<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The tuba (UK: / ˈtjuːbə / or US: / ˈtuːbə /; Italian pronunciation: (ˈtuːba)) is the largest and lowest - pitched musical instrument in the brass family . Like all brass instruments, sound is produced by moving air past the lips, causing them to vibrate or "buzz" into a large cupped mouthpiece . It first appeared in the mid 19th - century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band . The tuba largely replaced the ophicleide . Tuba is Latin for' trumpet' . </P> <P> In America, a person who plays the tuba is known as a tubaist or tubist . In the United Kingdom, a person who plays the tuba in an orchestra is known simply as a tuba player; in a brass band or military band, they are known as bass players . </P>

The tuba is a member of what instrument family