TRUMPETS

SIDE DRUM

FRENCH HORNS

TROMBONES

BASSOONS

CLARINETS

BASS DRUM

TUBA

OBOES

CONTRABASSOON

BASS CLARINET

PICCOLO

FLUTES

SECOND VIOLINS

VIOLAS

ENGLISH HORN

PIANO

HARP

FIRST VIOLINS

CELLOS

BASSES

• The lowest-pitched and largest member of the brass family ;

• Generates sound via vibrations between a tubist ’ s mouth and a brass mouthpiece ;

• Is common in symphony orchestras , marching bands , jazz bands , as well as drum and bugle corps ;

• Is also used as a solo instrument . Concertos for tuba include works by Ralph Vaughan Williams , John Williams , Jennifer Higdon , and Wynton Marsalis .

Bell

Valves

Water Key

Mouthpiece

Main Tube

HISTORY OF THE TUBA

Early history : Forerunners to the tuba include the serpent , a snake-like instrument played during the renaissance and baroque eras , and the ophicleide , common in French military bands during the early 19th century .

1835 : The first patent for the tuba is secured by Prussian bandmaster Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and instrument maker Johann Gottfried Moritz . The invention of valves allows brass instruments to play lower pitches .

Post 1835 : The tuba , alongside the closely related saxhorns pioneered by Adolphe Sax ( the inventor of the saxophone ), become popular in France , Britain , and America .

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