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Hi guys,

I am learning Eb tuba at school and play in a brass band in which the music is in treble clef. My school music is in bass clef and my music teacher said something about reading it as treble but adding flats to it. Can anyone clarify this?

Conveniently, to read treble clef tuba parts while playing Eb tuba, all you have to do is change the clef to bass and add 3 flats. There is a little more to it (like reading naturals as sharps or flats, depending on key) but that's pretty much the majority of the change.

To read bass clef parts as treble clef E-flat parts, you actually need to CANCEL three flats from the key signature--and if you run out of flats to cancel, add sharps.

For example, bass clef music in the key of B-flat (concert pitch) has two flats in the key signature--cancel out both of those flats and add one sharp, yielding an E-flat treble clef part in the key of G.

This'll get you by for now. Ideally, you'll want to be able to play both clefs natively, without having to perform the mental gymnastics to transform, for example, a written bass clef A into a fingered treble-clef F#.

WC8KCY wrote: This'll get you by for now. Ideally, you'll want to be able to play both clefs natively, without having to perform the mental gymnastics to transform, for example, a written bass clef A into a fingered treble-clef F#.

Thank you, it should do. The thing is I play trumpet and trombone too so changing between things can get confusing especially for valve combinations in bass.

Is reading music for BBb different to Eb and are valve combinations the same?

WC8KCY wrote: This'll get you by for now. Ideally, you'll want to be able to play both clefs natively, without having to perform the mental gymnastics to transform, for example, a written bass clef A into a fingered treble-clef F#.

Thank you, it should do. The thing is I play trumpet and trombone too so changing between things can get confusing especially for valve combinations in bass.

Is reading music for BBb different to Eb and are valve combinations the same?

The valve combinations are the same for trumpet and tuba. For example, with both a trumpet and and Eb tuba, the second line is open and second space is fingered 1 and 2 (assuming Bb concert pitch). I play Eb tuba and Bb treble clef euphonium. I used to play trumpet. So if you approach the music as a trumpet player and you are presented a bass clef tuba part and you have an Eb tuba, you first pretend you are in treble clef. Then you subtract 3 flats from the key signature. (Some would say you add 3 sharps, same thing.) Then you look at the music and look for naturals, flats and sharps written in. You'll have to think about these and resolve them. Then you play the music as if you are playing a trumpet. (I won't get into a 4th and 5th valve).

If you have a BBb tuba, the fingerings are the same pattern, but they are a little different on the music. For the same example as above, the second line is open and second space is fingered 1 (assuming Bb concert pitch). There are a lot of free fingering charts available on line for Eb and BBb tuba which you can use to research this more completely.

I hope this helps.