What is my pitch?

[Mr Mark]

Hello everyone,

New to this forum, not so much to the tuba - however at least 25 years have passed since I last was playing one full on (Jr/Sr high) so there is definitely a healthy buildup of tarnish that has occurred within myself since last playing!

I had the opportunity to purchase one on the (extremely) cheap a couple months ago and couldn't pass it up. Somewhere along the way I have also managed to pickup a front bell facing King baritone (also on the cheap) but I can tell the baritone is definitely a better quality instrument overall than the tuba, despite the cheap.

Doesn't matter, I'm still playing the beans out of it, and love it. Even though it is a real struggle - my lips are out of shape, the giant 'stach doesn't help, and the tuba has some rough bits (and only one leaky water key so I'm always rotating the instrument to drain it on the floor). I'm going to have to give it a good cleaning, hopefully that helps some. Maybe another mouthpiece. The D3 ,Eb3 and E3 are a real struggle in particular even though I can hit a few notes above them no problem and of course a lot of notes below.

So my question is, what pitch of Tuba is this? I'm having a hard time with all I have read figuring that out. It is a Huttl 800 (Regd Western Germany), 3 valve with 17" bell. It stands 3' tall. Measuring the length of tubing from bell to valves measures approximately 173" and from mouthpiece to valves approximately 36" (total 209"). Bb? C? Eb? F? Does it matter? I just want to be using the right fingerings . It also wouldn't hurt to know what it is I am actually playing ha.

I do know I will eventually require a better tuba, but in the meantime this will do. Hope to learn a thing or two around here, thanks for looking in the meantime!

[Matt G]

Based on your data, it’s likely BBb. First valve slide loop looks pretty darn long, as that’s my reference.

[Three Valves]

Like it!!

[TubaBeage]

A 440is Hz Bb tuba is 18' long. So 209/12 = 17' 5", add on another 6" across the valve block and a bit for tuning and there it is.

Now get your electronic tuner out and it will tell you!

[Donn]

electronic tuner

... if you have a reasonably modern cellular phone of the kind that runs "apps", you can get one for free that will serve as a tuner. There are lots of them, the one I use is called "G String" or something like that.

[Rick Denney]

A 440is Hz Bb tuba is 18' long. So 209/12 = 17' 5", add on another 6" across the valve block and a bit for tuning and there it is.

Now get your electronic tuner out and it will tell you!

Also add the bell effect, which makes the effective length longer than the physical length.

Rick “not getting into the change in the speed of sound throughout the bugle” Denney

[Matt G]

The bell flare impact on the impedance drop is kinda clear to me. Where is the change in velocity of the medium coming from (assuming the instrument is of uniform internal temperature)?

Curious. If you have a reference, I’ll be happy to read it on my own.

[Mr Mark]

Bb is what I was thinking and have been fingering. From the first two replies, are you two referencing the same thing (Bb and BBb)?

A 440is Hz Bb tuba is 18' long. So 209/12 = 17' 5", add on another 6" across the valve block and a bit for tuning and there it is.

Now get your electronic tuner out and it will tell you!

I have an App called Vitaltuner which is pretty good...it reads in cents and frequency...I have been using it as I play to ensure I am playing the reasonably right notes/octaves until I am better familiar with things. What am I looking for? FWIW I have printed out a BBb tuba fingering chart that ranges from E1 (41Hz) to Bb3 (233Hz)...and comfortably I can go from A1-Db3...although the C2 and Db2 notes are really weak for some reason (3rd valve tube has some serious dents - I hope there isn't a dead rodent in there). Eb3 and E3 are a real struggle period.

A 440is Hz Bb tuba is 18' long. So 209/12 = 17' 5", add on another 6" across the valve block and a bit for tuning and there it is.

Now get your electronic tuner out and it will tell you!

Also add the bell effect, which makes the effective length longer than the physical length.

Rick “not getting into the change in the speed of sound throughout the bugle” Denney

The bell flare impact on the impedance drop is kinda clear to me. Where is the change in velocity of the medium coming from (assuming the instrument is of uniform internal temperature)?

Curious. If you have a reference, I’ll be happy to read it on my own.

I'm down for a good read also, but I think I'm getting some gists here.

[Donn]

Bb is what I was thinking and have been fingering. From the first two replies, are you two referencing the same thing (Bb and BBb)?

BBb is the sort of official English name of the Bb below the bass staff - in that naming convention where the letters are doubled, for the notes down to the C below. Bb is the Bb in the staff; above the staff it's bb. No one really cares about this, and furthermore we're not really capable of using double letters for one type of contrabass tuba and single for the other, so we insist on CC where the note in question is actually C. The English (who call the alto horn a "tenor" horn) are similarly unable to use a single letter for an Eb tuba if it's a big one, so that becomes an EEb.

I have an App called Vitaltuner which is pretty good...it reads in cents and frequency...I have been using it as I play to ensure I am playing the reasonably right notes/octaves until I am better familiar with things. What am I looking for?

I think you've already found it. If you somehow had bought yourself a "CC" tuba, the notes off that fingering chart would come out different on your tuba - "Bb" would sound a C, "F" a G, etc.

[marccromme]

...oh, and - to add to all of the previous helpful tips - don't forget the Doppler effect, as well as that Einsteinian "going back in time" thing, too (which probably also has an effect on pitch).

Now you are kidding. Nowbody moves fast enough with a tuba for the Doppler effect to take place.

More important is the increased sound speed by thinner air due to alcoholcs intake, or playing at third floor !

[Mr Mark]

Usually by the end of any practice session there are plenty of dopplers going off in my head. I will have to assume this has something to do with the exponentially increasing airtake/exhaust ratio I really need to get under control, although it is a cool kind of effect. Runners high? And while I am high, I have definitely noticed the time dilation phenomenomnom. Who needs a metronome, that would just confuse things with a rather frank and sober reality. I don't know frank but Ill probably keep it that way, I have enough trouble with the doppler guy.

I wonder how good you could be hooked up to an oxygen tank with one of these.