G♭3 on the BB♭ Tuba
To play G♭3 on tuba, press valves 2 + 3.
What’s a partial?
With the same valves down your lips can buzz several notes. Each one is a partial, counted from the lowest. G♭3 is the 8th.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
Eighth partial with 2-3, four semitones below B♭3. Valve 1 would land on the unusable 7th partial; up here the lip, not the valve, decides which note comes out.
Eighth partial with 2-3, four semitones below B♭3. Valve 1 would land on the unusable 7th partial; up here the lip, not the valve, decides which note comes out.
Sound and display
Next moves
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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
G♭3 sounds G♭3 (the tuba reads at concert pitch). It is on the 8th partial.
Eighth partial with 2-3, four semitones below B♭3. Valve 1 would land on the unusable 7th partial; up here the lip, not the valve, decides which note comes out.
- Primary fingering: Valves 2 + 3
- Written pitch: G♭3
- Sounding frequency: 185.00 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 G♭3 on tuba?
To play G♭3 on tuba, press valves 2 + 3. G♭3 sounds G♭3 (the tuba reads at concert pitch). It is on the 8th partial.
Is G♭3 written or concert pitch?
The name on this page is the written note you read. It sounds G♭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.