Mellophone Fingering Chart
An interactive mellophone fingering chart for the marching mellophone in F: tap a written note to see the three valves, the alternates and the concert note it sounds a fifth lower.
Tap a note on the staff or the keys. ← → step, Space plays.
Keys 1 to 4 answer.
How to use the mellophone fingering chart
On the mellophone each written note takes the same valves as on a trumpet, and this mellophone fingering chart shows them for the three-valve marching mellophone in F, from written F#3 to C6 in treble clef, with the alternates, the concert note a fifth lower and the partial behind each fingering. Tap any note on the staff or on the piano strip to see its valves: a filled circle is down, and the valves are numbered 1 to 3 starting nearest the mouthpiece. Under it you see the concert note, which partial you are on, and any alternate you can tap to compare.
Keys: ← → step through the chart, Space plays the note, and in the quiz 1 to 4 pick an answer. Print chart gives a one-page mellophone finger chart for a folder or a lyre card.
Same fingerings as the trumpet
If you already play trumpet, you know these marching mellophone fingerings: the mellophone uses the same valve for the same written note. The difference is the sound: the mellophone is pitched in F, a fourth below a Bb trumpet, with a larger, more horn-like tone and a bell that points forward. That forward bell is why marching bands and drum corps use it in place of the French horn, whose bell points backward. A horn player switching over has to learn trumpet-style fingerings, because the horn uses different ones; compare with the French horn fingering chart.
Transposition: what the mellophone really sounds
Mellophone parts are written for an instrument in F, so every written note sounds a perfect fifth lower. Written C sounds F, written G sounds C. The table shows one octave of mellophone notes with the standard valves and the sounding note:
| Written note | Valves | Sounds (concert) |
|---|---|---|
| C4 | Open | F3 |
| Db4 | 1-2-3 | Gb3 |
| D4 | 1-3 | G3 |
| Eb4 | 2-3 | Ab3 |
| E4 | 1-2 | A3 |
| F4 | 1 | Bb3 |
| Gb4 | 2 | B3 |
| G4 | Open | C4 |
| Ab4 | 2-3 | Db4 |
| A4 | 1-2 | D4 |
| Bb4 | 1 | Eb4 |
| B4 | 2 | E4 |
| C5 | Open | F4 |
When the band tunes to concert Bb, you play written F, first valve. To read a concert pitch part, go up a fifth: concert C is your written G, open. The transposition chart does the same for any note or key signature.
How the valves pick the notes
Without valves the mellophone plays only the notes of its harmonic series, the partials your lips select: written C4, G4, C5, E5, G5 and C6 are all open. Valve 2 lowers any of them by a semitone, valve 1 by a whole tone and valve 3 by three semitones, and combinations add up. Written B4, for example, is the open C5 lowered a semitone, so it takes valve 2. The tool names the partial behind every fingering, which makes the pattern easy to see: each row below is one valve combination moved up through the series.
| Valves | Lowers the open note by | Written notes with this standard fingering |
|---|---|---|
| Open | 0 semitones | C4 G4 C5 E5 G5 C6 |
| 2 | 1 semitone | B3 Gb4 B4 Eb5 Gb5 B5 |
| 1 | 2 semitones | Bb3 F4 Bb4 D5 F5 Bb5 |
| 1-2 | 3 semitones | A3 E4 A4 Db5 A5 |
| 2-3 | 4 semitones | Ab3 Eb4 Ab4 Ab5 |
| 1-3 | 5 semitones | G3 D4 |
| 1-2-3 | 6 semitones | Gb3 Db4 |
The partials are close together in the upper register, which makes high notes easy to crack on the field. Practice the upper partials softly first.
Practice on and off the field
Lip slurs on the open notes build accuracy before any drill. Check pitch with the tuner (set it to concert names: written C reads F), rehearse marching tempos with the metronome, and learn the ledger lines above the staff on the treble clef notes page. The other brass charts: trumpet fingering chart, trombone slide chart, tuba fingering chart, French horn fingering chart and euphonium fingering chart.
Where the fingerings come from
The mellophone uses the same valve fingerings as the trumpet for the same written notes. The chart follows a school band mellophone chart for F#3 to A5 and the trumpet chart above that, and every valve combination is checked against the harmonic series of an F instrument.
More for band instruments: Clarinet Fingering Chart · Saxophone Fingering Chart · Trumpet Fingering Chart · French Horn Fingering Chart · Euphonium Fingering Chart · Transposition Chart · Tuner
Questions
Is mellophone fingering the same as trumpet?
Yes. The mellophone uses trumpet fingerings for the same written notes. Only the sound differs: it is pitched in F and sounds a fifth lower than written.
What key is the mellophone in?
The marching mellophone is usually pitched in F. Written C sounds concert F, so parts are written a perfect fifth higher than they sound.
Can a French horn player read mellophone parts?
Both are written in F, so the written notes mean the same concert pitches, but the fingerings differ. A horn player on mellophone uses trumpet-style fingerings.
Why does the marching band use mellophones instead of horns?
The mellophone bell faces forward, toward the audience, while a French horn bell points backward. Outdoors that makes the mellophone much easier to hear.