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Andy, why the tuba? Is it hard to play? Is that the biggest brass instrument or is the trombone bigger.
Sorry I forgot about this one. When I was in third grade, some of the older kids in my elementary school came around and demonstrated some instruments. I liked the brass instruments and thought I might like to play trumpet or something. My father suggested "baritone horn" with the idea that I might some day get a music scholarship or something. What he did not count on was that I would get a scholarship to study music....Any old how, I started on euphonium at age nine and picked up tuba at age ten, all in the fourth grade as best I can recall. The school tuba wasn't particularly big by tuba standards but I had to lay it on its side. My folks bought me a tuba that I could play upright when I was in fifth grade and a decent euphonium when I was in sixth grade. I got a real tuba just before I turned 14 and it's my main axe 28 years later (see picture at left). I played both euphonium and tuba until I was 15 and from then on I concentrated on tuba.
As for why, well, it's fun, dammit. It's fun playing loud. It's fun playing low. It's fun being the foundation of the band. It's fun playing faster or higher or softer than people think the tuba should be able to play.
Tuba is the biggest brass instrument. It's an octave lower than trombone, euphonium, or baritone horn. Here are some pics for comparison. Most of these people are friends, so don't say anything mean about them or I'll hit you with the ban hammer.*
Here are a couple of guys with euphoniums. The guy with the glasses plays the same model I used to.
This guy has a real baritone horn. It has a much smaller bore and a much brighter sound:
This is a trombone, which is wrapped somewhat differently:
This is me wearing a shirt with a collar:
Here's a former teacher playing a really big tuba with some assistance a long time ago. It's an octave lower than a regular tuba:
*Well, unless you're funny. If you're unsure whether I think you're funny, I don't.