Posted by Steve Dedman on May 06, 2001 at 21:18:11:
In Reply to: Re: Pedal Tones - Again posted by Rocky Bivens on May 06, 2001 at 19:27:34:
Try this:
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___F (in the space) 3rd partial
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___BBb (in the space) 2nd partial of a BBb tuba.
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___BBb (on the line) commonly refered to as pedal BBb. The fundamental pitch of the BBb tuba.
I have the CC that is the fundamental of my horn very easily, and the AA below that reasonably well. If the dynamic is pp, the GG. In high school, I had a pedal BBb (on a BBb horn), but nothing much lower.
Be aware that a good fundamental is a nice thing to have, but you will very rarely see it in music outside of solos. The notes that need more work are the money notes just above it; the ones that are actually harder to play with a good sound due to the length of tubing and amount of air required. (You'll need another valve to play them, the E right below your F is as low as you can go without using false tones until you get the fundamental.) Look at the end of Jupiter or Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Both pieces require a loud, long, low D, as well as many, many standard band pieces.
For now, work on a great, full sound from Bb down to E. When you get a horn with a 4th valve, those lower notes will be easier to get sooner.