C5 Clarinet Fingering
How to play C5 on the clarinet: Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · right pinky F key.
Filled keys and holes in the diagram are the ones you press or cover. The thumb hole is on the back of the clarinet, so it is drawn to the left; the small cluster at the bottom is the pinky keys.
Hear C5 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 C5 fingering, step by step
- Press the register key with your left thumb.
- Keep the thumb hole covered with your left thumb.
- Left hand: cover holes 1, 2, 3.
- Right hand: cover holes 1, 2, 3.
- Press the F key with your right pinky.
In short: register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · right pinky F key.
Alternate fingering for C5
Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky F key.
Use whichever little finger the notes around it leave free — the alternate exists so you never have to slide a pinky between two keys in a fast passage.
About C5 on the clarinet
The clarion is the clarinet’s bright, singing register. Almost every clarion fingering is a low-register fingering plus the register key — which is why the low register is worth learning properly first.
C5 is note 21 of the 42 in the full clarinet fingering chart, sitting between B4 below it and C♯5 above it. Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against Yamaha’s official chart and the Woodwind Fingering Guide before publishing.
Practising C5
If this note squeaks or drops to its low partner, check your left thumb: it must keep the thumb hole covered while its tip presses the register key. Half-covering the hole is the usual culprit.
Questions about C5
What is the fingering for C5 on clarinet?
Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · right pinky F key. C5 is a clarion register note. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
What does C5 sound like on a clarinet?
The clarinet is a transposing instrument in B♭, so written C5 sounds one whole step lower, as concert B♭4. When your band director asks for a concert B♭4, this is the note you finger.
Is there an alternate fingering for C5?
Yes — Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky F key. Use whichever little finger the notes around it leave free — the alternate exists so you never have to slide a pinky between two keys in a fast passage.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.