Flute Fingering Chart: Every Note from Low C to High C
A flute fingering chart shows which keys to press for each note. The concert flute is in C, so the notes you read are the notes you hear, and its standard range is C4 (middle C) to C7 – three octaves. The first and second octaves use almost the same fingerings: you change octave mainly by blowing faster and aiming higher, not by pressing an extra key.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, half step, staff); the UK version uses bar, semitone and stave. · UK version of this page
Key facts
- Flute in C: it sounds as written (concert pitch), so it reads the same notes as a piano or voice part.
- Standard range: C4 to C7; a flute with a B footjoint also plays low B3.
- A concert flute typically has 16 tone holes, covered by keys (the Boehm system).
- The right pinky keeps the E♭ key down for almost every note.
- Octave 2 copies octave 1 except D5 and E♭5, which lift the first finger of the left hand.
- The third octave (D6 to C7) has its own fingerings – see the high note finger chart below.
Interactive flute fingering chart
Private by design: this page never uses the microphone. Nothing is recorded, saved or sent – quiz answers stay on this device.
Classfern's free flute fingering chart on lessonplanner.info: press a note to see the keys and hear how it should sound.
Keyboard: Tab to the notes, then the arrow keys move from note to note and play each one. The ▶ buttons in the tables below show and play that note.
How do you read a flute fingering chart?
Find the note, then press every key listed. "Thumb key" is the key under your left thumb, L1–L3 are the left-hand fingers, R1–R3 the right-hand fingers, and the E♭ key is the key under your right pinky.
The left hand is nearest your mouth. The G♯ key is pressed by the left pinky, and the low C and C♯ keys on the footjoint by the right pinky. In the interactive chart a filled shape means "press it" and an outline means "leave it up"; the keys are also written out in words for every note.
| Note | Keys to press |
|---|---|
| B3 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3, low B key (B footjoint only) |
| C4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3, low C key |
| C♯4/D♭4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3, low C♯ key |
| D4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3 |
| D♯4/E♭4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3, E♭ key |
| E4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, E♭ key |
| F4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, E♭ key |
| F♯4/G♭4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R3, E♭ key |
| G4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, E♭ key |
| G♯4/A♭4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, G♯ key, E♭ key |
| A4 | Thumb key, L1, L2, E♭ key |
| A♯4/B♭4 | Thumb key, L1, R1, E♭ key |
| B4 | Thumb key, L1, E♭ key |
| C5 | L1, E♭ key |
| C♯5/D♭5 | E♭ key |
| D5 | Thumb key, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3 |
| D♯5/E♭5 | Thumb key, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3, E♭ key |
| E5 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, E♭ key |
| F5 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R1, E♭ key |
| F♯5/G♭5 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, R3, E♭ key |
| G5 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, E♭ key |
| G♯5/A♭5 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, G♯ key, E♭ key |
| A5 | Thumb key, L1, L2, E♭ key |
| A♯5/B♭5 | Thumb key, L1, R1, E♭ key |
| B5 | Thumb key, L1, E♭ key |
| C6 | L1, E♭ key |
| C♯6/D♭6 | E♭ key |
★ marks notes outside the usual beginner range (D4 to G5). B♭ is shown as thumb, L1 and R1; the B♭ thumb lever is a common alternative that your teacher may show you.
To keep a printable copy, use your browser's Print and choose "Save as PDF". The tables print without the buttons and pictures.
Which flute notes should beginners learn first?
Many beginners start with B, A and G in the lower octave (thumb + L1, then add L2, then L3), keeping the right pinky on the E♭ key. Next come C (L1 only), D and the right-hand notes F, E and D.
- Make a sound on the headjoint alone first, then put the flute together.
- Play B, A and G with the left hand. Rest the right pinky on the E♭ key all the time.
- Add the right hand: F (R1), E (R1 + R2) and low D (all fingers, pinky up).
- Play the same fingerings again with faster, narrower air to reach the second octave.
Then try a tune in the flute play-along, which shows the fingering for every note as the music scrolls.
Quiz: name the flute fingering
Eight quick questions on the beginner notes of the instrument chosen in the chart, then a short "I can" checklist.
- Marked by Classfern – the eight fingering questions, checked straight away.
- Self-assessed – the "I can" checklist: you tick it when you have done it.
How do you play high notes on the flute?
From D6 upwards the fingerings change: many high notes lift the thumb or open a single finger to make a "vent". Use fast, focused air with relaxed lips; blowing harder without focusing the air only makes the note crack.
This flute high note finger chart uses the standard basic fingerings from the Woodwind Fingering Guide. The top notes B♭6 and B6 use the trill keys (small keys between the right-hand fingers), and C7 is shown with a standard C footjoint.
| Note | Keys to press |
|---|---|
| D6 | Thumb key, L2, L3, E♭ key |
| D♯6/E♭6 | Thumb key, L1, L2, L3, G♯ key, R1, R2, R3, E♭ key |
| E6 | Thumb key, L1, L2, R1, R2, E♭ key |
| F6 | Thumb key, L1, L3, R1, E♭ key |
| F♯6/G♭6 | Thumb key, L1, L3, R3, E♭ key |
| G6 | L1, L2, L3, E♭ key |
| G♯6/A♭6 | L2, L3, G♯ key, E♭ key |
| A6 | Thumb key, L2, R1, E♭ key |
| A♯6/B♭6 | Thumb key, R1, D trill key (R2) |
| B6 | Thumb key, L1, L3, D♯ trill key (R3) |
| C7 | L1, L2, L3, G♯ key, R1 |
Why does the right little finger stay down on the flute?
The E♭ key is held down for nearly every note because it helps the notes speak, keeps them in tune and steadies the flute in your hands. It comes off only for D4, D5 and the top notes B♭6 to C7, and moves to the foot keys for low C, C♯ and B.
More fingering charts and music tools
The fingering charts are Classfern's own, written from the standard published basic fingerings; there are often other fingerings for the same note, and your teacher may prefer one of them. Mr Chopin and Miss Clara Schumann are Classfern's own cartoon characters, named in honour of the composers Frédéric Chopin and Clara Schumann – they are not portraits of the real people.
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