Tuba
A bass tuba in F with front-action piston valves | |
| Brass instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 423.232 (Valved aerophone sounded by lip vibration) |
| Inventor(s) | Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz |
| Developed | 1835 in Prussia |
| Playing range | |
| Related instruments | |
| Sound sample | |
| Part of a series on |
| Musical instruments |
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The tuba (UK: /ˈtjuːbə/; US: /ˈtuːbə/) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibration – a buzz – into a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band, and largely replaced the ophicleide. Tuba is Latin for "trumpet".
A person who plays the tuba is called a tubaist, a tubist, or simply a tuba player. In a British brass band or military band, they are known as bass players.