The tuba is the largest member of the brass musical family. Like other brass instruments, it produces sound when the player’s lips vibrate against a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Its long, coiled tube and very wide bore create a deep, powerful tone, usually making it the bass foundation of a concert band, brass band, or orchestra.
The modern tuba emerged in Germany during the 1830s. Instrument makers Wilhelm Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz patented an early bass tuba in 1835, helping replace older, less reliable bass instruments such as the ophicleide. Tubas come in several sizes and pitches, including BB♭, CC, E♭, and F.
A common mix-up is the sousaphone, the large circular instrument often used in marching bands. It is a type of tuba designed to rest comfortably around the player’s body, rather than a separate musical family. The euphonium is also brass, but it has a higher register and a smaller bore than the tuba.