Tuba
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Tubas are the bass members of the brass family. The tuba is actually a gigantic bugle which is held upright. Even though it is bulky and plays in a low register, you can play very fast notes or light and airy tunes on the tuba. Tubas play in orchestras and are popular in marching bands.
| Family |
| Brasses |
| Pitch range |
| About three octaves. |
| Material |
| Brass. |
| Size |
| The tube of the double B-flat tuba measures 18 ft (5.50 m) uncoiled. |
| Origins |
| The first valved bass brass instruments were made in the 1820s in Germany and Austria. Improvements continued, and by the second half of the century, the tuba began to appear regularly in bands and the orchestra. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| The tuba is the largest of the brass family. It is so heavy that different shapes were made to place the weight on the shoulders of marchers. |
