Recorder Fingering Chart
An interactive recorder fingering chart for soprano, alto and tenor recorder: tap a note to see which holes to cover, with baroque (English) fingering first.
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 recorder fingering chart
A recorder fingering chart shows which holes to cover for each note, and this one opens on the soprano (descant) recorder from written C4 to D6, switches to alto (written F4 to G6) or tenor, and lists baroque (English) fingering first with the German alternates, all from the basic chart in The Woodwind Fingering Guide. Tap any note, press a piano key, or step with the left and right arrows; up and down flip to the German or alternate fingering when there is one. Filled circles are covered holes. Play or Space lets you hear the note.
Full chart shows every recorder fingering together, and Print chart prints that grid on its own, handy for a class. Quiz me shows holes and asks which note they play; answer on screen or with the keys C to B (add Shift for a sharp). The recorder size you choose is remembered.
Recorder notes for soprano and alto
Switch the size to see the recorder notes for each one. The soprano recorder fingering chart runs from written C4 to D6 and the alto recorder fingering chart from written F4 to G6, and the fingerings are the same: covering every hole plays the lowest note, C on the soprano and F on the alto, and every other note moves up a fourth in name only. Open the full chart as a recorder notes chart for a class, or print it for the size you play.
How to read the recorder diagram
The recorder is drawn on its side with the mouthpiece on the left. Hole 0 under the tube is the thumb hole, closed by the left thumb. Holes 1, 2 and 3 are the left hand first, second and third fingers, and 4 to 7 the right hand first finger to little finger. Holes 6 and 7 are drawn as double holes, a larger and a smaller one: most English and German recorders have them, the source says, while some cheap beginner models have single holes.
A solid hole is covered. A half filled thumb hole means pinching: cover about half of it with the thumbnail, as the source marks for the upper notes (it advises a smaller opening from A5 up on a soprano, D6 up on an alto). A double hole with only the small circle filled means cover only the lower small hole, as in C#4 and Eb4 on the soprano. For the top C# on the soprano (F# on the alto), the chart shows the bottom end closed as well: the source says to close the end of the recorder, for example against your leg.
Baroque (English) and German fingering
Recorders come with two fingering systems. Baroque recorder fingering, also called English fingering, is listed first in the chart. German recorders make F on a C recorder (Bb on an F recorder) a simple fingering, 0 1 2 3 4, where baroque recorders use the forked 0 1 2 3 4 6 7. The trade is that other notes then need different fingerings: the source lists German versions for F, F# and G#, and for the upper F and F#. Those appear as alternates labelled for German models. If you are not sure which system you own, check the chart or description from the maker, and compare notes with a tuner.
Soprano, alto and tenor: range and pitch
Soprano and tenor recorders are C instruments and the alto is in F, so the same fingering gives different note names: covering everything plays C on a soprano or tenor and F on an alto. The source lists every fingering with both names. The recorder overblows at the octave when the thumb hole is pinched open, so the second octave repeats many first octave fingerings with the half thumb hole: compare E4 and E5 on the soprano.
Soprano recorder music is written an octave lower than it sounds, so the chart's Play button sounds the soprano an octave above the written note. Alto and tenor recorder music is normally written at pitch.
Tips
Start with the left hand notes B, A and G (thumb plus 1, then 1 2, then 1 2 3), then move down with the right hand. Cover the holes with the soft pads of your fingers, not the tips, and blow gently. For reading practice try the treble clef notes chart and the note reading trainer, and play slow scales with the metronome. More charts: flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe and bassoon.
Questions
Is my recorder baroque or German?
Check the maker's chart or description. The source gives F on a German soprano as thumb plus holes 1 2 3 4, and on a baroque (English) soprano as the forked thumb plus 1 2 3 4 6 7.
What does the half thumb hole mean?
Pinch the thumb hole: leave a small gap at the top by bending the thumb so the nail rests in the hole. It helps the upper notes sound.
What is the lowest note on the soprano recorder?
C, with all holes covered, including both parts of holes 6 and 7. On the alto the same fingering plays F.
Does the soprano recorder sound an octave higher?
Yes. Soprano recorder music is written an octave below the sounding pitch, which the Play button follows.
Does the chart work for the alto recorder?
Yes. Choose Alto above the diagram: the fingerings are the same, and the notes are named a 4th higher (F instead of C).