WHAT IS A BASS TUBA?

A bass tuba is made of copper and therefore belongs to the group of brass instruments. It consists of a metal tube, with a mouthpiece, 3 or more valves and a bell. The bass tuba is the largest of the brass instrument family. Other brass instruments include trumpet, horn, and trombone.
The sound of the bass tuba is dark and warm. You get sound from a bass tuba by putting your lips together and making them vibrate. By using the valves you can shorten (higher tones) or lengthen (lower tones) the length of the tube.
Nowadays there are also all kinds of handy carrying bags to transport your bass tuba, even by bike!

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO YOU LEARN?

Your textbook contains many well-known songs and tunes. It even comes with a CD so you can play along with a real band! You can play various genres with the bass tuba such as classical, pop, rock, jazz…., even contemporary songs.

Øystein Baadsvik playing Czardas van Monti

WHEN CAN YOU START WITH BASS TUBA LESSONS?

Due to the size of the instrument, it is difficult to say at what age you can start taking lessons. Almost always a smaller brass instrument (eg trumpet or trombone) is first chosen before switching to the bass tuba. Ask your teacher for advice.