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The recorder in one page
The soprano recorder is the simplest wind instrument to finger, and this chart covers it completely from low C to very high C. The left hand covers the thumb hole on the back and the top three holes; the right hand covers the bottom four holes. Notes go up as you lift fingers from the bottom, just like other woodwinds, and the high register uses a half thumb, opening the thumb hole just a crack.
Pick a note and the tool shows exactly which holes to cover. A filled circle means the hole is covered; a half-filled circle means it is only half covered. This chart uses Baroque fingering, the system on most school and professional soprano recorders. If your recorder has a G stamped under the thumb hole, it uses German fingering instead, and only the F fingering differs.
The low octave
Low C covers everything: thumb and all seven holes. Lift the bottom hole for D, then the next for E. F is the famous forked fingering: cover holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, leaving hole 5 open. That gap is what makes Baroque F different from German F, and it is the first cross fingering every recorder player learns. F# lifts hole 4 as well, leaving holes 5 and 6 covered. Then G uses the top three holes, A the top two, Bb the forked 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, and B the top hole alone.
The forked fingerings look strange but they work because of the way air behaves in the bore. Trust them: a forked F played cleanly sounds perfectly in tune, while the simple German F on a Baroque recorder sounds sharp. If your F sounds sharp, you are probably using the wrong system’s fingering.
The half thumb
Above high D, the thumb hole opens halfway. Pinching means rolling the thumb slightly so the hole is only partly covered, leaving a narrow crack. It feels odd at first, and most beginners open the hole too much, which makes the note jump or squeak. Practise the pinch on high E, which uses holes 1 to 5 with a pinched thumb, and adjust the crack until the note speaks cleanly. Small changes make a big difference here.
High C is the exception before the pinch: it uses the thumb fully covered plus hole 2 only. High C# opens the thumb entirely and covers holes 1 and 2. High D opens the thumb and covers hole 2 alone. From high E upward, the pinch takes over for every note, and the fingerings mirror the low octave in a compressed form.
The high register
High E uses pinched thumb plus holes 1 to 5. High F uses pinched thumb plus holes 1 to 4 and 6, another fork. High F# uses pinched thumb plus holes 1, 2, 3 and 5. High G uses pinched thumb plus the top three holes. High A uses pinched thumb plus the top two. High Bb uses pinched thumb plus holes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. High B uses pinched thumb plus holes 1, 2, 4 and 5. Very high C uses pinched thumb plus holes 1, 4 and 5.
The high register needs gentle, focused air. Blowing harder does not help; it makes the notes sharp and shrill. Think of a thin, fast stream of air, and keep the fingers relaxed. Tension in the hands makes the pinch harder to control, so shake your hands loose between phrases.
Common mistakes
- Using the German F on a Baroque recorder, which plays sharp.
- Opening the thumb hole too far for pinched notes, which makes them squeak.
- Covering holes with fingertips instead of the pads, which leaks air.
- Blowing too hard in the high register instead of focusing the air.
- Letting the right-hand pinky drift off hole 7 on low notes.
How to practise with this chart
Learn the low octave first, then the high octave up to high D, then the pinched notes one at a time. Play scales in C, G and F major, which cover the forked fingerings, and then D major, which adds F#. Play simple tunes that stay in one octave before attempting tunes that cross into the pinched register. When a note is uncertain, look it up here, play it slowly ten times, and then use it in a tune. The recorder rewards clean, gentle playing far more than fast, forced playing.
Finally, keep the recorder clean and dry between sessions. Moisture in the windway causes clogging, which beginners often mistake for bad fingering. Warm the head joint in your hands before playing in a cold room, and the notes will speak more easily.
Related tools
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- Tin Whistle Fingering Chart – Notes and Half-Holing on a D Whistle