Pitch of brass instruments
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The following is a comparison table of the pitch of the common brass instruments in descending order of pitch. Whereas it is usually quite easy to determine whether an instrument is pitched in, say, F or B♭ or E♭, it is not always obvious which octave of F or B♭ is being referred to. As a reference point, the second harmonic (the lowest normally playable open note, written as middle C) of a B♭ trumpet or cornet is B♭ below middle C.
| B♭ or A | piccolo trumpet |
| E♭ | soprano trumpet or cornet |
| B♭ | trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, soprano trombone |
| E♭ | alto horn, alto trombone, contralto trumpet |
| B♭ | tenor trombone, baritone horn, euphonium, B♭ horn, bass trumpet |
| F | F horn |
| E♭ | bass tuba |
| B♭ | contrabass tuba, sousaphone, contrabass trombone |
Notes:
For transposing brass instruments, the second harmonic (of the instrument, unlengthened by valves or slides) is usually written as middle C. (The exception is the horn - see below - and older trumpet pitches, which are beyond the scope of the present article.)
The 'normal' range of a brass instrument is from three tones below the 2nd harmonic to the 10th harmonic. For transposing instruments this is from written F♯ below middle C, to E two octaves and a third above middle C. This often depends on the particular instrument, particularly relating to player, mouthpeice used, and bore. Bass trombone in particular is called to play "pedal" or 1st partial notes, particularly in modern jazz.
Classifying the orchestral horn as pitched in B♭ is somewhat controversial. Its fundamental pitch is F near that of the bass tuba, but it is normally played much higher in its register. This is aided by the narrower bore and much smaller mouthpiece. What is written as middle C for a horn is in fact the fourth harmonic, not the second. However, most horns are fitted with a fourth valve which puts the horn into B♭ a fourth higher, which alleviates the problem in the higher register of the harmonics being uncomfortably close together. In fact, much of the time the horn is played in B♭, and its range corresponds more with an instrument of that pitch.
The modern bass trombone is like a tenor trombone but has two valves, one pitched in F and one in G♭. When combined, these valves put the instrument into D. Bass trombones have a wider bore and mouthpiece to facilitate the production of lower notes. In the past, single valve instruments were popular, with the valve adjustable to produce F, E, or E♭. Before the advent of the tenor-bass trombone (the modern tenor trombone with trigger), bass trombones were simply made in lower keys, the most popular being G.
Modern contrabass trombones are constructed in F and BB♭. The F contrabass trombone is often fitted with a valve that puts it into D, and a valve that puts it into E♭, and when combined these put the instrument into the key of BB♭. The BB♭ contrabass is often fitted with a valve in F, and has been fitted with both a valve in F and a valve in G♭, so that it matches its bass trombone counterpart, but is pitched an octave lower.
The euphonium differs from the baritone in that it has a wider bore and appears a much larger instrument: the euphonium is a true tenor tuba whereas the baritone is a saxhorn. Note though that this distinction is not always observed in the US, where true baritones are rare and the term is sometimes used to refer to a small euphonium, or perhaps one with three valves rather than four.
The bass tuba is also available in F and E♭, and contrabass tubas in C. The B♭ and E♭ tuba are found in brass bands, and the E♭ Tuba along with the C tuba are played in orchestras. The E♭ tuba is also played in British military bands.
Baritones, euphoniums and tubas often have a fourth valve to extend the lower range down to the fundamental.
