C♯5 Trumpet Fingering
How to play C♯5 on the trumpet: Valves 1 + 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 C♯5 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 C♯5 fingering, step by step
- Press valve 1 with your right index finger — press it straight down, all the way, with the pad of the finger.
- 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: valves 1 + 2 pressed.
Alternate fingering for C♯5
Valves 1 + 3 pressed.
Yamaha’s official chart draws this 1+3 alternate under C♯5. It reaches the same pitch from a different partial; the 1+2 fingering above is the standard the sources agree on.
About C♯5 on the trumpet
The middle register mostly repeats the low register’s combinations an octave of harmonics higher — F♯4 is valve 2, just as B3 is. The exception is the top of the staff, from C♯5 onward, where the harmonics crowd together and the fingerings shrink: C♯5 is 1+2, D5 is 1, E♭5 is 2 and E5 is open.
C♯5 breaks the pattern students expect: not 1+2+3 (that is C♯4’s fingering) but 1+2, because up here the note sits on a higher harmonic. Yamaha’s chart draws a 1+3 alternate beneath it. Getting this one right is the classic chart-check moment.
C♯5 is note 20 of the 31 in the full trumpet fingering chart, sitting between C5 below it and D5 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 C♯5
If this note comes out an octave or a fifth away from where you aimed, the valves are rarely the problem — your lips found the wrong harmonic. Sing or hum the pitch first, then play it; the fingering only works once the right partial is in your ear.
Questions about C♯5
What is the fingering for C♯5 on trumpet?
Valves 1 + 2 pressed. C♯5 is a middle 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 C♯5 sound like on a trumpet?
Trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn are all transposing instruments in B♭, so written C♯5 sounds one whole step lower, as concert B4, on all three. When your band director asks for a concert B4, this is the note you finger.
Is there an alternate fingering for C♯5?
Yes — Valves 1 + 3 pressed. Yamaha’s official chart draws this 1+3 alternate under C♯5. It reaches the same pitch from a different partial; the 1+2 fingering above is the standard the sources agree on.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.