The tuba is best known as a member of the brass family, though it is also known as a wind instrument and an aerophone. It is a rather new instrument as it only first appeared in the mid 1800s. It has the lowest pitch of all the brass instruments and like other brass instruments is played by blowing directly into the mouthpiece through closed lips. This creates the vibration needed to make the sound. What also makes this instrument unique is that there is a record with the exact date that the creators of the instrument granted a patent for it. Apparently, the instrument was first recognized as the tuba on the 12th of September in 1835.
