The helicon is a
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
in the
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...
family. Most are B basses, but they also commonly exist in E, F, and tenor sizes, as well as other types to a lesser extent.
The
sousaphone
The sousaphone ( ) is a brass musical instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J.W. Pepper & Son, J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was design ...
is a specialized version of the helicon. The first sousaphone, a non-production prototype made by
J. W. Pepper & Son, Inc., had an upright bell, hence the nickname "rain catcher" because of its shape. Later production versions differ primarily in two ways: a bell shaped to face forward with a larger flare and a bell diameter of , and a "goose-neck"
leadpipe which offers greater adjustability of mouthpiece position at the expense of tone quality. Both the sousaphone and helicon have a wide and roughly-circular shape leaving a large empty area in the center, and are designed to be worn around the player's body, with the inside of the coil resting on the shoulder.
The instrument is very popular in Central and Eastern Europe and is a common instrument for a
military band
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...
and a
mounted band. It is used by Ed Neuhauser of the traditional folk band
Bellowhead.
The range of the B helicon is two octaves below that of a B
cornet
The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...
,
thus similar to the more common B bass tuba (though generally without the additional valves and other optional features sometimes seen on tubas, meaning that a few notes in the lowest range are unavailable on the helicon).
History
The helicon is derived from the
saxhorn,
or the
saxtuba.
Helicons were first used in the 1860s in cavalry and artillery
mounted bands, then later used in military marching bands.
Helicon family
The Slovenian composer
Igor Krivokapič invented a new family of Helicons which were produced by the German manufacturer
Melton:
*
Soprano in E
* Alto in B
* Tenor in E
* Baritone in B
* Bass in F (or EE)
* Contrabass in BB (or CC)
File:Joueur.jpg, Two musicians playing helicons.
File:Philip Timms Helicon E flat bass 1909 18552.jpg, Philip Timms with his E bass helicon in 1909
References
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Brass instruments