Posted by Old Guy on August 08, 2001 at 13:39:48:
In Reply to: sousaphone playing position posted by Zanne on August 07, 2001 at 23:34:08:
So much of what band directors want from bands is consistency, consistency, consistency, and that applies to every aspect of the appearance of a band on the field. Some want the best sound, no matter what, but most want the appearance consistent and don't care if the sound suffers somewhat.
In playing many Sousaphones over the years, I found that every horn has a different "sweet spot" bell position that allows the player to get the strongest sound. Most horns sound and feel best (to me, at least) with the bell rotated slightly to the left, not facing straight forward. However, this is not very attractive, and it channels the sound a bit to the side, not to the front.
Has anyone else ever noticed different response from different bell positions or experimented with it?