |Q121879329}}
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 | {{Cite Q|last=Sisk       |date=2017 |first=Robin A. |type=DMA thesis |Q137209576}}
 | {{Cite Q|last1=Skillen |last2=Goldstein |date=2006 |first1=Joseph |first2=Edward R.
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}}
{{refend}}

==External links==

* [https://www.iteaonline.org ITEA] — The International Tuba Euphonium Association
* {{Commons-inline|Tuba (instrument)|the tuba}}
* {{wiktionary-inline}}
* [http://forums.chisham.com/ TubeNet], [https://www.tubaforum.net/ TubaForum.net] — online forums
* [https://simonettitubacollection.com/ The Vincent and Ethel Simonetti Historic Tuba Collection] — Durham, North Carolina
* [https://historyofthetuba.substack.com/ History of the Tuba Podcast] — Jake Kline & Jack Adler-McKean
* [https://www.tubaday.com International Tuba Day] — first Friday in May
* [https://www.tubachristmas.com/ Tuba Christmas] — official site for the annual [[Tubachristmas]] concerts
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bombardon}}

{{Brass instruments}}
{{Bass (sound)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tubas| ]]
[[Category:Bass (sound)]]
[[Category:Contrabass instruments]]
[[Category:German musical instruments]]
[[Category:Marching band instruments]]
[[Category:Orchestral instruments]]
[[Category:Concert band instruments]]