Posted by M.M. Carrasco on April 14, 2002 at 14:57:35:
In Reply to: BB-Flat and C...what?! posted by M. Johnson on April 14, 2002 at 12:58:19:
Yes, it seems confusing but actually the answer is fairly simple. One could say that tubas (AWA, trombones and bass clef euphoniums) are all "PITCHED IN C" because they are NON-TRANSPOSING (i.e. when you play C you hear a C; not true for a Bb trumpet or Eb Alto Sax). But the reason that you have BBb, C, Eb and F (even G!) tubas is this: when you play the fundamental OPEN note on a BBb tuba you hear a Bb. On a C tuba you hear a C...... and so on. So, the naming convention of tubas actually refers to its fundamental open note. Oh yeah, this means that all the fingerings (by note NAME) change......
I hope this is helpful!
Moises