Trumpet Fingering Chart: B♭ Trumpet and Cornet
A trumpet fingering chart shows which of the three valves to press for each written note. On the B♭ trumpet, written C4, G4, C5, E5 and G5 are played open, with no valves; every other note uses one, two or all three valves. The B♭ trumpet sounds a whole step lower than written, and the cornet uses the same fingering.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, half step and staff); the UK version uses bar, semitone, stave. · UK version of this page
Key facts
- B♭ trumpet: written C sounds as concert B♭, a major 2nd lower.
- 3 valves: valve 2 lowers a note by a half step, valve 1 by a whole step, valve 3 by a whole step and a half (a minor 3rd).
- Open notes (no valves), written: C4, G4, C5, E5, G5 and C6.
- This chart: written F♯3 (all three valves) to C6. Usual beginner range: C4 to G5.
- The B♭ cornet and B♭ flugelhorn use exactly the same fingering for the same written note.
- 7 valve combinations in all: open, 2, 1, 1 + 2, 2 + 3, 1 + 3 and 1 + 2 + 3.
Interactive trumpet 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 trumpet fingering chart on lessonplanner.info: press a note to see the valves 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 trumpet fingering chart?
Find the written note in the first column, then press the valves listed beside it. Valve 1 is nearest your mouth, under your first finger; valve 2 is under your middle finger and valve 3 under your ring finger. "Open" means no valves.
Use the pads of the right-hand fingers and keep your thumb under the lead pipe, between valves 1 and 2. Your right pinky rests on top of the finger hook, not inside it. In the interactive chart above, a filled circle means "press it" and an outline means "leave it up", and the valves are always written out in words as well.
| Written note | Valves | Sounds (concert) |
|---|---|---|
| F♯3/G♭3 | Valves 1 + 2 + 3 | E3 |
| G3 | Valves 1 + 3 | F3 |
| G♯3/A♭3 | Valves 2 + 3 | F♯3/G♭3 |
| A3 | Valves 1 + 2 | G3 |
| A♯3/B♭3 | Valve 1 | G♯3/A♭3 |
| B3 | Valve 2 | A3 |
| C4 | Open (no valves) | A♯3/B♭3 |
| C♯4/D♭4 | Valves 1 + 2 + 3 | B3 |
| D4 | Valves 1 + 3 | C4 |
| D♯4/E♭4 | Valves 2 + 3 | C♯4/D♭4 |
| E4 | Valves 1 + 2 | D4 |
| F4 | Valve 1 | D♯4/E♭4 |
| F♯4/G♭4 | Valve 2 | E4 |
| G4 | Open (no valves) | F4 |
| G♯4/A♭4 | Valves 2 + 3 | F♯4/G♭4 |
| A4 | Valves 1 + 2 | G4 |
| A♯4/B♭4 | Valve 1 | G♯4/A♭4 |
| B4 | Valve 2 | A4 |
| C5 | Open (no valves) | A♯4/B♭4 |
| C♯5/D♭5 | Valves 1 + 2 | B4 |
| D5 | Valve 1 | C5 |
| D♯5/E♭5 | Valve 2 | C♯5/D♭5 |
| E5 | Open (no valves) | D5 |
| F5 | Valve 1 | D♯5/E♭5 |
| F♯5/G♭5 | Valve 2 | E5 |
| G5 | Open (no valves) | F5 |
| G♯5/A♭5 | Valves 2 + 3 | F♯5/G♭5 |
| A5 | Valves 1 + 2 | G5 |
| A♯5/B♭5 | Valve 1 | G♯5/A♭5 |
| B5 | Valve 2 | A5 |
| C6 | Open (no valves) | A♯5/B♭5 |
★ marks notes outside the usual beginner range (written C4 to G5). The "Sounds" column shows the concert pitch – the note a piano would play for the same sound.
To keep a printable copy, use your browser's Print and choose "Save as PDF". The tables print without the buttons and pictures.
What is the B♭ trumpet fingering chart?
Almost every school and band trumpet is in B♭, so a standard trumpet fingering chart is a B♭ trumpet chart. Its music is written a major 2nd above the sound: written C sounds as concert B♭, and written D sounds as concert C.
That is why a trumpet part looks as if it is in a different key from the piano part. If you play from a concert-pitch part (for example a piano or voice part), read every note a whole step higher and use the fingering for that written note. Some professional players use a trumpet in C, which sounds as written; its valve pattern for each written note name is the same, but the sound is a whole step higher than the B♭ trumpet's.
Quiz: name the trumpet 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.
What are the first notes to learn on trumpet?
Most beginners learn written C (open), D (1 + 3), E (1 + 2), F (1) and G (open) – the first five notes of the C major scale, C4 to G4. C and G are both open: you move between them with your lips and air, not the valves.
- Buzz on the mouthpiece alone for a minute, then play a long, steady low C (open).
- Play G (open) by making the air faster and the lips a little firmer. Keep the mouthpiece pressure light.
- Fill in the notes between: D (1 + 3), E (1 + 2) and F (1). Press each valve all the way down.
- Play C D E F G and back down slowly, then try easy trumpet songs that use only these notes.
When the notes come easily, open the trumpet play-along and play a tune with the right valves shown for every note.
Why do some trumpet notes use the same fingering?
Each valve combination gives a whole series of notes, called harmonics or partials. With no valves you can play written C4, G4, C5, E5 and G5; you choose between them with lip tension and air speed. So G4 and C5 are both open, and E4 and A4 both use 1 + 2.
This is why lip slurs (moving between open notes without changing the valves) are such a good daily exercise. Each partial is the same distance apart for every valve combination, so the whole chart is really the open-note series moved down by the valves.
What are alternate fingerings on trumpet?
Valves 1 + 2 and valve 3 lower a note by the same amount, so 3 can replace 1 + 2 (for example on A4), although it is slightly flat. E5 can also be played 1 + 2. Low D (1 + 3) and low C♯ (1 + 2 + 3) are sharp, so players push out the third-valve slide.
Alternate fingerings are mostly used to make fast passages smoother or to fix tuning. Beginners can learn the standard fingerings in this chart first; your teacher will show you the alternatives when a piece needs them.
More fingering charts and music tools
The 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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