Bb Tuba
Hello there,
When I take as an instrument in my score the Bb Tuba in treble clef (the part is in Eb) than I get 1 flat. But when I chose the Bb Tuba in bass clef I get 3 flats. How does this work?
Jorn Ooink
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Comments
Concert Pitch?
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/concert-pitch
The Tuba in Bb is named wrong in MuseScore. It should be called BBb Tuba which is written in the same key as a Tuba in the key of C, which is the most common. The treble clef Bb Tuba notation is played on the same instrument as the BBb Tuba, but has been transposed to make it easier for a trumpet player to learn how to play it.
Edit: There do seem to be bass clef Bb tubas and the naming gets rather confusing. When I played the Tuba, I would get BBb tuba music that was written in concert pitch like a tuba in C. It does seem that there is music written for the BBb tuba that is written for a transposing Tuba in Bb. I think it would be best if the developers change the Bb tuba to a transposing instrument to keep the difference clear.
In reply to The Tuba in Bb is named… by mike320
What is wrong about Bb Tuba and right about BBb Tuba?
In reply to What is wrong about Bb Tuba… by Jojo-Schmitz
@Jojo, I was editing while you were responding.
In reply to @Jojo, I was editing while… by mike320
It is still unclear to me what BBb Tuba is supposed to be, I.e. what that additional B should mean. Not Bass, right? Because then it would be B. Bb Tuba. But Tuba is always Bass... (actually even Contrabass)
In reply to It is still unclear to me… by Jojo-Schmitz
According the the Wikipedia page Shoichi referenced, it's an old naming convention to show how low it was. They apparently also called the C tuba the CC tuba, but I don't remember having seen this before.
I think my experience shows an anomaly of history, and making it so it's not confusing to the majority of users is the way to go. Make the BBb tuba transposing.
In reply to It is still unclear to me… by Jojo-Schmitz
Wagner called it "kontrabasstuba"
My experience is similar to Mike320
When I played it in junior high it was called "double b flat tuba" perhaps to differenciate it from the tenor B flat tuba. The BBflat tuba is generally used in brass bands. Its marching band counterpart , the sousaphone, is also a double Bflat instrument, also (mercifully) not transposing.
I think most European orchestras use the F tuba as a standard with an Eflat or the BBflat added as needed. The American orchestras prefer the CC. The British prefer the Eflat. All this is hashed out in https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Tuba
In reply to Wagner called it … by penne vodka
OT as always, intrigued by your comments, I find interesting things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuoBeYB-O1M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q79k1ThwTlY
In reply to OT as always, intrigued by… by Shoichi
Thank you... and your contributions are always helpful and interesting.
The tuba you've shown is awesome...and expensive. Great sound in all registers. I'm impressed.
Unfortunately, my first reaction to the first selection was an impression of a duck in urgent need of a laxative. (Much to thin, contrary to the size of the bell) Perhaps it sounds more musical in a live setting?
Does the poor thing have a name? I'm guessing contrabass saxophone or something.
In reply to The Tuba in Bb is named… by mike320
Okay, and ther isn’t a Bb Tuba in bass clef? Because then I get stuck. My school teacher plays one and wants the part in Bass clef...
In reply to Okay, and ther isn’t a Bb… by Ooink3011
Not sure, what's the right transposition in the treble clef an bass clef of the Bb tuba. But there are two ways to customize it for your needs.
On the one hand you could change the clef, see: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/clefs#beginning-measure-clef
On the other hand you could change the transposition, see: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/staff-properties
In reply to Not sure, whats the right… by kuwitt
Thank you, that did help!!!! :)
In reply to Okay, and ther isn’t a Bb… by Ooink3011
To change the Bb tuba to the key of Bb, the transposition needs to be down a major second in staff properties, which you find by right clicking the staff.
In reply to Okay, and ther isn’t a Bb… by Ooink3011
But check with your teacher to be sure he really wants the part transposed. As explained previously, even though the instrument is called a Bb tuba (because its fundamental tone is a Bb), music for this instrument is not normally transposed. The way MuseScore does things by default is absolutely totally correct. It would be very unusual for someone to play bass clef tuba parts and want them to be transposed - that just isn't how it is done. At least, not in the US and most other countries, but I understand there are a very few regions of the world where this is more common.
@Ooink3011, when its music is written in treble clef, the tuba is a transposing instrument, but not when the music is in bass clef https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuba