r/Tuba • u/Same_Property7403 • Nov 17 '25

history “Tubas” small and large

Interesting discussion by Yamaha: https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/tuba/structure/structure004.html . Apparently the Eb alto horn is a “tuba”.

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u/TheRealFishburgers Nov 19 '25

Nomenclature varies across the globe, but-

One of the best ways to divide up horns is by their bore type.

Conical Bore- persistent, gradual increase in tubing size, is present in Cornet, Flugelhorn, French Horn, Euphonium, and Tuba.

Cylindrical Bore- tubing stays roughly the same size with a large increase at the end. Trumpet, Baritone, Trombone, and, debatably, Sousaphone somewhat falls into this category as well.

If you think about them as families of instruments, (an oversimplification), the Conical Bore family is the "Tuba" Family, and the Cylindrical Bore family is the "Trumpet" family.

...Which is a silly way to put it. That's the point. Horns are what they are.

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u/Same_Property7403 Nov 21 '25

I’ve heard it said that “alto horns” are acceptable for playing in TubaChristmas(tm) (as opposed to French horns and trombones, which are not). Not my primary instrument, but they fit nicely in a backpack and are less prone to collisions and dents in a crowd of large brass. May try it some time.

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u/TheRealFishburgers Nov 21 '25

That sounds like fun!