BB♭ Tuba

F2 on the BB♭ Tuba

Written F2. Tap the diagram to hear it.

F2
3rd partialBeginner note
Written F2 on the bass staff

Open horn on the 3rd partial, the middle-register anchor. The 3rd partial sits a shade sharp on most tubas, so correct it at the main tuning slide rather than with the lip.

About this note

Open horn on the 3rd partial, the middle-register anchor. The 3rd partial sits a shade sharp on most tubas, so correct it at the main tuning slide rather than with the lip.

  • Primary fingering: Open (no valves)
  • Written pitch: F2
  • Sounding frequency: 87.31 Hz
  • Harmonic partial: 3 — the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure select the partial.

Alternate fingerings for F2

  • 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. A 4th-partial fingering for the same pitch, used for lip-flexibility work; it inherits the sharpness of 1-3.

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.