Sitting at the bottom of the brass pile is the tuba. The biggest and lowest of the brass family is played using vibrating lips and with valves, and is made of lacquered brass so needs to be polished frequently. It usually carries the bass line of the music, and reinforces the lines of the string and woodwind bass instruments. Although it looks cumbersome, there have been several solo concerti written for the instrument.

Like the trombone, the word ‘tuba’ actually means trumpet (in Latin) – and so we can therefore conclude that all brass instruments are basically trumpets!

There is usually only one tuba in the orchestra, but it does have several cousins which are more frequently seen in brass and marching bands, such as the euphonium, tenor tuba, Wagner tuba and Sousaphone.

• The tuba is usually pitched C, although Eb and Bb tubas are common in brass bands • The first Friday in May is International Tuba Day, which celebrates tuba players around the world • Berlioz originally scored Symphonie fantastique for two ophicleides, the forerunner of the tuba, but he changed them to a tuba when he heard the newly invented instrument • A tuba has about 16 feet of tubing