Fingering Charts

Would a sheet music site be complete without a fingering chart? Of course not. To save your time,
we have tried our best to create the most clear and easy readable fingering charts available on the
Net!

In the following pages you will also find useful information and answers to questions like “When
shall I use the B-flat lever”?

Modern Flute, Piccolo, Alto and Bass Flute

 Basic fingerings — All the notes up to the fourth octave.

 Trill fingerings — Includes instructions on how to play trills.

Octave numbering

The numbers written in subscript after the notes refer to the octave number, according to the so-
called scientific pitch notation. In this system, C4 is the C right below the staff (middle C on the
piano), and A4 is the A right above that, also known as A440 because it is assigned a standard
frequency of 440 Hz. On the modern piano, the leftmost key corresponds to A0, while the
rightmost key correspondes to C8. If you wonder where this numbering system comes from, it was
chosen so that C0 is in the region of the lowest possible audible frequency.

The standard range of the modern C flute is about from C4 to C7. Therefore, the three most
commonly played octaves will be numbered 4 (low register), 5 (middle register), and 6 (high
register).

Advanced Readings

The most reliable reference for flute fingerings is probably A Modern Guide to Fingerings for the
Flute by James Pellerite. That's one of the most complete guides for the flute ever published. In its
64 pages it covers basic fingerings, trills, tremolos (thirds through octaves), and even quarter-tones
and multiphonics! And the best thing is that everything, from dynamics to intonation, is duly
explained, so that you will always know which fingering best fits a given passage.

Basic Fingerings
In the following fingering chart we have listed all the basic fingerings for the Boehm-system flute,
which are also valid for the other instruments of the family: the piccolo, the alto flute, the bass
flute, etc.

Low B

Please note that the lowest note, the B below the staff (B3), is only playable on flutes with the so-
called B foot. This footjoint, which is not usually found on student models, is a bit longer than the
classic C foot, and features two rollers instead of one. Besides allowing the production of low B,
the B foot also facilitates the emission of some higher notes, most notably of the high C way
above the staff (C7). This is possible thanks to the gizmo key, which allows the B tone hole to
close without closing the C and C# holes.

A-sharp / B-flat

In the first and second register, there are actually two basic fingerings commonly used to produce
these notes. In this fingering chart we have listed both, since they are of equal importance. Here
are the main principles you should consider when deciding which fingering to use:

 The fingering which makes use of the Bb thumb lever (also known as the Briccialdi lever,
after Italian flutist Giulio Briccialdi) is best used in passages without any B-natural, as you can
keep the thumb lever depressed all the way through without preventing the other notes from
coming out. This is often the case in pieces with a key signature that presents one to five flats:
if the piece has no chromatic passages, you can keep the thumb lever depressed through the
whole piece and play all the Bs without worrying about them being flat.
 Apart from the B-naturals, there is just one other note whose emission is hindered by the
thumb lever: this is the F#6/Gb6 in the high register. In passages featuring this note, you should
normally finger A#/Bb using your right index finger.
 When practicing scales, favor the right index fingering, as it is the most awkward one.

The fingering chart for the Modern Flute follows.

The Fourth Register

Standard orchestral repertoire for the modern flute never goes beyond D7. However, fingerings for
higher notes do exist. These higher notes are extremely difficult to obtain, as they take a lot of air
support and can sound like the most horrible shrieking noise you've ever heard. On a practical
basis, you may never use these flute fingerings, but they certainly prove useful as a learning
instrument to help you develop a better breath support.
Trill Fingerings
The following chart includes special fingerings designed for rapid alternation between two notes at
an interval of a minor second (semitone) or a major second (whole tone) apart. Many of these
fingerings can also be used as alternate fingerings for some fast passages.

Keys to be trilled are indicated in red. When more than one key is to be trilled, the keys should be
pressed and released simultaneously.

Trill notation

When a note has the letters “tr” above it, or a long squiggly line, that's a trill. (In very old music,
trills may also be notated with a “+”.) What you have to do is to rapidly alternate between the
written note and the next note-name above it, in the key signature. This second note is usually not
written out. As a rule of thumb, in modern music you should start on the written note, while in
music written before 1800 the trill generally starts on the note above. This second way of playing
is sometimes explicitly requested by preceding the written note with the upper note as a small note
(an acciaccatura).

Let's make some examples:

 If you find an A with a “tr” symbol above it, and you have no sharps and no flats in the key
signature, the upper note is B.
 If you find an A with a “tr” symbol above it, and B is flat in the key signature, the upper
note is B-flat (Bb).

If the composer wishes you to trill to an upper note which is not in the key signature, above or
next to the trill symbol there will be an accidental indicating what the upper note should be. That
accidental can of course be a flat, a sharp, a natural, a double-sharp or a double-natural.

Searching the chart

The chart below shows both the lower and the upper notes of a trill. You should search for the
couple that has your written note on the left and the upper note (figured out as explained above) on
the right.

If you don't find the notes you are looking for, that's usually because no adequate alternative to the
basic fingerings exists. In many cases, particularly in the first two octaves, the trill fingering and
the regular fingering are the same. We have omitted such basic trills in order to keep the chart
small and readable.

Another possibility is that the trill you are looking for is found here with another enharmonic
name. For instance, you should be aware that the trill C#–D# has the same fingering as the trill
Db–Eb.
Trill speed

The speed of a trill should be related to the global speed of the music. If a piece is marked
“Adagio”, don't play its trills as fast as you can humanly move your fingers.

Also, you will probably notice that adding in a bunch of trills and grace notes can be tricky when
first learning a piece. So try playing the piece first without the ornaments, and then going through
slowly and adding in those extra notes.