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My first "serious" teacher told me that it's all about the "cash register". He continues working as a successful pro.

well it isnt really low, but last year i was playing ave verum corpus with my quintet, and i had never seen a pedal c. but i found one at the end of it. we didnt perform that piece. lol.

Went out to Pat and Sam's IPS, played some exercises that went down to, where I stopped, a double pedal G... however Pat and Sam went about a 5th below that...

The last two years, we performed (among others) "Chakra" by Maurice Hamers. Featuring numerous not written (but called for) Ab0s. (Yes, on a CC tuba, that´s 2+3 performed upon the "pedal" C 1 1/2 octaves below the staff)

This year, to my increased delight, we have pieces calling for (written) C1s (there are C2s with "8vb" in front of them).
To my increased delight, because I´m the only guy playing a CC tuba, so I´ll be the one with the shortest amount of piping playing those notes. Yeah!!

Well, what about false-tones on euphonium? I personally do not really play euphonium, but I have a student who is a Junior in High School who can play the BBBb on his euphonium. It shocked the living daylights out of me the first time he did that.

Let's see... last summer one community band I am in played Variations on a Shaker Melody by Copland and the version we performed ended on a written double pedal C. We are playing a composition by our assistant director right now that goes down to Db just above double pedal C. I played several arrangements back in college that went down to that same low Db. But on my BBb horns I can play down to Gb below double pedal C and make them sound strong. Low FF is kind if weak though, just too much tubing...

well, not that I've performed it yet, but take a look at the Kraft Encounters II. Got a CC (3 ledger lines under the staff) with 16vb written under it...still workin on that part

Tuba Tiger Rag. With encouragement, double pedal Bb.

On EUPHONIUM I have frequently performed a pedal CC (lowest C on the piano) and a couple times did a BBB-flat below that (which is a false note, but can be semi-convincing).

I decided a person can work those things out after hearing trombonist Bill Watrous perform with our band. He played a diatonic scale down to pedal B-flat on a trombone with no trigger... and it sounded good!!

I can get down below the piano slightly on a good day, but those lower notes are not ready for prime time (yet).

On TUBA (EE-Flat Besson Compensating) I have planted a GGG below the piano for an ending chord foundation once or twice. It sounded pretty good as long as I didn't try to over-blow it.

The lowest note I've ever seen written for tuba was a pedal A in brass band music (concert G).

With a little practice and a lot of loose lip, you can play a scale from pedal Bb on trombone or baritone down an octave or more without using valves or moving the slide. It works on tuba, too, but valves make it easier.

I used to have a stuffy horn in college where the resistance actually helped in getting ridiculous (and musically useless) low notes. I could occasionally work my way down to Eb an octave and a fifth below pedal Bb.

As for how anyone can hear notes that are basically subsonic: first, if you work down to them, the ear adjusts to hearing the harmonics instead of the fundamental, and you can feel the fundamental even if you can't hear it. I've also seen experiments where second harmonics and up were synthesized, and the ear was fooled into hearing the first harmonic even though it wasn't there. The same principle applies to super-pedals. Also, if you hear some of these super-low notes without working down to them, it can be hard to determine the pitch; my ear always had to be primed by working my way down.

The lowest I've seen written for euph in community band:

pedal Bb, the stinger at the end, I think it was Grainger's Children's March,

low C in Holst's 1st Suite,

but I've never been able to play the (just above the pedal range) B in Hazo's Exultate, darn non-comp horn.

The lowest thing I (or the audience) could stand to hear: one of the last licks of Gustav Holst's Jupiter from the Planets. I've played a lot of low stuff, but it's not anything to write home about.

the lowest written note that I have ever seen was in a piece called Textures. I can't remember the composer, but in the 6th tuba part there was a written Ab below the fundamental pedal C. The entire piece was filled with notes below 4th valve G below the staff.

GC wrote:The lowest note I've ever seen written for tuba was a pedal A in brass band music (concert G).

There're now 2 pieces that have BBb Bass treble clef G's (concert F)written, Journey to the Centre of the Earth (Peter Graham) and another that slips my memory! In that piece it's a long note as well!

I think A Night to Sing - B.Tovey has the pedal G on the 2nd Bb part.

NickJones wrote:I think A Night to Sing - B.Tovey has the pedal G on the 2nd Bb part.

Yep, that's the one!

Quicksilvertuba wrote:well, not that I've performed it yet, but take a look at the Kraft Encounters II. Got a CC (2 ledger lines under the staff) with 16vb written under it...still workin on that part

ya working on that one now....

I almost have the uber-C if I pull my 4th slide out about 10 inches

or if I just kinda go "blub blub blub" into the mouthpiece

lowest band piece was an Ewazen piece written for the westpoint band, optional 8Vb tuba part 4 lines or lower (down to Bb repeatedly)

In the Claude T. Smith Eternal Father, the section that is indicated *8vb where possible* goes to a pedal G. That is to say, it is written a G three ledger lines below the staff to be taken down an octave. That's the lowest note I've ever played in performance, at least.

Biggs wrote:In the Claude T. Smith Eternal Father, the section that is indicated *8vb where possible* goes to a pedal G. That is to say, it is written a G three ledger lines below the staff to be taken down an octave. That's the lowest note I've ever played in performance, at least.

i guess i forgot about eternal father, great part, i normally dont play down at the pedal g, because i cant make it sound good, so when my county band played that this spring, i did 8vb where possible, rarely going below pedal c. but that is a fun piece.

Bob1062 wrote:


I haven't played that low Jupiter lick in a long time. That starts on a low Eb, right? I done been listening to a CD to try and get it right. Also a fun workout on my 3 valve euph

yeah if we are talkinga bout the same part, the legato part at the end, it is a D#....same thing, but that part is definatley lots of fun.