Fingerings for the original Wieprecht tuba
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:39 am
I spent a lot of 2023 in archives and found a document, written by Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht in 1835 (same year he invented the tuba). It describes the fingerings for his tuba, and I suspect this may be the very first tuba fingering chart. I thought it might be nice to share:
In summary, Wieprecht developed the tuba so that a valve combination could be used to access all 12 notes of the scale in the second partial. These valve combinations were:
Heinrich Stozel invented the first valve in 1814 and used it in a 2-valve configuration on his horn, then quickly adapted it for the trumpet. The two valve configuration was the main brass configuration until Francois Perinet developed today's 3-valve system in 1829. The two valve system was:
Wieprecht introduces the concept of a "2nd mother-tone", by using the fifth valve to lower the tuba by a fourth to get C. He then repeats the two-valve concept with the 3rd and 4th valve lowering the pitch from C by a half, and full tone. You could call these valves the long-whole-tone and a long-half-tone. Wieprecht's 5-valve configuration is therefore:
In summary, Wieprecht developed the tuba so that a valve combination could be used to access all 12 notes of the scale in the second partial. These valve combinations were:
- F2: open
- E2: 1
- Eb2: 2
- D2: 1+2
- Db2: 1+2+4
- C2: 5
- B1: 5+4
- Bb1: 5+3
- A1: 5+4+3
- Ab1: 5+4+3+2
- G1: 5+4+3+1
- Gb1: 5+4+3+2+1
Heinrich Stozel invented the first valve in 1814 and used it in a 2-valve configuration on his horn, then quickly adapted it for the trumpet. The two valve configuration was the main brass configuration until Francois Perinet developed today's 3-valve system in 1829. The two valve system was:
- Whole tone below the mother-tone
- Half tone below the mother-tone
Wieprecht introduces the concept of a "2nd mother-tone", by using the fifth valve to lower the tuba by a fourth to get C. He then repeats the two-valve concept with the 3rd and 4th valve lowering the pitch from C by a half, and full tone. You could call these valves the long-whole-tone and a long-half-tone. Wieprecht's 5-valve configuration is therefore:
- Half tone below F (mother tone)
- Whole tone below F (mother tone)
- Whole tone below C (2nd mother tone)
- Half tone below C (2nd mother tone)
- Fourth below F (C, the 2nd mother tone)
- F2: in-tune
- E2: in-tune
- Eb2: in-tune
- D2: 11 cents sharp
- Db2: 2 cents flat
- C2: in-tune
- B1: in-tune
- Bb1: in-tune
- A1: 11 cents sharp
- Ab1: 19 cents flat
- G1: 147 cents sharp
- Gb1: 122 cents sharp