A3 on the BB♭ Tuba
To play A3 on tuba, press valve 2.
What’s a partial?
With the same valves down your lips can buzz several notes. Each one is a partial, counted from the lowest. A3 is the 8th.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
Build the slot here before reaching for the top note.
Build the slot here before reaching for the top note.
Sound and display
Next moves
Teaching a class? Class mode keeps Stand mode and Test me on the notes your class is learning.
Same fingering, different note
Your lips choose between these notes: the fingering stays the same.
More for advanced players
Written and sounding pitch, and how the note works
About this note
A3 sounds A3 (the tuba reads at concert pitch). It is on the 8th partial.
Eighth partial with valve 2, a semitone below B♭3. Build the slot here before reaching for the top note.
- Primary fingering: Valves 2
- Written pitch: A3
- Sounding frequency: 220.00 Hz
- Harmonic partial: 8: the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure (the shape of your lips) select the partial.
Questions
How do you play A3 on tuba?
To play A3 on tuba, press valve 2. A3 sounds A3 (the tuba reads at concert pitch). It is on the 8th partial.
Is A3 written or concert pitch?
The name on this page is the written note you read. It sounds A3.
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.