BB♭ Tuba

A♭3 on the BB♭ Tuba

Written A♭3. Tap the diagram to hear it.

A♭3
8th partial
Written A♭3 on the bass staff

Eighth partial with valve 1. Blowing harder will not find this note; a faster airstream behind a firmer aperture will.

About this note

Eighth partial with valve 1. Blowing harder will not find this note; a faster airstream behind a firmer aperture will.

  • Primary fingering: Valves 1
  • Written pitch: A♭3
  • Sounding frequency: 207.65 Hz
  • Harmonic partial: 8 — the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure select the partial.

Alternate fingerings for 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.

BB♭ Tuba 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.