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B♭B♭1 · concert pitchopen · 2nd partial
SongsUp on the Housetop
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Benjamin Hanby, 1864. 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

Up on the Housetop — Tuba Notes

Up on the Housetop, 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.

  • Notes67, 6 pitches
  • RangeB♭1–G2
  • Key hereB♭ major
  • Tempo126 bpm · about 30 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a tuba play Up on the Housetop?

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

Up on the Housetop: 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

Up on the Housetop — 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♭0×5
  • C4×6
  • D1-2×13
  • E♭1×5
  • F0×27
  • G1-2×11

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.
  • 65% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, F2 to B♭1, at note 35.
  • It uses 4 valve combinations (open, 1-2, 4 and 1), and 32 of its 67 notes are played open.
  • The lips move across 3 partials of the harmonic series (2, 3, 4).

About the tune

Written by Benjamin Hanby in New Paris, Ohio, in 1864. It is usually counted as the first Christmas song to be about Santa Claus.

Benjamin Hanby, 1864. Public domain. The notes follow Douglas D. Anderson, The Hymns and Carols of Christmas (sequence released to the public domain), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about Up on the Housetop →

Up on the Housetop 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.

🎙 Open the Tuba Tuner