E♭4 Bassoon Fingering
How to play E♭4 on the bassoon: Left hand 1-2 · right hand 2-3.
Filled keys and holes in the diagram are the ones you press or cover, and a part-filled first hole is partly covered — a quarter, a half or three quarters, exactly as the fingering states. The column down the left is the left thumb’s nine keys: the whisper key at the top, then the C♯ key, the three flick keys and the four low keys; a dashed flick key is touched only as the note starts, then released. Below them sit the left pinky’s E♭ and C♯ keys — drawn as two keys, because on the instrument they are two. The columns on the right are the right thumb’s four keys and the right pinky’s three, and the narrow key between the right hand’s second and third holes is the sliver B♭ key.
Hear E♭4 and try the fingering
Pick an instrument and a note and the diagram updates instantly — filled keys are the ones you press. The same finder sits on every note page, pre-set to that note.
The E♭4 fingering, step by step
- Cover hole 1 with your left index finger.
- Cover hole 2 with your left middle finger.
- Cover hole 2 with your right middle finger.
- Cover hole 3 with your right ring finger.
In short: left hand 1-2 · right hand 2-3.
Alternate fingering for E♭4
Left hand 1-2 · right hand 1-2-3.
This version fills in the first right-hand hole as well, putting all three right-hand fingers down. Some bassoons speak more securely this way at the top of the second octave; the references print both fingerings.
About E♭4 on the bassoon
The second octave is where the bassoon’s special techniques arrive together. It opens with the three partial-hole notes, where the left index finger covers a quarter, a half and three quarters of its hole; continues through the flick notes, where a thumb key is tapped at the attack and released; and closes with plainer fingerings in which the whisper key quietly retires and the thumb keys take over the work.
E♭4 is note 30 of the 37 in the full bassoon fingering chart, sitting between D4 below it and E4 above it.
Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against Yamaha’s Musical Instrument Guide bassoon chart, the Woodwind Fingering Guide’s bassoon charts and the First 5 Notes bassoon chart before publishing.
Practising E♭4
Practise the flick as a separate tap: finger A3 silently, tap the A flick key with the thumb, then play the note and flick at the same instant — the thumb should already be hovering over the cluster. For the partial-hole notes, work against a tuner and learn the fractions by feel; your finger cannot watch itself in a fast passage.
Questions about E♭4
What is the fingering for E♭4 on bassoon?
Left hand 1-2 · right hand 2-3. E♭4 is a second octave note on the bassoon. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
What does E♭4 sound like on a bassoon?
Exactly E♭4 — the bassoon is a non-transposing instrument that reads at concert pitch in the bass clef, so written E♭4 sounds as concert E♭4. When your conductor asks for a concert E♭4, this is the note you finger.
Is there an alternate fingering for E♭4?
Yes — Left hand 1-2 · right hand 1-2-3. This version fills in the first right-hand hole as well, putting all three right-hand fingers down. Some bassoons speak more securely this way at the top of the second octave; the references print both fingerings.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.