Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A large brass instrument, similar in range to the tuba, having a flaring bell and a shape adapted to being carried in marching bands.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun music A
valved brass instrument with the same length as atuba , but shaped differently so that thebell is above the head, that the valves are situated directly in front of the musical instruments and a few inches above the waist, and that most of the weight rests on one shoulder.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the lowest brass wind instrument
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It comprises Tom Hagerman, who doubles on violin and keys, including accordion; Shawn King on percussion; and Jeanie Schroder, who holds down the bottom on upright bass and sousaphone.
Bold New Music, Old-World Sound Jim Fusilli 2011
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The new material ought to suit the Orchestra's delightfully eccentric repertoire: On their new eponymous album, released Tuesday, they cover Bjork, Meshuggah, Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa with unbridled enthusiasm and the technical wizardry of a jazz orchestra one that features piccolo, sousaphone and quad tom-toms.
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Phil bumps and pumps with his sousaphone, twisting sideways while simultaneously firing up and down like a piston.
FLY FISHING WITH DARTH VADER MATT LABASH 2010
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Tune In 'Soul Bossa Nostra' featuring Ludacris, Naturally 7 and Rudy Currence 'Ironside' featuring Talib Kweli 'Strawberry Letter 23' featuring Akon I learned to play everything in the brass section — tuba, sousaphone, B-flat trombone.
Whether It's Basie or Snoop, He Still Hears the Big Band Jim Fusilli 2010
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Joining Phil and his sonic boom of a sousaphone is Derrick “Big Sexy” Tabb, who plays with a viciousness that suggests he is skinning a cat, rather than hitting a snare drum.
FLY FISHING WITH DARTH VADER MATT LABASH 2010
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Priya in pink and blue salwar kameez bangles on her arms toned from carrying the sousaphone and frequent trips to the gym.
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Our sousaphone player, John Altieri, is a rare breed, bringing funky bass lines and rapping, too.
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Most of the group's tunes are originals penned by saxophonist Doug Abram; he gets avid, athletic support from Rob Pleshar on sousaphone, Gerald Bailey on trumpet, Andrew Zelm on euphonium, Dersu Burrows on bass drum, and Ehsan Ghoreishi on accordion and daf Persian frame drum.
Robert Rodi: Four Horns, One Siren: Black Bear Combo and the Rebecca Sullivan Quintet Robert Rodi 2010
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There are nine pieces: the central drum, dhol, drumset, percussion, sousaphone and several horns.
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Just bring your tuba, sousaphone or euphonium to the 37th annual TubaChristmas, a mass tooting of the brass instruments; it's open to anyone with the necessary gear.
Getting Up Guide: PWYC for Second City; D.C. history lesson Alex Baldinger 2010
bilby commented on the word sousaphone
"It was a patriotic statement that went a bit too far afield: an attempt to create the 'ultimate picnic burger.' Called the Fourth of July Burger, it was tested last summer at seven locations by the West Coast fast-food chain Carl's Jr. and consisted of a huge beef patty topped with pickles, ketchup, mustard, potato chips, and a hot dog. Stacked high and loaded with fat and calories, it was the food equivalent of the national anthem played through a sousaphone, a perfect distillation of a peculiarly American form of balls-out, postmodern gluttony that, at least outwardly, we're all supposed to be ashamed of right now."
- Joe Keohane, 'Fat Profits', portfolio.com, Feb 2008.
July 1, 2008