Sousaphone Fingering Chart (BB♭)

How to read this chart

The three valves are numbered 1 for the one under your index finger, then 2 under the middle finger and 3 under the ring finger — on the sousaphone they are played with the right hand. A filled, dropped cap means press that valve; a pale, raised cap means leave it up. No caps down is an open note.

The same fingering appears at several pitches, and that is not a mistake. Valves only choose how long the tube is; which note of that tube sounds is set by the harmonic partial your air and lips find. Every note on this chart is tagged with its partial as well as its valves.

Concert pitch in bass clef

Sousaphone parts are written in bass clef at concert pitch: written B♭ sounds B♭, so the band's concert B♭ scale is your B♭ scale. There is nothing to transpose, which is why the chart shows a single pitch for every note.

Playing it on the move

The notes and fingerings are the tuba's, but marching changes how you get them. Breathe before the phrase rather than during it, because a step can knock a breath short. Keep the mouthpiece angle set so you are not chasing it with your head, and let the instrument's weight sit on your shoulder rather than your left hand, so the right hand stays loose on the valves.

Full sousaphone fingering chart — all notes

Concert pitch in bass clef, low E1 to B♭3, chromatically — the range most marching parts use. Every fingering matches the BB♭ tuba chart.

The same chart, written out

Every fingering in words — handy for copying into lesson notes, and it reads aloud properly on a screen reader.

Why the same valves play different notes

A three-valve sousaphone has seven valve combinations — open, 2, 1, 1-2 (or 3), 2-3, 1-3 and 1-2-3 — and each one is a complete harmonic series. With no valves down it plays B♭1, F2, B♭2, D3, F3 and B♭3: one fingering, several notes, chosen by air speed and lip aperture.

From any open note, valve 2 lowers it a semitone, valve 1 a whole step, 1-2 or 3 a minor third, 2-3 a major third, 1-3 a fourth and 1-2-3 a tritone. The 5th partial sits flat on every valved brass instrument, and 1-3 and 1-2-3 run sharp because each valve's tubing is cut to be right on its own, not in combination.

So when a note will not come out, ask which is wrong: the valves, or the slot your lips are aiming for. It is usually the slot, and the fix is hearing the pitch before you play it — not pressing harder.

Alternate BB♭ sousaphone fingerings

Alternates aren’t “better” fingerings — each one earns its place in a specific musical situation. Select any of these notes in the chart above and switch variants to compare them.

• G1 (G1) — 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone lowers the same minor third as 1-2 and often sits truer in tune this low.
• D2 (D2) — 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone is the standard substitute for 1-2 and is often smoother in a slurred line.
• E2 (E2) — 1-2-3: Valves 1 + 2 + 3. Reaches the same pitch from the 4th partial; much sharper, so it is kept for trills and awkward slurs.
• F2 (F2) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. A 4th-partial fingering for the same pitch, used for lip-flexibility work; it inherits the sharpness of 1-3.
• G2 (G2) — 3: Valves 3. The usual alternate — same minor third, same slot; it saves a finger move in a chromatic run.
• A♭2 (A♭2) — 1-2-3: Valves 1 + 2 + 3. Reaches the same pitch from the 5th partial; sharp and unwieldy, so a trill fingering only.
• A2 (A2) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. The same pitch off the 5th partial, used for trills; sharp like every 1-3 fingering.
• B♭2 (B♭2) — 2-3: Valves 2 + 3. A 5th-partial fingering for the same pitch, useful where an open note would break a slur.
• B2 (B2) — 3: Valves 3. The common substitute for 1-2 in this register; often easier to slur into and out of.
• C3 (C3) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. Reaches C3 from the 6th partial instead of the 5th; useful for avoiding a flat 5th-partial slot.
• D♭3 (D♭3) — 2-3: Valves 2 + 3. A 6th-partial fingering for the same note, a standard substitute when it is approached from above.
• D3 (D3) — 1-2: Valves 1 + 2. Places D3 on the 6th partial rather than the flat 5th — a trill and flexibility fingering.
• F3 (F3) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. The same pitch off the 8th partial; a flexibility fingering, sharp like all 1-3 combinations.
• G3 (G3) — 3: Valves 3. The standard 1-2 substitute; many players prefer its security this high.

Fingerings to avoid

These sound roughly the right note but badly out of tune. They are listed so you can recognize them, not so you can use them.

• A♭3 (A♭3) — Open (7th partial): Open (no valves). The open 7th partial sounds roughly this pitch but about a third of a semitone flat; listed for reference only, not as a usable fingering.

Common sousaphone fingering mistakes

• Breathing on the step. A breath taken mid-step is shallow. Plan breaths into the music and take them before the phrase starts.
• Letting the mouthpiece angle drift. If the horn shifts on your shoulder you end up playing off-center; set the angle before you step off and check it at every halt.
• Not hearing sharp low notes. 1-3 and 1-2-3 run sharp, and sousaphones have no slide triggers, so lip those notes down.

Frequently asked questions