Sousaphone vs bari sax!

[jojosax]

for my next instrument should I go for a sousaphone or a bari sax?

I am a alto sax player that learn brass for 2 years now (euphonium) but I like big instrument en big loud sounds!

I play currently in a small band and I am wondering which of the bari sax or Sousphone should i chosse to make the maximum noise??

[BariSaxzinger]

Bari!

[DanCraven]

Yup,Bari.No|gigs|for|sousaphone.

(space|bar|busted,sorry|for|the|mess)

[Martin Williams]

space bar broken? ouch!!

Bari has more future, and its major fun. But if you're talkin like a marching band or pep band, sousaphone is what you want. Bari sax wont do as much there

[jthole]

I play currently in a small band and I am wondering which of the bari sax or Sousphone should i chosse to make the maximum noise??

Maximum noise? Sousaphone of course :twisted:

Maximum fun? Bari of course :D

[soybean]

How about trombone since you play brass instruments? There's nothing louder.

[schnautza]

as a brass player myself, i would suggest bari unless you plan to only play in a pep band...not many practical applications of sousaphone in concert pieces.

[SaxPlayer1004]

What's your age group? If you're still in school you may want to take up sousa since a lot of schools won't march bari sax and it opens up the drum corp community. I march contra/sousa and play bari elsewhere, brass is the only way to go for marching band. On the bari side, bari is a lot more versatile. Sousas are great for marching/pep bands, but that's about it, and if you're out of school then your opportunities to play it are slim. Go for the bari, if for lack of a better reason it fits in most cars and doesn't take up a whole wall of space.

[MartinMods]

Get a bass sax and start a Dixieland band.

[al9672]

bari or bass sax

[Jazz House]

Yup,Bari.No|gigs|for|sousaphone.

(space|bar|busted,sorry|for|the|mess)

thisisreallyfunny.ihopethatyourspacebarstartsworki ngagain.

Good Luck



BTW: Go for the bari sax. It is by far the most fun.

[TheObject]

I switched from Alto sax to tuba (sousaphone for marching, they are the same instrument only wound differently). I would also recommend the Bari. I wish that I had gone that route. Although two points in favour of the Tuba:

1. If you like Banda, the sousaphone/tuba is much more useful and easy to find gigs.
2. The Tuba is easy to get a college scholarship with.

[tmonster]

Why not... BOTH!

[bobsax]

I've been doing a lot of bass work on conta-alto and contra-bass clarinet.
We had a parade gig and I didn't want to use the clarinet so I went bari sax instead. It's just not low enough to me for good solid bass lines.

I've played some tuba (I play trumpet) and borrowed a sousaphone for parades in the past and they work fine but I think a tuba would be more versatile. There are some parade gigs coming up and I think I should get something. I borrowed a huge Yamaha concert tuba and it was way to big. I couldn't get any air in it for extended lines and it was also to loud. (probably couldn't carry it either)

Does anybody know a good tuba for small group playing.
I heard Eb tuba was good but I'd like to stay in Bb.

[Enviroguy]

Sousaphones and contra-bass clarinets will not get you the chicks. Bari sax is the only way to play low winds and still have any type of a love life. ;)

[SaxPlayer1004]

If you're willing to drive, Bari_sax_diva's husband has a tuba for sale I believe. It's a 4/4 BBb, 4 rotary valve Miraphone I believe. It's a GREAT tuba, and not anywhere near as cumbersome as the yamaha 641 monster. He bought a CC tuba I believe and the Miraphone is in great shape. They live in Burbank, so it's a bit of a drive, but you may be able to meet halfway or something.

[bobsax]

Thanks for the "heads up" 1004
I played a 4 rotary valve Miraphone in high school years ago and as I recall it was really easy to play but I think it would be (if it's the same size) still a little big for my needs.
I saw a guy playing something with the Cirque du Soleil band a few years ago and I think it was an Eb. He had a nice compact sound that didn't overwhelm the rest of the band.

[SaxPlayer1004]

Just beware with the CC, Eb, and F tubas that you will have to learn a new fingering system as their partials aren't the same, and typically tuba music isn't transposed.

You can get a 3/4 size BBb tuba, but they are generally much brighter and more focused, which makes blending with other tubas somewhat difficult.

The Miraphone 186 is like the Series II of the tuba world. It's been a standard for years and years. Not into the custom tuba realm, but still very popular.

Another option since you mentioned marching, is to use a convertible tuba. I've played Yamaha convertible tubas for 5 years now, and they're great instruments. The 4/4 models are somewhat beastly and heavy, but the sound is incredible. Dynasty makes a great tuba as well, and it is a bit smaller, lighter, and more focused. Yamaha also has a 3/4 convertible model as well.

WWBW has the Dynasty and Yamaha 4/4 model. YBB-105m is the 3/4 yamaha, and the YBB-201M is the 4/4. Dynasty is M845

[Dr G]

How are those finals? You're sounding either relaxed or in search of distraction. ;)

[SaxPlayer1004]

Ok, I lied, I just found out it's a Miraphone 188. Bit more compact sound than a BBb tuba, and a bit smaller. Guys email is Harry@harrysmallenburg.com if you want to shoot him an email.

Finals are good, 1 down 4 to go. I'm a tuba buff, so that was just off the top of my head. I'm studying for my MSE final, while doing Dynamics problems, it's a party and a half.