How to play low notes on tuba

This guide is for the BB♭ tuba (often just called B♭ tuba), the kind most school bands use. E♭, F, and C tubas use different fingerings for the same notes.

Low notes are what the tuba is for, and they're also where a beginner's sound often turns fuzzy, flat, or flabby. Clear low notes don't come from blowing harder. They come from more space in your mouth, warm, steady air, and corners that stay put. This guide covers what usually changes as you go lower and a routine to build your low range a little at a time.

What changes as you go lower

Lower notes vibrate more slowly, so your lips vibrate more slowly too: looser in the middle, with more room to move. Your lips and the air inside the tuba work together to settle on each note. Four things usually change together:

• More space: your jaw drops a little and your teeth open.
• Warm air that keeps moving all the way through the note.
• Firm corners, so the bigger opening doesn't fall apart.
• A relaxed buzz that's allowed to get low and loose.

Drop your jaw

The lower the note, the more room your lips need inside the mouthpiece. Let your jaw drop a little more for each lower note, as if your mouth is shaping "oh," then "aw."

• Move the jaw, not the mouthpiece. Keep the rim in the same place on your lips while the jaw goes down.
• Check in a mirror. You should see your chin move down a little as you go lower.
• Don't overdo it. If the note goes flat and dull, check whether you've dropped too far. Come back up a little until it centers.

Warm, steady air

Low notes don't need more force. They need air that keeps moving, so take a full, comfortable breath before each one.

• Think warm air. Many players find it helps to blow like fogging a window. If the note keeps jumping up, try relaxing instead of pushing harder.
• Keep it moving. The air should never stop or sag. When the air fades, a low note can turn flabby.
• Breathe more often. Low notes can use up your air quickly. Plan extra breaths.

Keep the corners firm

As the jaw drops, the corners of your mouth can start to let go. When that happens, air may leak, the buzz can get fuzzy, and the note may spread. Hold the corners where they are for "mmm," and let only the middle of your lips relax.

• Watch for puffy cheeks. If your cheeks puff out, check your corners first. Firm them up and see whether your cheeks settle.
• Buzz on the mouthpiece alone and slide down slowly. If the buzz turns to air at the bottom, firm the corners and try again.

Lip slurs downward

Slurring down from a note you already play well is a good way to find low notes. You start with a good sound and carry it lower. Keep the valves the same and change only your jaw, air, and buzz.

• Hold the bottom note for 4 counts. It should sound as clear as the top one.
• Continue the pattern with 1-2, 2-3, 1-3, and 1-2-3 as your low range grows.
• Rest between patterns. Low playing tires your lips too.

Using the 4th valve

On a 3-valve tuba, low C and low F use 1-3, and low B and low E use 1-2-3. Those combinations tend to run sharp. A 4th valve usually tunes them better and adds the notes below low E:

The notes below low E vary in tune from tuba to tuba, and the lowest C (1-2-3-4) tends to run sharp. Check each one with a tuner and lip it into place. Ask your teacher whether your tuba has slides you can adjust for these notes. For more, see the 4th valve on euphonium and tuba.

Common low-note problems

More than one of these can happen at once. Change one thing at a time and listen for a difference.

A gradual range routine

Five minutes a day, after your warm-up. Stop as soon as the sound gets worse.

• 1 minute: long, slow mouthpiece sirens, sliding down as low as the buzz stays clear.
• 2 minutes: the downward lip slurs above, as far down the pattern as you can go cleanly.
• 2 minutes: long tones by half steps from F below the staff down to your lowest clear note, with a drone or tuner.

When your lowest note sounds clear and feels comfortable, with a sound close to your F, add the next half step down. Then check your low notes in Play the Note in Brass Trainer with the range set to Advanced.