Tuba Fingering Chart
An interactive tuba fingering chart for the BBb tuba: tap any bass clef note from E1 to F4 to see which valves to press, with a 4-valve view that reaches lower.
Tap a note on the staff or the keys. ← → step, Space plays.
Keys 1 to 4 answer.
How to use the tuba fingering chart
A tuba fingering chart shows which valves to press for each note, and this one is a BBb tuba fingering chart for the big contrabass tuba in Bb, covering the tuba notes from E1 to F4 in bass clef, with a 3-valve view and a 4-valve view that reaches down to B0. Tap a note on the bass clef staff or the piano strip and the diagram shows the valves: filled circles are pressed, numbered from the mouthpiece side. Choose 3 valves or 4 valves to match your instrument; the 4-valve view extends the chart down to B0 and adds fingerings that use the fourth valve. A BBb sousaphone has the same tube length as a BBb tuba, so this is also a sousaphone fingering chart, and most modern sousaphones have three valves, so start with the 3-valve view if you march.
← → step through the notes, Space plays the selected one, Print chart prints the whole range, and Quiz shows a fingering and asks for the note (keys 1 to 4).
The harmonic series of a BBb tuba
With no valves pressed, the lips select notes from one harmonic series. The fundamental of a BBb tuba is Bb0, the pedal, and the first open notes above it are spread wide apart, which is why the low register needs so many valve combinations. Higher up the partials crowd together and several fingerings play the same note.
| Partial | Open note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb0 |
| 2 | Bb1 |
| 3 | F2 |
| 4 | Bb2 |
| 5 | D3 |
| 6 | F3 |
| 7 | Ab3 |
| 8 | Bb3 |
| 9 | C4 |
| 10 | D4 |
| 12 | F4 |
Valve 2 lowers an open note by a semitone, valve 1 by a whole tone, valve 3 by three semitones and valve 4 by a perfect fourth (five semitones). This is how the 3-valve standard fingerings map onto the chart:
| Valves | Lowers the open note by | Written notes with this standard fingering |
|---|---|---|
| Open | 0 semitones | Bb1 F2 Bb2 D3 F3 Bb3 C4 D4 F4 |
| 2 | 1 semitone | A1 E2 A2 Db3 E3 A3 B3 Db4 E4 |
| 1 | 2 semitones | Ab1 Eb2 Ab2 C3 Eb3 Ab3 Eb4 |
| 1-2 | 3 semitones | G1 D2 G2 B2 G3 |
| 2-3 | 4 semitones | Gb1 Db2 Gb2 Gb3 |
| 1-3 | 5 semitones | F1 C2 |
| 1-2-3 | 6 semitones | E1 B1 |
What the fourth valve adds
Switch to 4 valves and the page becomes a 4 valve tuba fingering chart. On a 3-valve tuba the lowest note before the pedal range is E1, fingered 1-2-3, and that combination is sharp. The fourth valve replaces 1-3 (as 4) and 1-2-3 (as 2-4) with better-tuned fingerings, and lets you continue down chromatically to the pedal. The table compares the lowest notes:
| Note | 3 valves | 4 valves (compensating) |
|---|---|---|
| B0 | not playable | 1-2-3-4 |
| C1 | not playable | 1-3-4 |
| Db1 | not playable | 2-3-4 |
| D1 | not playable | 1-2-4 |
| Eb1 | not playable | 1-4 |
| E1 | 1-2-3 | 2-4 or 1-2-3 |
| F1 | 1-3 | 4 or 1-3 |
The 4-valve column follows a compensating tuba. On a non-compensating instrument, combinations with the fourth valve come out sharp, so the source chart gives different fingerings for C1 to Eb1 (for example 1-2-3-4 for C1); the tool shows those in the note text when 4 valves is on.
Tubas in other keys
Tubas are built in four common pitches: BBb and CC contrabass tubas, and Eb and F bass tubas. The written note is the same for all of them, but the fingering is not: this chart is only right for a BBb tuba (and a BBb sousaphone). If you play a CC or F tuba, the open notes move and the fingerings change with them. In orchestras and American bands tuba parts are written at concert pitch in bass clef; British brass bands write tuba in treble clef as a transposing part.
Practice tips
Play long tones on the open Bb1, F2 and Bb2 before moving down to the valve notes. Check tuning on the tuner, especially on 1-3 and 1-2-3, keep time with the metronome, and learn the ledger lines below the staff on the bass clef notes page. The other brass charts: trumpet fingering chart, trombone slide chart, French horn fingering chart, euphonium fingering chart and mellophone fingering chart.
More for tuba: Tuba Tuner
Questions
What is the lowest note on a 3-valve tuba?
On a BBb tuba with three valves the chart starts at E1, fingered 1-2-3 (or 2-4 with a fourth valve). Below that only pedal tones remain unless you have a fourth valve.
Is tuba music transposed?
Not in bands and orchestras: tuba parts are written at concert pitch in bass clef. British brass bands use treble clef parts instead.
Do sousaphones use the same fingerings as tubas?
A BBb sousaphone uses the same fingerings as a BBb tuba. Most sousaphones have three valves, so use the 3-valve view.
What does the fourth valve on a tuba do?
It lowers the pitch by a perfect fourth. It replaces sharp combinations like 1-3 and 1-2-3 and extends the range down toward the pedal Bb.
Why do some notes have several fingerings?
In the upper register the partials are close together, so more than one valve combination lands on the same note. Pick the one that is best in tune on your tuba.