Recorder Hero › Fingering chart

Interactive recorder fingering chart for beginners

Every beginner note on the soprano (descant) recorder, the one most children learn at school. Tap the Play button beside a note to hear it, or choose Play every note. Tap a note for how to play it and what to do when it squeaks.

Fingering:

low C

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 covered

low C#

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 6 covered, half of hole 7 covered (one of its two small holes)

low D

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 6 covered

low E♭

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 covered, half of hole 6 covered (one of its two small holes)

low E

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 6 7 covered Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 5 6 covered Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 5 6 7 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 4 5 covered, half of hole 6 covered (one of its two small holes)

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 covered

B♭

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 3 4 covered

Thumb hole covered, hole 1 covered

high C

Thumb hole covered, hole 2 covered

high C#

Thumb hole open, holes 1 2 covered

high D

Thumb hole open, hole 2 covered

high E♭

Thumb hole open, holes 2 3 4 5 6 covered

high E

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 3 4 5 covered

high F

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 3 4 6 covered Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 3 4 covered

high F#

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 3 5 covered Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 3 5 7 covered

high G

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 3 covered

high G#

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 4 covered

high A

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 covered

high B♭

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 5 6 covered

high B

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 2 4 5 covered

top C

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 4 5 covered

top D

Thumb hole half covered (pinched), holes 1 3 4 6 covered

How to read the chart

Filled holes are covered, open holes are left open. The hole drawn beside the recorder is the thumb hole at the back.
Left hand on top: the thumb covers the back hole, and the pointer, middle and ring fingers cover holes 1, 2 and 3.
Right hand below: the pointer, middle, ring and little fingers cover holes 4 to 7. The right thumb rests underneath, between holes 4 and 5, to hold the recorder.
Half-filled thumb (high E, F, F#, G and A): the thumb is "pinched", leaving a small gap at the top of the hole.
Half-filled bottom hole (low C#, low E♭ and G#): holes 6 and 7 are pairs of small holes; cover just one of them.

Which notes to learn first

Start with B, A and G, using only the left hand. Then high C and high D. When those feel easy, add the right hand for low E, low D, low C, F, F# and B♭, and then the pinched high E, high G, high A, high F# and high F. Last comes high C#. That's the order of the lessons in Recorder Hero, and every song lists the notes it uses.

Baroque or German fingering?

Most recorders sold today use baroque (English) fingering, and this chart is for those. Some school recorders use German fingering, which makes F a little easier but other notes harder; it's often marked with a "G" or "German" on the recorder. Only F and F# are fingered differently (low and high): every other note on this chart is the same on both.

Practice the notes with your recorder

Free, in your browser: it listens as you play and shows which finger to fix.