Euphonium and baritone horn for kids: how they work

The euphonium and the baritone horn are brass instruments with valves. Both look like small tubas, and both play in the same range as the trombone. The euphonium has a wider tube and a dark, round sound. The baritone horn has a narrower tube and a lighter sound. Both are band instruments first, and guests in the orchestra.

Quick facts

	Euphonium	Baritone horn
Family	Brass	Brass
Tube	About nine feet, wide, and growing wider along most of its length	About nine feet, and narrower
Bell	Large	Smaller
Valves	Three or four	Three
Sound	Dark, warm, and round	Lighter and brighter
Found in	Concert bands and brass bands	Brass bands and some school bands
The name	From a Greek word for “sweet-voiced”	Named for the baritone, a middle-low singing voice

How they work

The player buzzes the lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. The buzz sets the air in the tube vibrating. Pressing a valve sends the air through an extra loop of tube, and the note drops. Read brass instruments for kids.

The tube is the same length as a trombone’s, so the notes are the same. The shape is what changes the sound. A tube that keeps widening gives a soft-edged, mellow tone. That is why a euphonium does not sound like a trombone, even on the same note.

Many euphoniums have a fourth valve. It reaches lower notes and helps to keep certain notes in tune.

How to tell them apart

• Look at the size. A euphonium is fatter, with a bigger bell.
• Count the valves. Four valves point to a euphonium. Three valves could be either.
• Listen. The euphonium sounds darker and rounder. The baritone sounds closer to a trombone.

In North American schools, people often use the two names for the same instrument. A school “baritone” may be a small euphonium. In a British-style brass band, the two are separate, with two baritones and two euphoniums, and each has its own part.

Two ways to read the music

Music for these instruments comes in two forms.

Clef	Who uses it	Why
Bass clef	Players who began on the trombone or the tuba, and most concert band parts	The notes sound as they are written
Treble clef	Players who began on the trumpet, and brass band parts	The fingerings match the trumpet’s, so a trumpet player can switch with no new fingerings to learn

Ask the band teacher which one your child is learning. A book in the wrong clef will not match the fingerings. Read transposing instruments explained.

Their job

In a concert band, the euphonium is a leading voice. It plays tunes, and it plays second tunes that weave under the main one. It also joins the tubas on the bass line. Read band vs. orchestra.

In a brass band, the euphonium is a star soloist.

In a marching band, players switch to a marching baritone, which points forward. Read marching band for kids.

In an orchestra, there is no regular seat for one. When a composer asks for a “tenor tuba,” a euphonium player comes in for that piece.

Pieces to hear

Second Suite in F for band, first movement, by Holst. After the opening march, the euphonium plays a long, singing solo. Read Holst for kids.

“Mars,” from The Planets, by Holst. A tenor tuba calls out a solo over the hammering rhythm. Read The Planets guide.

“The Stars and Stripes Forever,” by Sousa. In the last section, the low brass play a bold second tune under the main one. The euphoniums are part of it.

“The Ox Cart,” from Pictures at an Exhibition, by Mussorgsky. Ravel wrote this solo for a high tuba, and some orchestras give it to a euphonium. Read the Pictures at an Exhibition guide.

Starting to play

Children often start at about ten, when school band begins. A euphonium is lighter than a tuba, and it needs less air.

It is a common instrument to switch to. Trumpet players move down to it, and it is a step on the way to the tuba. Read the tuba for kids.

Schools often own euphoniums and lend them to students. Bands tend to have fewer players on it than on the trumpet or the flute, so a child who picks it is often welcome. Read how to choose a band instrument for your child.

Things to do together

Same note, new sound. Find a trombone solo and a euphonium solo. Listen for which has the harder edge and which is rounder.

Find the second tune. Play a Sousa march. Hum the main tune, and then listen under it for the low brass.

Count the valves. In a band video, find the euphoniums beside the tubas. Count the valves on one.

Buzz. Press the lips together and blow until they buzz. Make the buzz slide higher and lower.

Print and play

Print the instrument families listening chart. Read band instruments for kids: the full list and the trombone for kids.