General description
 


The euphonium is not a small and light instrument.

Today we pay much attention to how the tools and equipment we use everyday affect our health and comfort. This is the science of ergonomics. The euphonium, while a marvelous instrument, does pose special ergonomic challenges because of its size and weight. The bigger the horn is or the smaller the player (younger players), the more important ergonomic considerations become.

Today the euphonium is surely one of the heaviest instrumets to be played without any support. No saxophones, bassoons or cellos are held with tense hands during playing. Nowadays even many oboist and clarinetists hold their instruments of a few hundred grams with neckstripe rather than with tense hands.
 
Over the years if the horn is held with statically tensed hands, many players suffer various consequences.
 
First the hand gets tired and stiff. Later one often acquires many kinds of pains in the wrist, arm, elbow, upper arm and shoulder or in the upper back and neck. This can reduce the effectiveness and enjoyment of playing the euphonium..
 
 

It does not have to be like this with the euphonium either!

It is important to feel relaxed and comfortable when making music.The ERGObrass support is specially designed to be a handy medium to enable the player to keep his or her hands and upper body completely relaxed by removing the need for the body to support the weight of the instrument.

Instead, the ERGObrass support will transmit the weight of the horn to the floor or through your belt to your legs!!

Play sitting or play standing. Either way it is always comfortable because your hands and back are relaxed.

Freeing up the upper body can also help the most important aspects of brass playing: breathing and air flow. With ERGObrass support, the only task remaining for the hands is to balance the horn and keep the mouthpiece in the right place and angle for each situation, and then your fingers stay relaxed on the valve triggers. With the weight of the horn taken off the body, the player's touch and feel for playing are improved and stresses are reduced.


 
A plate made of stainless steel is attached near the center of gravity of the horn. The support rod has a special round head. It is put into one of the holes in the plate. There are many holes. You just experiment to find which one gives you the best feel of balance. The floor tube is designed to be used in either sitting or standing position.

Some players like to sit with their back pressed against the backrest. These players can place the support rod on the chair. Now the feel is a little bit different. It is very important that every player experiment with all possible alternatives to find the best and most convenient way to suit their personal needs.

The height adjustment of the instrument is done with a quick turn of the finger screw with your right hand Simply open the screw, adjust the instrument in the desired height and lock up the screw. Nice and quick.

The horn is now floating at the desired height on a smooth spring. Even if the height screw is locked you can easily turn your instrument in any direction at any time. This enables you to play the horn without any tension in hands, shoulder, back or throat - quite a relaxing feeling!



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