E3 Clarinet Fingering
How to play E3 on the clarinet: Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky E 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 E3 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 E3 fingering, step by step
- Cover the thumb hole with your left thumb.
- Left hand: cover holes 1, 2, 3.
- Right hand: cover holes 1, 2, 3.
- Press the E key with your left pinky.
In short: thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky E key.
Alternate fingering for E3
Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · right pinky E 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 E3 on the clarinet
The chalumeau is the clarinet’s low register — dark, warm and woody. These fingerings are the foundation of everything above them: add the register key to most of them and the same fingers produce the clarion register a twelfth higher.
E3 is the lowest note on a standard B♭ clarinet — every hole is covered and the E key is down, using the full length of the instrument. A few clarinets have a low E♭ extension and can go one note lower, but most school instruments stop here.
E3 is note 1 of the 42 in the full clarinet fingering chartF3 above it. Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against Yamaha’s official chart and the Woodwind Fingering Guide before publishing.
Practising E3
Low notes speak best with steady, warm air and a relaxed throat. If this note cracks or feels stuffy, check first that every finger is sealing its hole completely — low notes forgive nothing.
Questions about E3
What is the fingering for E3 on clarinet?
Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky E key. E3 is a chalumeau register note. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
What does E3 sound like on a clarinet?
The clarinet is a transposing instrument in B♭, so written E3 sounds one whole step lower, as concert D3. When your band director asks for a concert D3, this is the note you finger.
Is there an alternate fingering for E3?
Yes — Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · right pinky E 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.