Tuba

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General Information

There's no mistaking the sound of the tuba. Its full, round tone provides a solid foundation for the orchestra. Based on the tuba's sound alone, it could be considered a bass French horn. Unlike the brassier sounding trumpets and trombones, the tuba - like the French horn - has a smooth tonal quality. While its main function is to provide a bass foundation, it performs other duties as well. Let's take a look at the many roles of the tuba.

Notation

With few exceptions, there is only one tuba per orchestra. The tuba is notated at concert pitch. In orchestral scores, it either has a stave of its own or is coupled with the bass trombone.

Range

The range of the tuba varies, depending on the player. A very safe range for the tuba would be from F1 (two octaves plus a perfect 5th below Middle C) up to F4 (the first F above Middle C).

  An experienced tuba player can not only extend the upper range, but the lower range as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concert Pitch

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