so next season for marching band im switching from bass clarinet to sousaphone. any suggestions and help are welcome!!!!

you spelled it right. Some advice, PLAY LOUD! Loud Tubas/Sousaphones suprise people. I am not sure if you are using a brass sousaphone or a white fiberglass one. The brass one has a WAY better sound, but it is about twice as heavy, but you will get used to it after a bout a week. The fiberglass one is lighter, but the sound is not as good. I recommend playing a fiberglass one first and as you get used to the weight and your skills improve, use a brass one. You should also try to play a regular concert tuba. I think they sound the best. If you have acess or money for one, try a marching tuba. They look like concert tubas, but the lead pipe (the pipe that connects the mouthpiece with the valves) is shaped different so you can play it on your shoulder, of course it weighs as much as a brass sousaphones. The sousaphones have less resistence since they have nice gentle curves (circles) instead of ovals like in tubas. I am sure you will play a BBb sousaphone which means that every note that you play without the valves will be notes in a Bb major chord (Bb,D, and F). I hope you can read bass clef too and also the tuba and sousaphone are non-transposing. Unlike the bass clarinet which is transposed a second up, the tuba/sousaphone is not. This means on a bass clarinet when you played your C it was really a Bb. On a Tuba/Sousaphone when you play a Bb it is a Bb. Here are the notes and by the way, a sousaphone you use your right hand and use you index, middle, and ring fingers for the valves and 1 is you index, 2 is your middle, and 3 is you ring. 13 means both you index and ring. 0 means no valves are used. The low Bb is the Bb that looks like a low Gb below the staff on the treble clef. To help you remember the notes, draw a treble clef staff and a bass clef staff below it. On the first ledger line below the treble clef staff, draw the note c. On the first ledger line above the bass clef staff, draw a C too. That show you how middle C really works since it is in the middle of the two staffs. Also notes on brass instruments are produced by buzzing and there are partials which are the open notes without valves that you make by changing the opening in your lips. The notes I give you are the real range of the sousaphone/tuba but it CAN be exteneded. Pedal notes (notes that are playable but below the normal range) are easy on the tuba because of the huge mouthpiece and the long tubing. On a 4 valve tuba, you can play down to a B natural using all the valves or a pedal Bb a half step lower on any tuba/sousaphone. Good Luck!

Low notes
E natural 123
F natural 13
F#/Gb 23
G 12 or 3
G#/Ab 1
A 2
A#/Bb 0
C 13
C#/Db 23
D 12 or 3
D#/Eb 1

Middle Notes

E 2
F 0
F#/Gb 23
G 12 or 3
G#/Ab 1
A 2
A#/Bb 0
C 1
C#/Db 2
D 0
D#/Eb 1
E 2

High Notes

F 0
F#/Gb 23
G 12 or 3
G#/Ab 1
A 2
A#/Bb 0

you spelled it right. Some advice, PLAY LOUD! Loud Tubas/Sousaphones suprise people. I am not sure if you are using a brass sousaphone or a white fiberglass one. The brass one has a WAY better sound, but it is about twice as heavy, but you will get used to it after a bout a week. The fiberglass one is lighter, but the sound is not as good. I recommend playing a fiberglass one first and as you get used to the weight and your skills improve, use a brass one. You should also try to play a regular concert tuba. I think they sound the best. If you have acess or money for one, try a marching tuba. They look like concert tubas, but the lead pipe (the pipe that connects the mouthpiece with the valves) is shaped different so you can play it on your shoulder, of course it weighs as much as a brass sousaphones. The sousaphones have less resistence since they have nice gentle curves (circles) instead of ovals like in tubas. I am sure you will play a BBb sousaphone which means that every note that you play without the valves will be notes in a Bb major chord (Bb,D, and F). I hope you can read bass clef too and also the tuba and sousaphone are non-transposing. Unlike the bass clarinet which is transposed a second up, the tuba/sousaphone is not. This means on a bass clarinet when you played your C it was really a Bb. On a Tuba/Sousaphone when you play a Bb it is a Bb. Here are the notes and by the way, a sousaphone you use your right hand and use you index, middle, and ring fingers for the valves and 1 is you index, 2 is your middle, and 3 is you ring. 13 means both you index and ring. 0 means no valves are used. The low Bb is the Bb that looks like a low Gb below the staff on the treble clef. To help you remember the notes, draw a treble clef staff and a bass clef staff below it. On the first ledger line below the treble clef staff, draw the note c. On the first ledger line above the bass clef staff, draw a C too. That show you how middle C really works since it is in the middle of the two staffs. Also notes on brass instruments are produced by buzzing and there are partials which are the open notes without valves that you make by changing the opening in your lips. The notes I give you are the real range of the sousaphone/tuba but it CAN be exteneded. Pedal notes (notes that are playable but below the normal range) are easy on the tuba because of the huge mouthpiece and the long tubing. On a 4 valve tuba, you can play down to a B natural using all the valves or a pedal Bb a half step lower on any tuba/sousaphone. Good Luck!

Low notes
E natural 123
F natural 13
F#/Gb 23
G 12 or 3
G#/Ab 1
A 2
A#/Bb 0
C 13
C#/Db 23
D 12 or 3
D#/Eb 1

Middle Notes

E 2
F 0
F#/Gb 23
G 12 or 3
G#/Ab 1
A 2
A#/Bb 0
C 1
C#/Db 2
D 0
D#/Eb 1
E 2

High Notes

F 0
F#/Gb 23
G 12 or 3
G#/Ab 1
A 2
A#/Bb 0

careful, play longtones before playing loud. If u blast into a song, you will burn ur lips out fast and will harm your bass clarinet embouchure. Be sure to play bass clarinet often as to keep your woodwind embouchure. NEVER play outside your bell, and listen to the pitch in your mind when attempting a note. NEVER SACRIFICE TONE FOR VOLUME. Other than that, you should be good. Best of luck..

hey, im switching from bass clarinet to sousaphone next season too!

I would love to try sousaphone.