Trumpet Fingering Chart
Every written note on the B♭ trumpet, from low F♯3 to high C6 — with a valve diagram, the fingering written out in words, and the concert pitch each note actually sounds. A trumpet has only three valves and seven combinations, so the whole chart is built from one simple ladder — plus your lips, which choose which note of each combination speaks. The cornet and flugelhorn use exactly the same combinations and have their own chart pages below.
Find a note fast
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.
Low register — the first octave
| Note | On the staff | Fingering | In words | Sounds as (concert) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F♯3 | Valves 1 + 2 + 3 pressed. | E3 | ||
| G3 | Valves 1 + 3 pressed. | F3 | ||
| G♯3 | Valves 2 + 3 pressed. | F♯3 | ||
| A3 | Valves 1 + 2 pressed. Alternate: Valve 3 pressed. |
G3 | ||
| B♭3 | Valve 1 pressed. | A♭3 | ||
| B3 | Valve 2 pressed. | A3 | ||
| C4 | Open — no valves pressed at all. | B♭3 | ||
| C♯4 | Valves 1 + 2 + 3 pressed. | B3 | ||
| D4 | Valves 1 + 3 pressed. | C4 | ||
| E♭4 | Valves 2 + 3 pressed. | D♭4 | ||
| E4 | Valves 1 + 2 pressed. Alternate: Valve 3 pressed. |
D4 | ||
| F4 | Valve 1 pressed. | E♭4 |
Middle register — the second octave
| Note | On the staff | Fingering | In words | Sounds as (concert) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F♯4 | Valve 2 pressed. | E4 | ||
| G4 | Open — no valves pressed at all. Alternate: Valves 1 + 3 pressed. |
F4 | ||
| G♯4 | Valves 2 + 3 pressed. | F♯4 | ||
| A4 | Valves 1 + 2 pressed. Alternate: Valve 3 pressed. |
G4 | ||
| B♭4 | Valve 1 pressed. | A♭4 | ||
| B4 | Valve 2 pressed. | A4 | ||
| C5 | Open — no valves pressed at all. Alternate: Valves 2 + 3 pressed. |
B♭4 | ||
| C♯5 | Valves 1 + 2 pressed. Alternate: Valves 1 + 3 pressed. |
B4 | ||
| D5 | Valve 1 pressed. Alternate: Valves 1 + 3 pressed. |
C5 | ||
| E♭5 | Valve 2 pressed. Alternate: Valves 2 + 3 pressed. |
D♭5 | ||
| E5 | Open — no valves pressed at all. Alternate: Valves 1 + 2 pressed. |
D5 | ||
| F5 | Valve 1 pressed. | E♭5 |
High register — up to high C
| Note | On the staff | Fingering | In words | Sounds as (concert) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F♯5 | Valve 2 pressed. | E5 | ||
| G5 | Open — no valves pressed at all. Alternate: Valves 1 + 3 pressed. |
F5 | ||
| G♯5 | Valves 2 + 3 pressed. | F♯5 | ||
| A5 | Valves 1 + 2 pressed. Alternate: Valve 3 pressed. |
G5 | ||
| B♭5 | Valve 1 pressed. | A♭5 | ||
| B5 | Valve 2 pressed. | A5 | ||
| C6 | Open — no valves pressed at all. | B♭5 |
Seven combinations play the whole chart
A trumpet has three piston valves, and each one adds a fixed length of tubing: valve 2 lowers the pitch by a semitone, valve 1 by a whole step, and valve 3 by a step and a half. Combined, they give exactly seven fingerings — open, 2, 1, 1+2, 2+3, 1+3 and 1+2+3 — and every note in this chart is one of those seven. What the valves cannot do is choose the pitch on their own: each combination is a whole harmonic series, and your embouchure and air pick which note of the series sounds. That is why open plays C4, G4, C5, E5, G5 and C6 with no fingers changing at all.
Where the ladder repeats — and where it stops
In the first octave the pattern is a clean chromatic ladder down from each open note: from C4, valve combinations step down through B3, B♭3, A3, A♭3, G3 to F♯3, the lowest standard note. The second octave mostly follows the same ladder — until the top of the staff, where the harmonics take over: C♯5 is fingered 1+2 (not 1+2+3), D5 is valve 1 alone, E♭5 is valve 2 alone, and E5 is completely open. Students who apply the low-octave ladder up there play wrong notes with great confidence — this is the part of the chart worth checking twice, and it is exactly what Yamaha's official chart and the independent charts used for this page all show.
The sharp combinations, and the slide that fixes them
Combinations that use two or three valves together — 1+3 and 1+2+3 above all — play sharp, because each valve's tubing is cut to be right on its own and comes up short in combination. Low D4, low C♯4 and F♯3 are the notes every beginner meets first. Trumpets are built with the cure on board: ease the third-valve slide out with your left ring finger while those notes play (and the first-valve slide for 1+2 notes that run high), then slide it back for the next note. The note pages flag every note where this matters.
The other trumpet-family charts
Sources
Every fingering in this chart was checked against two independent references: Yamaha's official trumpet fingering chart (Musical Instrument Guide) and the NoteAtlas trumpet fingering chart, with the First 5 Notes educator chart as a further cross-check. The sources agree on all 31 main fingerings — including the top of the staff, where the fingerings stop repeating the low octave: C♯5 is 1+2, D5 is valve 1 alone, E♭5 is valve 2 alone and E5 is open, because those notes sit on higher harmonic partials. Where Yamaha's chart draws a second, alternate fingering under a note, that alternate is shown on the note page, so nothing is hidden.
Trumpet fingering questions
How many notes are in this trumpet fingering chart?
Thirty-one — the complete standard written range of the B♭ trumpet, from low F♯3 below the staff to high C6 above it. Notes below F♯3 are pedal tones, played with the same fingerings but a completely different embouchure, and they are outside the standard charts.
What are the seven trumpet valve combinations?
Open (no valves), 2, 1, 1+2, 2+3, 1+3, and 1+2+3. Valve 2 lowers the pitch a semitone, valve 1 a whole step and valve 3 a step and a half, and the combinations add those steps together. Every note on the trumpet is played with one of these seven — your lips and air choose which harmonic of the combination sounds.
Why is D5 fingered with valve 1 alone, not 1+3 like D4?
Because D5 sits on a higher harmonic partial than D4. In the top part of the staff the harmonics crowd together, so fewer valves are needed: C♯5 is 1+2, D5 is 1, E♭5 is 2 and E5 is open. Yamaha’s official chart and the independent charts behind this page all agree on these fingerings — they are the standard ones, even though they break the low-octave pattern.
Why do my low D and low C♯ sound sharp?
Both use long valve combinations (1+3 and 1+2+3), and combined valve tubing is always a little too short, so the notes run sharp by design. Push the third-valve slide out with your left ring finger while you play those notes — that is exactly what the slide is for.
Can I print this trumpet fingering chart?
Yes — use the print button above the chart. The printed version keeps the full table with a small diagram for every note, sized to read at arm’s length on a music stand.