The world's largest tuba
Measuring an impressive 2.05 metres and weighing in at 50kg, the world's largest tuba is being displayed in Frankfurt in April. If you can't make it to Germany, we've got pictures of the amazing brass instrument!
-
1. How to play to world's largest tuba
Craftsman Hartmut Geilert demonstrates how to play the world's largest tuba. The dimensions of a normal tuba are doubled, so it takes a great deal of power to produce a note.
-
2. Adjusting the valves
Musical instrument craftsman Manfred Paulus adjusts the valves of the world's largest tuba ahead of its display at the Musikmesse festival in Frankfurt.
-
3. Fully functional
Despite its mammoth size, the tuba is fully functional. In 2012, professor Jörg Wachsmuth, a solo tuba player in the Dresden Philharmonic, recorded the fastest ever performance of the Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov on the instrument.
-
4. 50 kilograms
The instrument is more than two metres high, and weighs an impressive 50 kilograms. Not the easiest of instruments to transport to rehearsals...
-
5. Large case
Moving the world's largest tuba is no mean feat, and requires two people to pack it away in a special case.
-
-
6. World's largest violin
The tuba is currently housed at the Musikinstrumenten-Museum - along with the world's largest playable violin!
-
7. Extra large sheet music
Last year, visitors to the Musikmesse trade fair were wowed by the world's largest violin, which measures 4.27 metres tall. And extra-large instruments need extra-large music - you can see it against the wall behind the tuba.
-
8. Moving to Frankfurt
Musical instrument craftsmen Michael Geilert and Manfred Paulus prepare the tuba for its journey to Frankfurt, where it will be displayed as part of the Musikmesse festival.
-
9. Double the size
The instrument was created by 20 different companies in Markneukirchen, Germany, a town known for its exceptional musical instrument production. The valves are double the size of a normal tuba's valves.
