Instrument reference · brass

Euphonium

By Band Tuning editorial · Facts checked 15 September 2026

Euphoniums are in general non-transposing instruments written at pitch in the bass clef; treble-clef parts written for the baritone horn sound a major ninth lower than written. ^2,4 About nine feet of mostly conical tubing pitched in B♭ gives a fundamental of B♭1.²

The frequencies on this page are computed from the pitch standard A4 = 440 Hz, the 1939 London conference standard reaffirmed by ISO in 1975, in twelve-tone equal temperament, which divides the octave into twelve equal semitones: f = 440 × 2^(n/12), where n is the number of semitones above A4 (negative below). ¹ The notes are named in scientific pitch notation, where C4 is middle C.

Tuning notes and reference pitches

In a band's daily tuning the concert B♭ and the concert F are the notes this instrument tunes to, and the source says to warm up before tuning and to use no vibrato. ⁵ The table gives every octave of those notes inside the instrument's sounding range, the note the player reads for it, and its frequency. The browser tuner plays each of these as a reference tone.

How the pitch is adjusted

• Slides pulled out play flatter, pushed in sharper. ⁵
• Each valve loop has its own tuning slide, and the main tuning slide sits at the first U-bend after the tubing leaves the last valve. ²
• A fourth valve adds three feet of tubing and makes a 12-foot instrument in F, the same idea as a trombone's F attachment. ²

Every note in the range at A4 = 440 Hz

E2 to B♭4, practical range, sounding; some players extend the top. ² This instrument reads at pitch, so the written and sounding notes are the same.

Maker's specification

Figures as printed in the maker's catalogue for its standard and intermediate models; a bore is the inside diameter of the tubing, a bell the diameter of its rim.

The family: other keys and sizes

Notes from the sources

• The euphonium originated in Germany and is found wherever Western-style military and concert bands took root. ²
• The word baritone names different instruments in different countries, which the maker's guide covers under 'depending on the country, a baritone is not a baritone'. ⁶
• The euphonium, baritone and sousaphone are companions of the tuba. ⁶