What's the biggest difference between a tubas and a trumpet fingerings?

Question:Trumpet fingerings are "transposed" while tuba fingerings are not. (BTW, this all assumes you are using a B-flat tuba). For instance, on trumpet, the common open note is C (written for trumpet) which actually sounds a B-flat (since a trumpet sounds a whole step lower than written), on tuba the low open note is both written, and sounds a B-flat (albeit 2 octaves lower than the trumpet).

This is the same through the range, 123 on trumpet is written C-sharp, which sounds a B-natural. B-natural, written and sounding, for tuba is fingered 123.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Trumpet fingerings are "transposed" while tuba fingerings are not. (BTW, this all assumes you are using a B-flat tuba). For instance, on trumpet, the common open note is C (written for trumpet) which actually sounds a B-flat (since a trumpet sounds a whole step lower than written), on tuba the low open note is both written, and sounds a B-flat (albeit 2 octaves lower than the trumpet).

This is the same through the range, 123 on trumpet is written C-sharp, which sounds a B-natural. B-natural, written and sounding, for tuba is fingered 123.

Right, I agree with the above poster . I would add that the biggest difference is that the tuba is non-transposing, regardless of the key of the tuba. They learn a different set of fingerings for the different keys of instruments.

Trumpets, on the other hand, must transpose at sight when playing parts written in different keys. For instance, when we play in orchestra on C trumpets and the parts are written for B-flat, we play down a whole step. Tuba players simply use a different set of fingerings. Two different ways of achieving the same result.

But overall, the fingering system (the pattern) is the same - it's just two different ways of going about it.