B5 Trumpet Fingering
How to play B5 on the trumpet: Valve 2 pressed. This fingering is the same on cornet and flugelhorn — only the tone differs.
Filled valves in the diagram are the ones you press. Valve 1 is nearest you and is worked by your right index finger, valve 2 by the middle finger, and valve 3 — nearest the bell — by the ring finger. The same diagram serves the cornet and flugelhorn charts, because all three instruments share these combinations.
Hear B5 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 B5 fingering, step by step
- Press valve 2 with your right middle finger — press it straight down, all the way, with the pad of the finger.
- Keep the fingers you are not using curved and resting lightly on their valve caps, ready for the next note.
In short: valve 2 pressed.
About B5 on the trumpet
The high register is played on the highest harmonics in the standard range, where the partials sit close together and the embouchure does most of the work. The valve combinations here are short ones — open, 2, 1, 1+2 and 2+3 — and accuracy comes from hearing the pitch before you play it.
B5 is note 30 of the 31 in the full trumpet fingering chart, sitting between B♭5 below it and C6 above it. The same fingering serves the whole family — see it on the cornet fingering chart and the flugelhorn fingering chart too. Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against Yamaha’s official chart and the NoteAtlas valve chart before publishing.
Practising B5
High notes come from faster air through a smaller aperture, never from mouthpiece pressure. Practise this note in short bursts, rest as much as you play, and stop while it still feels good — tired practice teaches the wrong embouchure.
Questions about B5
What is the fingering for B5 on trumpet?
Valve 2 pressed. B5 is a high register note, fingered identically on trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
What does B5 sound like on a trumpet?
Trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn are all transposing instruments in B♭, so written B5 sounds one whole step lower, as concert A5, on all three. When your band director asks for a concert A5, this is the note you finger.
Is there an alternate fingering for B5?
For B5, the fingering above is the one to learn. It is the basic fingering both reference charts give for this note, and the one teachers expect to see.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.