Saxophone Fingering Chart
An interactive saxophone fingering chart for alto, tenor, soprano and baritone sax: tap any note from low Bb to high F# to see the keys 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 saxophone fingering chart
Every saxophone uses the same keys for the same written note, so one saxophone fingering chart serves them all: this one runs from low Bb3 to high F#6 for alto, tenor, soprano and baritone sax, with every fingering from The Woodwind Fingering Guide and the concert pitch your saxophone really sounds. The page opens as an alto sax fingering chart; the chips switch to tenor, soprano or baritone. Tap a note head, tap a piano key, or press the arrow keys (left and right for the next note, up and down for the other fingerings of the same note). The keys to press are filled in, and the text below lists them by name. Play or Space gives the pitch your saxophone really sounds.
For practice away from the screen, open Full chart and use Print chart: the sheet holds every sax fingering in written pitch. Quiz me checks that you know them: name the note for the keys shown, by tapping or with the letters C to B and Shift for a sharp. The saxophone you pick is kept for your next visit.
An alto sax notes chart for every saxophone
Pick the alto, tenor, soprano or baritone and the same written notes appear with the same keys, because all saxophones share one fingering system. That makes this page an alto saxophone fingering chart, a tenor sax fingering chart and a sax notes chart for the whole family at once. Written G4, for example, is left hand 1 2 3 on every size; what changes is the concert pitch printed under it, Bb3 on the alto and F3 on the tenor. Print the alto sax notes chart, or the one for your own saxophone, from the full chart view.
How to read the sax diagram
The saxophone is drawn on its side with the neck on the left. The three big keys on the left are for the left hand first, second and third fingers (B, A and G in the source's names); the three on the right for the right hand (F, E and D). The little dot between left 1 and 2 is the bis Bb key, and the dot between right 2 and 3 the alternate F# key.
Under the left hand is the octave key for the left thumb (and, on the baritone, the low A key). Above the left hand are the three palm keys (Eb, D and F) and the front F key (f). The left little finger table holds G#, low C#, low B and low Bb. Above the right hand are the side keys (E, C and Bb, then the high F# key on newer models), and the right little finger has low Eb and low C.
The octave key and the high notes
The saxophone overblows at the octave. From D5 to C#6 you use the same fingering as the note an octave lower and add the octave key: compare D4 and D5, or G4 and G5, in the chart. The source describes the octave key as the vent for most second and third octave notes.
Above C#6 the palm keys take over: D6 adds the D palm key, Eb6 the Eb palm key as well, E6 adds the side E key and F6 the F palm key. The front F key gives another way to play E6 and F6, which the source marks as less stable. High F#6 needs a high F# key; the chart shows the two fingerings with that key from the source's altissimo chart, and the note is marked because the source says the key is found on newer models. Notes above F#6 are altissimo fingerings that vary between instruments, so they are not in this chart.
Alto, tenor, soprano and baritone: concert pitch
All saxophones read treble clef with the same fingerings, so a written note is fingered the same on each, but it sounds at a different pitch:
| Saxophone | Key | Written C sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Soprano | Bb | a major 2nd lower (Bb) |
| Alto | Eb | a major 6th lower (Eb) |
| Tenor | Bb | a major 9th lower (Bb) |
| Baritone | Eb | an octave and a major 6th lower (Eb) |
The line under the note name gives that concert pitch, and Play sounds it, so what you hear is what a tuner or a piano would call the note. Many baritones have a left thumb key that extends the range down to low A; pick Baritone to see it. To move a whole part or key signature between saxophones and concert pitch, use the transposition chart.
Tips
Use the page as a sax finger chart for one hand at a time, and learn the left hand first: B, A and G add one finger each. Then learn the Bb options, because you will use them all: the side Bb key is the standard, the bis key (the source recommends it for passages without B natural), and first finger plus right first finger. Keep the right hand fingers resting over their keys when they are not pressed. Play long tones on each new note with a metronome, and if the ledger lines slow you down, practice them with the treble clef notes chart. More interactive charts: flute, clarinet, recorder, oboe and bassoon.
More for band instruments: Clarinet Fingering Chart · Trumpet Fingering Chart · French Horn Fingering Chart · Euphonium Fingering Chart · Mellophone Fingering Chart · Transposition Chart · Tuner
Questions
Is the alto sax fingering the same as the tenor sax?
Yes. All saxophones use the same fingering for the same written note. Only the sounding pitch differs: the alto sounds a major 6th lower than written, the tenor a major 9th lower.
How do I play the high notes on the saxophone?
From D5 to C#6, use the low fingering plus the octave key. From D6 to F6, add the palm keys (and the side E key for E6 and F6). F#6 needs a high F# key.
Which Bb fingering is right on the sax?
The chart shows the side Bb key as the standard fingering, the bis key for passages without B natural, and first finger plus right first finger as the source's alternates.
What is the lowest note on a saxophone?
Written low Bb (Bb3) on most saxophones. Many baritone saxophones have an extra thumb key for low A.
Why does the note I play not match the piano?
The saxophone is a transposing instrument. A written C on an alto sounds concert Eb. The chart shows the concert pitch under each written note.