B♭4 Flute Fingering
How to play B♭4 on the flute: Thumb key · left hand 1 · right hand 1 · right pinky E♭ key.
Filled keys in the diagram are the ones you press. The two levers at the top left are the thumb keys; the three keys along the bottom are the foot-joint keys, worked by the right pinky — the same pinky that holds the E♭ key on most notes. Piccolo players: this fingering is identical on piccolo and sounds an octave higher.
Hear B♭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 B♭4 fingering, step by step
- Put your left thumb on the thumb key (the B lever is its home position).
- Left hand: press key 1.
- Right hand: press key 1.
- Rest your right pinky on the E♭ key and keep it down — it stays down for most flute notes, for tuning and balance.
In short: thumb key · left hand 1 · right hand 1 · right pinky E♭ key.
Alternate fingering for B♭4
Thumb B♭ lever · left hand 1 · right pinky E♭ key.
Use the thumb-B♭ lever in passages with no B natural nearby — it is quicker than moving the right index finger. Avoid it in music that also needs B4 or B5, because the thumb cannot serve both notes.
About B♭4 on the flute
The low register is the flute’s warm, quiet voice. Almost every fingering here keeps the E♭ key down and the hands in a simple ladder — the exceptions are the two foot-joint notes at the very bottom, where the right pinky works the foot keys instead.
B♭4 has three fingerings in the reference charts. This page shows the two that matter: one-and-four (left 1, right 1) as the main fingering, and the thumb-B♭ lever as the alternate. The third, a trill fingering using the B♭ trill key, exists for trills to B and fast alternations.
B♭4 is note 11 of the 37 in the full flute fingering chart, sitting between A4 below it and B4 above it. Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against Yamaha’s official chart and the Woodwind Fingering Guide before publishing.
Practising B♭4
Low notes need slow, warm air and a relaxed embouchure — blowing harder just makes them jump an octave. If this note will not speak, check that every finger is sealing its key completely and that the right pinky is where this fingering puts it.
Questions about B♭4
What is the fingering for B♭4 on flute?
Thumb key · left hand 1 · right hand 1 · right pinky E♭ key. B♭4 is a low register note. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
What does B♭4 sound like on a flute?
Exactly as written: B♭4. The flute is not a transposing instrument, so the note you finger is the note that sounds. On piccolo, the same fingering sounds one octave higher, as B♭5.
Is there an alternate fingering for B♭4?
Yes — Thumb B♭ lever · left hand 1 · right pinky E♭ key. Use the thumb-B♭ lever in passages with no B natural nearby — it is quicker than moving the right index finger. Avoid it in music that also needs B4 or B5, because the thumb cannot serve both notes.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.