Clarinet Trill Fingering Chart
A trill is a fast shake between two neighbouring notes, and on the clarinet it is done with one finger (or one key) doing all the work: you hold the lower note's fingering and move only the trilling element.
How to read this chart
This chart lists only the clarinet trills that survive a strict test — take the held note's verified fingering from this site's clarinet chart, move exactly the element named, and the result must be the partner note's verified fingering, exactly. Thirty trills pass that test. They are the trills a player can trust without a teacher checking over their shoulder.
Each row gives a pair of neighbouring notes. Finger the first note exactly as the diagram shows — that fingering does not change. Then move only the element named in the third column, fast and evenly. That single moving element is the whole trill.
| Trill | Hold this fingering | What moves |
|---|---|---|
| E3–F♯3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky E key. | Trill the F♯ key with your left pinky. |
| F3–G3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill the F key with your right pinky. |
| F♯3–G3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill the F♯ key with your left pinky. |
| G3–G♯3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill the G♯ key with your left pinky. |
| G3–A3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill your right-hand ring finger. |
| A3–B♭3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2. | Trill your right-hand middle finger. |
| A3–B3 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2. | Trill your right-hand index finger. |
| B♭3–C4 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1. | Trill your right-hand index finger. |
| B3–C4 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 2. | Trill your right-hand middle finger. |
| C4–C♯4 | Thumb · left hand 1-2-3. | Trill the C♯ key with your left pinky. |
| D4–E♭4 | Thumb · left hand 1-2. | Trill trill key 4. |
| D4–E4 | Thumb · left hand 1-2. | Trill your left-hand middle finger. |
| E4–F4 | Thumb · left hand 1. | Trill your left-hand index finger. |
| F♯4–G4 | Left hand 1. | Trill your left-hand index finger. |
| G4–G♯4 | No keys pressed at all — a completely open fingering. | Trill the throat G♯ key. |
| G4–A4 | No keys pressed at all — a completely open fingering. | Trill the throat A key. |
| A4–B♭4 | A throat key. | Trill trill key 2. |
| B4–C♯5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3 · left pinky E key. | Trill the F♯ key with your left pinky. |
| C5–D5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill the F key with your right pinky. |
| D5–E♭5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill the G♯ key with your left pinky. |
| D5–E5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2-3. | Trill your right-hand ring finger. |
| E5–F5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2. | Trill your right-hand middle finger. |
| E5–F♯5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1-2. | Trill your right-hand index finger. |
| F5–G5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 1. | Trill your right-hand index finger. |
| F♯5–G5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3 · right hand 2. | Trill your right-hand middle finger. |
| G5–G♯5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3. | Trill the C♯ key with your left pinky. |
| G5–A5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2-3. | Trill your left-hand ring finger. |
| A5–B♭5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2. | Trill the E♭ lever with your left pinky. |
| A5–B5 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1-2. | Trill your left-hand middle finger. |
| B5–C6 | Register key · thumb · left hand 1. | Trill your left-hand index finger. |
Why this chart is shorter than most
Fifty-five further trill fingerings circulate in published trill tables for these note pairs. They were not published here, for a stated reason: a trill fingering that cannot be traced to two independent sources, and that does not land exactly on a verified fingering of the partner note, is a guess — and a wrong trill fingering in a fast passage is worse than none. Where a published trill uses a special fingering for the partner note rather than its basic fingering, the trill may still be playable, but it is not verified, so it waits. If your teacher shows you one of those, use it — a teacher's ear outranks any chart.
Every fingering these trills stand on is on the clarinet fingering chart, checked against two published sources. If a trill you need is missing, the honest answer today is: it has not passed verification yet — ask a teacher, and tell us which trill you were looking for.
Hear the notes in the Fingering Finder
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.
What is a trill fingering?
The fingering that stays still while one finger or key shakes. You finger the first note normally, then move only the named element — a trill key, a main finger or a throat key — fast and evenly, without disturbing the rest of the hand.
Why does this chart show fewer trills than other charts?
Because every trill here is verified twice over: it starts from a fingering on this site's checked clarinet chart, and moving only the named element lands exactly on the partner note's checked fingering. Trills that need a special partner fingering, or that appear in only one source, are withheld rather than guessed.
Which trill keys does the clarinet have?
Four small keys between the main finger holes of the upper joint, worked by the right-hand fingers. Most clarinet trills use them — that is why so many rows here say "trill key": the main fingers stay down and the key does the shaking.