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B♭B♭1 · concert pitchopen · 2nd partial
SongsLondon Bridge Is Falling Down
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Traditional English nursery rhyme, in print since 1744; the tune sung today was written down in the 19th century. Public domain.

42 notes · C1–F4 · the pedal B♭0 on the ladder · 42 notes · The band tuba: 18 feet of tube in B♭, and a fourth valve that fills the gap above the pedal.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note in one breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — Q is the low F on the BB♭ (the G on the CC) and they climb a semitone at a time.

TubaFree · printable · plays in your browser

London Bridge — Tuba Notes

London Bridge Is Falling Down, written out for the tuba as written notes with the valves for each one and set up above on the BB♭ · 4 valves. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the tuba waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes24, 6 pitches
  • RangeB♭1–G2
  • Key hereB♭ major
  • Tempo112 bpm · about 17 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a tuba play London Bridge?

Yes — every one on this page plays it. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

  • BB♭ · 4 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, B♭1–G2 · loaded above
  • BB♭ · 3 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, B♭1–G2 · load it
  • CC · 4 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, B♭1–G2 · load it

London Bridge: tuba notes

The large line is the written note; the small line under it is the valves to press — 0 is none. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

London Bridge Is Falling Down — tuba notes (BB♭ · 4 valves) · tonalics.com

The 6 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 6 and you can play the whole tune.

  • B♭0×1
  • C4×2
  • D1-2×5
  • E♭1×6
  • F0×8
  • G1-2×2

What to expect on a tuba

  • It runs from B♭1 to G2, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 10 semitones unused below and 22 above.
  • 78% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fourth, F2 to C2, at note 8.
  • It uses 4 valve combinations (open, 1-2, 1 and 4), and 9 of its 24 notes are played open.
  • The lips move across 3 partials of the harmonic series (2, 3, 4).

About the tune

The rhyme has been in print since the 1740s and the singing game is older still, with relatives across Europe. The tune sung today is not the one in the earliest books: it was written down in the 19th century and displaced the older melodies.

Traditional English nursery rhyme, in print since 1744; the tune sung today was written down in the 19th century. Public domain. More about London Bridge →

London Bridge on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng, which does not have the notes.

More songs for the tuba

All 36 tuba songs · Christmas songs for tuba · The online tuba on its own

Playing it on a real tuba?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The tuba tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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