Clarinet Fingering Chart - Register Key and Cross Fingerings

Use the free tool below: your data never leaves your browser — all work happens on your device, and nothing is uploaded to any server.

Why the clarinet chart looks different

The clarinet overblows at the twelfth, not the octave. That one fact shapes the whole fingering chart. Press the register key and a low note jumps up an octave plus a fifth, so the second register reuses the low fingerings in a shifted pattern. It also means the clarinet has three distinct areas to learn: the chalumeau low register, the throat tones in the middle, and the clarion register above the break. Each area feels different, and crossing the break smoothly is the skill that defines a clarinetist.

This chart covers the standard student range: chalumeau from low E to middle C, the four throat tones, and clarion from B to G. Pick a note and the tool shows the exact keys, including the pinky keys for the lowest notes and the register key for clarion notes. A filled circle means the key is pressed; an open circle means it stays open. Learn the chalumeau register first, because every clarion fingering is built from it.

The chalumeau register

Low E uses everything: thumb, all six main fingers, and the low E pinky key. From there, the pinky keys change the note without moving the main fingers: F uses the F pinky key, F# the F# key. Then the main fingers start lifting from the bottom: G lifts the whole right hand, Ab adds the left pinky Ab key, A lifts the left ring finger, Bb adds the side Bb key, B lifts the left middle finger, and middle C uses the thumb alone.

The pinky keys are the hard part for beginners, because four different keys sit under each pinky and the correct one depends on the note. Practise the low E, F and F# as a group, sliding the pinky between its keys while the rest of the hand stays still. If a low note honks or refuses to speak, check the pinky first: a half-pressed pinky key leaks air and ruins the note.

Throat tones

The throat tones, G, Ab, A and Bb in the middle of the staff, are played with the upper joint alone and no thumb hole. G uses no fingers at all, which is why it is called the open G. Ab adds a side key, A uses the left index finger, and Bb adds the side Bb key to that. These notes sound thinner than the notes around them on every clarinet, which is why teachers spend so much time on them. Support them with steady air and a relaxed embouchure rather than biting, which only makes them sharper and thinner.

Crossing the break into clarion

Add the register key to a chalumeau fingering and you get the clarion note a twelfth higher. Low E plus the register key gives clarion B. Low F plus the register key gives clarion C. Work through the whole chalumeau set this way and you have the clarion register: B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F# and G. The tool shows each clarion fingering built exactly this way, so you can see the pattern instead of memorising a second list.

The break itself, between throat Bb and clarion B, is the awkward jump, because the fingers change completely. Practise it as an exercise: play throat Bb, then clarion B, then back, slowly, until the movement feels like one gesture. Then play scales that cross the break, such as Bb major and F major, at a tempo where every note speaks. Speed comes later; clean crossings come first.

Cross fingerings and side keys

Some notes have two good fingerings, and choosing well makes passages smoother. Chalumeau Eb can be played with the lowest side key instead of the pinky keys, which helps when Eb sits between notes that use the pinkies. Bb in the chalumeau register has a fork fingering, thumb plus left-hand fingers 1 and 3, which avoids the side key in fast passages. Try both fingerings for each note and keep the one that moves best from its neighbours.

Side keys also fix tuning. If a note sounds sharp in context, an alternate fingering often brings it down without changing your embouchure. Ask your teacher before adopting an alternate as your default, because some alternates sound dull as long notes even though they work beautifully as passing notes.

Common mistakes

Pressing the register key for throat tones, which belong to neither register.
Forgetting the register key in the clarion register, which drops notes a twelfth.
Leaving a pinky key half-pressed so a low note leaks and honks.
Biting on throat tones instead of supporting them with air.
Practising only below the break and avoiding the crossing that needs the work.

How to practise with this chart

Learn the chalumeau scale first, then the clarion scale using the same fingerings plus the register key, then the throat tones as a bridge between them. Play each scale slowly, then play a tune that crosses the break, such as a folk melody in F or Bb major. When every note speaks cleanly at a slow tempo, raise the tempo a little. The clarinet rewards patient, systematic practice more than any other wind instrument, because its fingering system is logical all the way through once the twelfth rule clicks.

Clarinet Fingering Chart – Register Key and Cross Fingerings