Fun Facts
- The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched instrument in the brass family.
- If you uncurled all the tubing inside a tuba, it would stretch between 16 to 18 feet long. That’s longer than most cars!
- Because the tuba can weigh up to 30 pounds, musicians almost always play it sitting down with the instrument resting on their lap.
Famous Works
Listen to the Tuba
Every instrument gets its moment to shine! Press a Listen button below and hear what the Tuba can do.
Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (3rd Movement)
ListenThe largest and deepest brass instrument takes a surprisingly nimble solo, playing a minor-key twist on the familiar tune “Frère Jacques.” Its deep, rounded tone gives the nursery rhyme a comically heavy, spooky edge as the funeral march creeps into view.
Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights from Romeo & Juliet
ListenThe tuba anchors the massive, crushing chords that drive this famous movement. Its dark, heavy pulse gives the music its menacing, ominous stomp, signaling the overwhelming power and strict authority of the rival Capulet family.
