On the other hand, low brass pedal tones "sound good", whereas the trumpet's "pedal tones" are a clearly different timbre than the rest of its range. One can play "trumpet pedal tones" from C to F and then continue into the instrument's normal range with F#. Where tubas and trombones differ from trumpets is that the trumpet's fundamental pitches are not discontinuous from the normal range of the instrument. Trombone and tuba in particular are often called upon to play pedal tones and "false tones" or "privileged tones" which have a pitch between the normal range and the fundamental. The fundamental is chromatically discontinuous with the lowest 2nd harmonic reachable on a three-valve instrument or via the seven-position slide on a trombone.
#PEDAL TONES TRUMPET PEDAL TONES TRUMPET PEDAL TONES TRUMPET SERIES#
By contrast, on tuba and trombone, the pedal tones (fundamental pitches) are a naturally occurring sound.Ĭertain low brass instruments such as trombone, tuba, euphonium, and alto horn are whole-tube and can play the fundamental tone of each harmonic series with relative ease.
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The pitches trumpet players call "pedal tones" - the pitches from the F below the lowest F#, descending to the C below (written) middle C - are the instrument's fundamental pitches, but they are not natural to the instrument. Furthermore, trumpet players usually talk about the pitches between low F# and pedal C also as “pedal tones.” In contrast, other brass players tend to call those “fake tones.” ( SOURCE)Ĭonfusion arises from whether "pedal tone" is taken to be synonymous with "fundamental pitch" or whether it means "fundamental pitch, also natural to the instrument."
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First, the design of the trumpet has an acoustical impedance that makes their “pedal C” below the treble clef staff not quite function acoustically quite the same way it does on the other brass. Trumpets are a slightly different animal, though. Pedal tones on most brass instruments are usually defined as the fundamental pitch. The source of the problem is that what trumpet players call "pedal tones" depend on how "pedal tones" are defined.