What is a pedal tone?

What exactly is a pedal tone?

This question comes up a lot, especially from younger players.

Some believe that "pedal tones" on a brass instrument are just really low notes -- like notes on the organ controlled by the pedals. That's only partially true...

Pedagogically, "pedal tones" refer to notes that exist in the fundamental partial of a brass instrument. They are the "real" notes corresponding to the actual length of tubing.

For instance, my CC tuba is 16 feet long -- exactly the same as a low C on a pipe organ, and my fundamental a.k.a."pedal" C sounds the exact same pitch as a 16ft organ pipe would play. Its fundamental is known as C1, which is 32.7Hz.

A "French tuba" pitched in C -- that plays one octave above a modern tuba (it plays in the same octave as a euphonium or trombone) is 8 feet long and its fundamental is C2 which is twice the Hz of the octave below, approx 65.4Hz.

Going up another octave is the C trumpet (the trumpet used in most orchestras in the US and Canada)… yes, its fundamental is at C3 (an octave below "middle C" on the piano) which is 130.8Hz

…and so on.


[click here for a short clip of me playing a "pedal C" on Bravo! TV]


Why do we use pedal tones?

Yes, they sound funny, and kind of flatulent… but, they are an essential tool in developing brass instrument technique. Playing pedal tones not only has therapeutic qualities for the "chops" (embouchure), more importantly, knowing how to play them opens up the entire low range of the horn. Suddenly (and subconsciously!) your brain knows that there are more notes down there, and the muddy low register is no longer mysterious and you are actually playing the "real" notes of the horn. And perhaps most importantly, the pedal tones are a great model of playing with maximum wind quantity and minimum pressure... as it is impossible to play a pedal with pressure. It is a model of how to maximize low-pressure playing throughout the horn.

Plus, it’s really fun to play things down really low, adding octaves to support the sound of those above you. (but don’t tell your band director I told you that..!)


How to find them? Let your lips flap and just keep trying to play lower and lower. Once you find it (one octave below your "low C" or "low Bb" respectively) it will POP right out. Once you get it, try playing the pedal going down through the valve series… see how low you can go!

A funny thing about learning how to play pedals… It’s kind of like learning to ride a bicycle -- it might take a while to get the hang of it, but once you do get it, you never lose it.