BB♭ Sousaphone
B1 on the BB♭ Sousaphone
Written B1. Tap the diagram to hear it.
B1 is the 3rd partial with all three valves, 6 semitones below open F2. All three valves together are the sharpest combination on the horn, so lip it down — sousaphones have no slide triggers, so the lip is the only fix. Keep the sound full and steady; these notes carry the band's bass line.
About this note
B1 is the 3rd partial with all three valves, 6 semitones below open F2. All three valves together are the sharpest combination on the horn, so lip it down — sousaphones have no slide triggers, so the lip is the only fix. Keep the sound full and steady; these notes carry the band's bass line.
- Primary fingering: Valves 1 + 2 + 3
- Written pitch: B1
- Sounding frequency: 61.74 Hz
- Harmonic partial: 3 — 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.