Woodstock Tuba Quartet

[John Morgan]

Here is an interesting video of a "tuba quartet". Check out the instruments. If you had a big head like mine (with nothing in it), you might have a bit of a time getting into that instrument. Notice what looks like Lefreque plates attached to one of the smaller horns, I think tenor horns. One a 3 valve, the other a 4 valve, both with nice and easy looking triggers. I believe they are Miraphone horns. Don't know what the tuba/sousaphone/cimbasso thing is at all. I want one of those smaller horns, heck I want one of the larger, what a hoot.

That group would be great at an Oktoberfest celebration. I miss my days in Germany!

[davewerden]

That's a fun group for sure! If I were a tuba player who had to do stand-up gigs I'd want one of those. That started me thinking...does a euphonium have enough tubing to produce one with a wrap design. I'm thinking of taking the weight off your left arm and also getting the bell pointing forward. A solo instrument with an upward-pointing bell IS at a disadvantage sometimes.

[notaverygoodname]

The crazy looking thing is what Miraphone calls a Python Tuba

The other instruments are a single Tenorhorn and a Baritone.

As for wrapped Euphonium, yeah, there have been Helikonform instruments in 9'Bb. They're really ugly and never high quality. If you must have one now, there's the famous Tenor Sousaphone from India and the Schiller Frankfurt "German Brass Band Euphonium". The Schiller is probably the higher quality instrument of the two, but it also costs $1000 more and won't look as good on your wall. Unfortunate, since that's where it should be spending most of its time.

*edit*
If you need some added support for ergonomics reasons, I recommend giving the Neotech Brass Sling a shot.

[highpitch]

Thanks for that, John. It pulls at my heart, as my mom emigrated from Germany in 1928.

These ladies do justice over there, too: https://youtu.be/H_sBjG7pCRQ?list=LL

DDG

[RickF]

Very cool! Never seen the Python Tubas before. That would be great for standup gigs for sure. I noticed the baritone player using circular breathing at times. You can see him wince and puff his cheeks at times.