Recorder · treble clef
Recorder Fingering Chart
Every note on the soprano recorder, from low C to high D. Tap a note to see the holes larger and hear it.
Soprano recorder, baroque (English) fingering. Written as in school method books; it sounds an octave higher.
First octave
Cover every hole completely and blow very gently.
Cover only the larger of the two bottom holes.
Like low C with the pinky lifted.
Cover only the larger of the two holes under the right ring finger.
Fork fingering: lift only the right middle finger.
Like D with the right first finger lifted.
Left ring finger up; the right ring finger covers only the larger of its two holes.
Skip the left middle finger.
Second octave
Thumb off; first two fingers down.
Thumb off; only the left middle finger stays down.
Thumb and left first finger off; the other fingers stay down, but keep the right pinky up.
Pinch the thumb: bend it so a small gap opens at the top of the thumb hole.
Like low F with the thumb pinched and the pinky up: right middle finger up, right ring finger down.
Pinched thumb; only the right middle finger stays down.
Same as low G with the thumb pinched; blow a little faster.
Same as A with the thumb pinched; keep the thumb gap small.
Third octave
Small thumb gap and fast, steady air.
The hardest note on the recorder, and this fingering can be out of tune on some recorders. If it is, sit down and use the alternate: high D fingering with the end of the recorder closed against your knee.
Printable chart
How to read this chart
Filled holes are covered. The thumb hole on the back is drawn to the left.
A half-filled thumb hole means pinch the thumb: bend it so a small gap opens at the top of the hole.
The bottom two holes are double holes. When only the larger one is filled, cover just that one.
This chart is for baroque (English) recorders, the most common kind in schools. On a German-fingering recorder, F and F♯ are different: low F is the thumb, the left first three fingers and the right first finger only.
Which notes come first
Most school method books start with B, A and G, using the left hand only, then add C, D and the right hand.
Next: Recorder scales