Editing Sousaphone (section)

==Construction==
[[File:Hypnotic Brass Ensemble LT.JPG|thumb|upright|Sousaphone player Tycho Cohran with the [[Hypnotic Brass Ensemble]], at the [[TFF.Rudolstadt]] 2012]]
The sousaphone is a valved brass instrument with the same tube length and musical range as other tubas.  The sousaphone's shape is such that the bell is above the tubist's head and projecting forward.  The [[piston valve|valves]] are situated directly in front of the musician slightly above the waist and all of the weight rests on the left shoulder.  The bell is normally detachable from the instrument body to facilitate transportation and storage. Except for the instrument's general shape and appearance, the sousaphone is technically similar to a tuba.

For simplicity and light weight, modern sousaphones almost always use three non-compensating [[piston valve]]s in their construction, in direct contrast to their concert counterparts' large variation in number, type, and orientation.  Both the tuba and sousaphone are semi-conical brass instruments. No valved brass instrument can be entirely conical, since the middle section containing the valves must be cylindrical.  While the degree of bore conicity does affect the timbre of the instrument, much as in a [[cornet]] and [[trumpet]], or a [[euphonium]] and a [[trombone]], the bore profile of a sousaphone is similar to that of most tubas.

To facilitate making the mouthpiece accessible to players of different height or body shapes, most sousaphones contain a detachable tubing gooseneck which arises from the lead pipe on the upwind side of the valves.  One or two slightly-angled bit(s) (short tubing lengths) are inserted into the gooseneck, and then the mouthpiece is inserted into the terminal bit.  This arrangement may be adjusted in height and yaw angle to place the mouthpiece comfortably at the player's lips.

===Materials===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10143, Chicago, Jack Dempsey bei Wohltätigkeitsfest.jpg|thumb|right|Saxophone and sousaphone players at a charity festival in Chicago, July 1930]]
Most sousaphones are manufactured from sheet [[brass]], usually yellow or silver, with silver, lacquer, and gold plating options, much like many brass instruments.  However, the sousaphone (uniquely) is also commonly seen manufactured from [[Glass-reinforced plastic|fiberglass]], due to its lower cost, greater durability, and significantly lighter weight.

The weight of a sousaphone can be between {{convert|18|lb|kg|0}} and {{convert|50|lb|kg}}.<ref name="sousaphone.net">[http://www.sousaphone.net/tuba-sousaphone.htm About the Sousaphone - A member of the Tuba family], sousaphone.net, accessed 27 February 2016</ref>

===Pitch===
Most modern sousaphones are made in the key of <nowiki>BB</nowiki>{{flat}} (Low B Flat) and like tubas (which are commonly made in pitches of BB{{flat}}, CC, EE{{flat}}, and F) the instrument's part is written in "[[concert pitch]]", not transposed by key for a specific instrument. Although sousaphones may have a more restricted range than their concert tuba counterpart (most sousaphones have 3 valves instead of 4 to reduce weight), generally they can all play the same music and usually have parts written in the bass [[clef]] and the indicated octave is played (unlike [[double bass]] or [[Electric upright bass|electric bass]] that sound an octave lower than the indicated note). Many older sousaphones were pitched in the key of E{{flat}}, but current production of sousaphones in that key is limited.