Start with the Instrument, Not the March

Before you think about heel-to-toe or staying in step, get the weight of the instrument working with you rather than against you. A BBb tuba hung from a single neck strap will drag your head forward and collapse your chest within a hundred yards. A proper harness, with straps over both shoulders, and the instrument sitting high enough that the leadpipe comes to your mouth instead of your mouth reaching down for it, changes everything. Adjust those straps standing up, in your marching shoes, with your jacket on — not sitting down in the band room.

Euphonium players should carry the weight under the tubing with the right hand, using the left forearm to steady the instrument, rather than hanging everything from the valve block. Bass trombone players have a different problem: the instrument is long as well as heavy. Let the bell section rest lightly against your shoulder and let the left hand do the holding, so the right hand can move the slide freely without gripping.

Posture That Survives a Two-Mile Route

Good posture is not a stiff back. It is ribs lifted, chin level, shoulders down and back, and your weight balanced over the balls of your feet. The classic tuba habit is to lean back to counterbalance the bell. It feels easier for a moment, but it pushes the hips forward, arches the lower back and squeezes the breathing you are about to need. Keep the instrument close to the body instead, and test yourself: if someone could push you gently at the shoulder without you toppling, you are about right.

Keep the knees soft and the ankles working. Locked knees and a rigid spine turn a parade into an endurance test. It also helps to run through the route in your head beforehand, so you know where the hills, cambers and long halts are coming.

Small Steps, Smooth Corners

Marching with a heavy brass instrument is not about a big stride. Take shorter steps than feel natural, and let the feet land quietly. Shoulders stay square to the front and hips stay level. When you turn a corner, pivot on the ball of the foot and take the whole body round rather than twisting at the waist — twisting under a tuba is where pulled muscles and aching backs come from.

On community routes, watch for kerbs, drain covers, tram lines and wet cobbles. A quick glance down before a turn is not a failure of showmanship; a stumble with a bass trombone is.

Breathing When You Cannot Sit Down

Playing while walking raises your heart rate, so your air needs to be planned rather than snatched. Breathe low, into the ribs and back, and resist the urge to lift the shoulders. Read the march card before you step off and mark your breathing points in pencil.

• Find bars where you can breathe without breaking the shape of the phrase.
• Decide in advance which repeated sections you will play and which you will leave to a colleague.
• Avoid taking a breath at the same moment as a step change or a turn if you can help it.

If a bar is genuinely unplayable while walking, dropping it down an octave or leaving out a single beat is better than a cracked note in the middle of the high street.

A Relaxed Grip Saves Your Hands

Tension travels. White knuckles on a valve block or a slide brace tighten the forearms, which tightens the shoulders, which ruins your breathing. Check yourself every so often as you march: are my shoulders creeping up? Are my fingers clamped? Valve players should keep the wrists straight, and bass trombonists should steer the slide from the wrist and forearm rather than from a clenched fist.

If you can feel your hands going numb, that is a sign the instrument is being held rather than carried. Rebalance it on the harness or the hip and start again.

Practise the March Before You March

• Walk on the spot at home while playing long notes — five minutes a day makes a real difference.
• Rehearse outdoors in full kit at least once before a parade, including your marching shoes.
• Rehearse in formation, not in comfortable rows: practise corner turns, halts and standing at attention.
• Run the trickiest passages of the route's music while marching, not only while seated.
• Build up gradually — half a mile first, then a mile.

Standing still is often harder than the marching itself. Remembrance parades, civic processions and fetes can mean long waits at the halt, so use those moments to rest the instrument on the hip or knee wherever the occasion allows. Wear broken-in shoes, take water, and keep a layer you can shed. If you have two players on a part, agree to rotate so nobody carries the weight for the whole route. Look after the section and the section will look after the music.