D2 on the BB♭ Tuba
To play D2 on tuba, press valves 1 + 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. D2 is the 3rd.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
D2 feels slightly stuffier than E♭2 — that is the combination, not your air.
D2 feels slightly stuffier than E♭2 — that is the combination, not your air.
Sound and display
Next moves
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Alternate fingerings for D2
Each alternate has its own link. Send it to a student and the page opens with that fingering on the big diagram.
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
D2 sounds D2 (the tuba reads at concert pitch). It is on the 3rd partial.
Third partial with 1-2, or valve 3 alone as an alternate. D2 feels slightly stuffier than E♭2 — that is the combination, not your air.
- Primary fingering: Valves 1 + 2
- Written pitch: D2
- Sounding frequency: 73.42 Hz
- Harmonic partial: 3: the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure (the shape of your lips) select the partial.
Alternate fingerings for D2
- 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone is the standard substitute for 1-2 and is often smoother in a slurred line.
Questions
How do you play D2 on tuba?
To play D2 on tuba, press valves 1 + 2. D2 sounds D2 (the tuba reads at concert pitch). It is on the 3rd partial.
Is D2 written or concert pitch?
The name on this page is the written note you read. It sounds D2.
Is there another fingering for D2?
3: Valve 3 alone is the standard substitute for 1-2 and is often smoother in a slurred line.
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.