Tuba range
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On a B♭ tuba you start with to , have two octaves, to , after about a year, and three, to , after a few years.
Range at each stage
The order most players learn them in, from our own ten years on B♭ tuba. Counted in years of playing, whatever age you start at. In American schools, band usually starts in 5th or 6th grade.
- First notes
- , , , and . You learn these five together, right at the start.
- First month
- Then upwards: , and , usually within the first month.
- The next months
- Half a step down to , and up to and .
- After a year
- and below, and above. That makes two octaves, to .
- Soon after
- From here everyone goes at their own speed, but most players soon add below and above.
- After a few years
- Down to and up to : three octaves. After that you mostly build consistency and technique.
- Virtuosos
- Some players go above and below , after five years or more. Solo music for tuba reaches from up to , and sometimes beyond.
How tuba music is written
In bass clef, at the pitch you hear, on every type of tuba. So the notes on this page are the notes you read.
Brass bands are the exception: there the B♭ tuba reads treble clef, written two octaves and a step above the sound. The first notes, to , are written to .
Valves and other tubas
With no valve pressed, a B♭ tuba plays , , , and , and the pedal below them. The valves lower these notes to fill the gaps between them.
Three valves reach down to . Below that you need a fourth valve, down to . Many players start on a school tuba with three valves and change to one with four later.
C, E♭ and F tubas are shorter, so their open notes sit higher:
| Tuba | Pedal | Open notes |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ tuba | , , , , | |
| C tuba | , , , , | |
| E♭ tuba | , , , , | |
| F tuba | , , , , |