Tuba is Latin for ‘trumpet’. The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched instrument in the brass family. Sound is produced by vibrating or “buzzing” the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. The Prussian Patent No. 19 was granted for a “basstuba” in 1835. This original tuba used five Berlinerpumpen type valves, the forerunner of the modern piston valve. The addition of valves made it possible to play low in the harmonic series of the instrument and still have a complete selection of notes.
