BB♭ Sousaphone
B♭3 on the BB♭ Sousaphone
Written B♭3. Tap the diagram to hear it.
B♭3 is an open note on the 8th partial: no valves down, so the lip alone picks the slot. Up here the slots are only a step apart, so hear the note before you play it. This high note is rare in sousaphone parts; reach it with air speed and save your chops for the show.
About this note
B♭3 is an open note on the 8th partial: no valves down, so the lip alone picks the slot. Up here the slots are only a step apart, so hear the note before you play it. This high note is rare in sousaphone parts; reach it with air speed and save your chops for the show.
- Primary fingering: Open (no valves)
- Written pitch: B♭3
- Sounding frequency: 233.08 Hz
- Harmonic partial: 8 — the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure select the partial.
BB♭ Sousaphone fingering data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.