Recorder Play-Along and Fingering Chart
Pick a tune, watch the notes scroll past and see which holes to cover for each one. Slow it down, switch on wait mode so the music waits for you, or read the tune as letter names, doh ray me or colour notes.
No microphone is used. Music files you open are read on this device and never uploaded. Nothing you play is recorded or sent.
How it works
Open Starter tunes or type a title or composer in Find a tune. Only tunes that fit this instrument are listed. Press Play: the notes scroll to the left and each one is played as it reaches the green line, while the box on the left shows its name and fingering. A longer box means a longer note. Use Speed to slow down – 50% is a good start.
Wait mode
With wait mode on, the music stops at each note until you press the matching note button, the note’s letter on the computer keyboard (A–G), or Space once you have played it on your instrument. It counts right and wrong presses. The page cannot hear you – there is no microphone – so it is honest practice for reading and fingering, and your teacher or your ears check the sound.
Reading styles
Show the notes as letter names, doh ray me (moveable doh), numbers 1–7 in the key, or colour notes (C red, D orange, E yellow, F green, G teal, A blue, B purple). Large print makes everything bigger with more space. Rhythm only shows the rhythm words – ta for a crotchet, te-te for two quavers, ta-a for a minim – and plays clicks to clap along with.
Notes that are too high or low
Each tune is moved to the octave that suits the instrument best. If some notes are still outside the beginner range, the player says so: tick Easier version to move just those notes by an octave, or use Change key.
Which fingering?
The chart uses English (baroque) fingering, the system on most recorders used in schools today. If your recorder is marked “German” (often with a different 4th hole), F and some higher notes are fingered differently – ask your teacher. Hole 0 is the thumb hole at the back; holes 1–3 are the left hand and 4–7 the right hand. Holes 6 and 7 are pairs of small holes: “one small hole” means cover just one of the pair. A half-covered thumb (“pinched”) is used for the high notes.
Beginners usually start with B, A and G (left hand only) – Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb use just those three notes in the starter versions.
Fingering chart
Notes in grey are outside the beginner range.
| Written note | Cover |
|---|---|
| C4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| C♯4/D♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 7 (one small hole) |
| D4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| D♯4/E♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 6 (one small hole) |
| E4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| F4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 |
| F♯4/G♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 |
| G4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3 |
| G♯4/A♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 4, 5; 6 (one small hole) |
| A4 | thumb, 1, 2 |
| A♯4/B♭4 | thumb, 1, 3, 4 |
| B4 | thumb, 1 |
| C5 | thumb, 2 |
| C♯5/D♭5 | 1, 2 |
| D5 | 2 |
| D♯5/E♭5 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| E5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; thumb half-covered |
| F5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6; thumb half-covered |
| F♯5/G♭5 | 1, 2, 3, 5; thumb half-covered |
| G5 | 1, 2, 3; thumb half-covered |
| G♯5/A♭5 | 1, 2, 4; thumb half-covered |
| A5 | 1, 2; thumb half-covered |
| A♯5/B♭5 | 1, 2, 5, 6; thumb half-covered |
| B5 | 1, 2, 4, 5; thumb half-covered |
| C6 | 1, 4, 5; thumb half-covered |
| C♯6/D♭6 | 1, 3, 4, 6; thumb half-covered; close the end on your knee |
| D6 | 1, 3, 4, 6; thumb half-covered |
| Written note | Cover |
|---|---|
| F4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| F♯4/G♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 7 (one small hole) |
| G4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| G♯4/A♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 6 (one small hole) |
| A4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| A♯4/B♭4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 |
| B4 | thumb, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 |
| C5 | thumb, 1, 2, 3 |
| C♯5/D♭5 | thumb, 1, 2, 4, 5; 6 (one small hole) |
| D5 | thumb, 1, 2 |
| D♯5/E♭5 | thumb, 1, 3, 4 |
| E5 | thumb, 1 |
| F5 | thumb, 2 |
| F♯5/G♭5 | 1, 2 |
| G5 | 2 |
| G♯5/A♭5 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| A5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; thumb half-covered |
| A♯5/B♭5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6; thumb half-covered |
| B5 | 1, 2, 3, 5; thumb half-covered |
| C6 | 1, 2, 3; thumb half-covered |
| C♯6/D♭6 | 1, 2, 4; thumb half-covered |
| D6 | 1, 2; thumb half-covered |
| D♯6/E♭6 | 1, 2, 5, 6; thumb half-covered |
| E6 | 1, 2, 4, 5; thumb half-covered |
| F6 | 1, 4, 5; thumb half-covered |
| F♯6/G♭6 | 1, 3, 4, 6; thumb half-covered; close the end on your knee |
| G6 | 1, 3, 4, 6; thumb half-covered |
Starter tunes
Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Au Clair de la Lune, Lightly Row and London Bridge are Classfern’s own simple versions of traditional tunes. Ode to Joy, Twinkle Twinkle, Frère Jacques, Jingle Bells and Minuet in G are easy versions too, and the list adds a few pieces from the free library (Silent Night, Brahms’ Lullaby). Each piece shows where it comes from and its licence. Where the music comes from.
Good to know
Library pieces were converted by computer, and only the melody line is shown. The fingering charts are Classfern’s own, written from the standard published fingerings; there are often other fingerings for the same note, and your teacher may prefer one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Does it use the microphone?
No. Wait mode moves on when you press the right note button or letter key (or Space once you have played the note). Nothing is recorded or sent, and the page never asks for the microphone.
Why are some tunes missing?
The search only shows tunes whose melody fits this instrument, or fits after moving it by an octave. The library also has only out-of-copyright music, so modern songs are not in it.
What is the easier version?
It moves any note outside the beginner range up or down an octave, so a beginner can play the whole tune. It changes the shape of the tune a little, so try the real version when you are ready.