Oboe Fingering Chart
An interactive oboe fingering chart from low Bb to F6: tap any note to see the keys, the octave key or half-hole it needs, and hear it.
Written pitch for the . Tap a note on the staff or a piano key. ← → step through the notes, ↑ ↓ switch fingering, Space plays. Fingerings: The Woodwind Fingering Guide.
Name the written note. Keys C to B answer, add Shift for the sharp.
How to use the oboe fingering chart
An oboe fingering chart shows which keys, octave key or half-hole each note needs, and this one covers the oboe from low Bb3 to F6 with the standard fingering first and the alternates behind it, all taken from the basic chart in The Woodwind Fingering Guide. Select a note on the staff or the keyboard strip, or with the arrow keys. The oboe diagram marks each closed key in solid color and the half-hole as a half-filled circle; the text under it names every key, including the octave key you need. Where the source lists more than one way, such as the three F fingerings, use the chips or the up and down arrows. Play or the Space bar sounds a reedy reference tone.
Full chart collects all oboe fingerings in one grid, an oboe notes chart that Print chart sends to the printer without the rest of the page. In Quiz me you read the keys and name the note, by button or with the keys C to B plus Shift for sharps.
How to read the oboe diagram
The oboe is drawn on its side with the reed on the left. The three big holes on the left are the left hand first, second and third fingers; the three on the right the right hand. Under the left hand is the thumb octave key (I), and above it the side octave key (II), which the left first finger presses. The small B key between left 1 and 2 is the B trill key.
The left little finger has G#, Eb, low B and low Bb, plus a left F key on some models. Above the right hand are the side A and G# keys, the thin bar between right 2 and 3 is the F key, and the right little finger has low C, C# and Eb. A half filled left first hole means the half-hole: roll the finger so the small hole in the key stays open.
Octave keys and the half-hole
The oboe overblows at the octave, and three different vents help the upper notes speak. The source describes them: the half-hole for second octave C#, D and Eb; the first octave key (thumb) for second octave E to G#; and the second octave key (side key) for second octave A to C. So D4 and D5 share the fingers, with the half-hole for D5, and A4 and A5 share them, with the side octave key for A5. In the third octave the fingerings change again, and some notes combine the half-hole with the octave key.
Many oboes have semi-automatic octave keys, where the second octave key closes the first. The chart follows the source's notation, which shows only the key you press.
F, Eb and the doubled keys
The oboe has three ways to play F4 and F5 in the chart. The standard one uses the F key between right 2 and 3. The forked F (right 1 and 3) and the left F key are alternates, which the source lists for use next to fingerings that involve right hand 3. Eb and G# are doubled too: the right little finger Eb is standard, the left one is for use next to low C and C#.
The oboe sounds at written pitch. The source says its basic fingerings are the same on the English horn, so this page also works as an English horn fingering chart. The English horn is pitched in F and sounds a perfect fifth lower than written, which the transposition chart works out for any note or key; the Play button here always sounds oboe pitch.
Tips
Work through the oboe finger chart in small steps: learn G4, F#4, E4 and D4 first, where one right hand finger goes down at a time, then the half-hole notes. Check each new note with a tuner and play long tones with the metronome. If ledger lines are slow to read, practice them in the note reading trainer. More charts: flute, clarinet, saxophone, recorder and bassoon.
Questions
What is the half-hole on the oboe?
An opening in the left first finger key. Roll the finger so the small hole stays open while the key is down. The source uses it for second octave C#, D and Eb.
Which octave key do I use?
The thumb octave key for second octave E to G#, and the side octave key (left first finger) for second octave A to C, as the source describes.
What is the lowest note on the oboe?
Low Bb (Bb3), with the low Bb key for the left little finger. Some student oboes lack this key.
How do I play F on the oboe?
The standard F uses the F key between the right second and third fingers. Forked F and the left F key are alternates for passages where the standard F is awkward.
Does this chart work for the English horn?
Yes. The source gives the same basic fingerings for oboe and English horn.