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I've been wondering just how low something has to be to be considered in the "pedal" range.

I've always thought that anything CCC or lower was considered a pedal tone, but I'm not exactly sure about that.
So if anyone could clear that up that would be great,
thanks.

It depends on the brass instrument being played. The "pedal range" are those notes from the fundamental down. On a standard Bb trumpet, for example, the fundamental is Bb on the second line of the bass clef...that note and all below it would be the "pedal range."

I hesitate to use terms like CCC since there are so many different systems of referring to pitches in that manner. On a C tuba, the fundamental is the C one octave below the C two ledger lines below the bass clef staff. That note and all below it would be in the "pedal range" on a C tuba. Adjust accordingly for the other keys of tuba.

It's possible to play things like a "double pedal F" (on a BBb tuba) but they aren't really notes and sound more like a helicopter passing through the bandroom!

dgpretzel wrote:Might you expand a little on this? I'm uncertain of what you mean. Pedal Bb on a BBb tuba is one octave below the Bb that is two ledger lines (+ space) below the staff. So, pedal F would be the F below the pedal Bb (7 ledger lines + space). By 'double pedal F' do you mean an octave below that (11 ledger lines below the staff)???

Yep, that's what he means. Some folks produce such "pitches" simply by tonguing hard and fast (kind of like a machine gun) into the mouthpiece. Try it and see!

Haha, that is correct.

I've always found the bottom range to be very simple since first picking up the intsrument, where as I still struggle on the top.

I can play a scale down to a "double pedal F" and record it if you want, but I'm not too sure what quality a phone microphone will pick up!

I form those notes by pressing my top lip against the very top of the mouthpeice, and then letting by bottom lip "flap".

Referring to:
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

The pedal notes on a BBb horn, tuned to A440, start at 29.14 Hz. If my face and brain are loose, I can play to the 25.96 Hz A-flat and still maintain enough lip flap for the harmonics to be heard. At those frequencies, the harmonics are mostly what get heard. Below that, I usually can't make the lips flap enough for the notes to have any life or much audibility.

One of the pieces we played in Kerkrade this summer called for F#0 extended for several measures.
It took three of us and well organised "breathing schedules" to get these to the audience...

Well You just about guessed it. It´s fun once you get into it, though.
Haven´t had a chance to listen to recordings yet.
I wonder if any of that stuff actually was audible out front.