Find written notes from E3 to C6, see which holes and keys to use, compare the released basic choices, and hear the corresponding concert pitch. The chart is for standard Boehm-system B♭ soprano clarinet.
Start with the note exactly as it is written in your clarinet part, including the octave number. The main diagram separates the left hand, right hand, thumb hole and register key. Filled main tone-hole circles mean that the hole is covered; outlined circles mean that it stays open. T labels the left-thumb hole and R labels the separate register key. Keeping those two controls separate is important because the register key does not automatically tell you whether the thumb hole is open or covered.
The six numbered main holes correspond to index, middle and ring fingers on the left and right hands. Some notes also use a throat, side or little-finger key. Those extra actions appear as named text such as LH E/B or RH F/C. Happy Clarinet intentionally does not place every optional touchpiece at a guessed coordinate on the schematic, because clarinet keywork can differ in physical layout even when the musical function is the same.
Read the diagram together with the written instruction below it. Both are generated from the same released key-state record, so a visual and its text should not disagree. If they do, that is a reportable implementation problem rather than something you should try to reconcile by guessing. See the source and review method for how those records reach the public chart.
Clarinet note names and octaves
Clarinet music uses the letters A through G, accidentals such as sharps and flats, and an octave number to identify the pitch precisely. C4 is middle C. F4 and F5 are both called F, but they are an octave apart and do not necessarily use the same fingering. That is why the selector keeps the octave number visible instead of offering only a row of note letters.
Sharp and flat spellings can name the same pitch. F♯ and G♭ are enharmonic spellings, as are C♯ and D♭. Use the “Show accidentals as” control to match the notation you are reading. Changing that preference does not create a second physical pitch or a second data record; it changes the displayed spelling and staff position while keeping the underlying fingering and sounding relationship consistent.
The current range contains 33 chromatic pitch positions from written E3 through C6. It does not claim to include every playable note on every clarinet. Notes above C6, specialist altissimo fingerings and extended-key mechanisms need their own reviewed scope. When your music goes outside this release, treat the displayed range as a boundary rather than assuming the nearest available fingering can simply be shifted into another octave.
Registers and the range of this chart
Happy Clarinet groups E3–F♯4 as chalumeau, G4–B♭4 as throat tones, and B4–C6 as clarion for this teaching view. The labels help you understand where a selected note sits in the released range; they are not calculated only from the position of the register key.
The clarinet overblows differently from an octave instrument, so moving across the break changes more than a simple visual octave switch. Around the throat tones and the B4/C5 area, read the actual key states rather than applying a shortcut such as “same fingering plus register key.”
Written notes and concert pitch
B♭ soprano clarinet is a transposing instrument. Use the written note in your clarinet part to find the fingering. The instrument sounds a whole step lower: written C4 sounds as concert B♭3, written D4 sounds as concert C4, and so on.
The Hear note control plays a synthetic reference tone at concert pitch. It is not a recording of a clarinet, a tuner or a microphone-based assessment of your sound. The distinction lets you compare the sounding pitch with a piano or another concert-pitch reference without changing the written note you use to find the fingering.
When an alternate fingering helps
A clarinet can have more than one workable fingering for the same written pitch, but “alternate” does not mean that every option is equally useful in every context. Passage direction, neighboring notes, intonation, resonance and the exact keywork on an instrument can affect which choice a player prefers. V1 therefore avoids publishing a giant unreviewed list of specialist alternatives.
The current basic release does include two co-equal little-finger choices for E3, F3, F♯3, B4, C5 and C♯5. Those are part of the standard basic reference and are shown separately. Choose one according to the passage; do not press both merely because both appear on the page. Context-dependent trill, resonance and intonation options are outside this release until their purpose and evidence can be reviewed separately.
If a teacher or a reliable source gives you another fingering that works better for a specific phrase, that does not automatically make the basic chart wrong. If you think the published basic state itself is incorrect, use Contact and include the written note, instrument system and evidence so the issue can be checked against the recorded sources.
Sources and review status
The current basic records are source cross-checked against Yamaha’s Boehm clarinet fingering guide and the Woodwind Fingering Guide. The source row attached to a selected note identifies the references recorded for that release. Two pages from the same publisher are not treated as two independent sources simply because the URLs differ.
The International Clarinet Association’s throat-tone guidance is also used to support the teaching boundary around G4–B♭4. Happy Clarinet’s diagrams are original schematics generated from structured finger/key states rather than copies of the source artwork.
SOURCE_CROSS_CHECKED describes this evidence and QA path; it is not a claim of named professional endorsement. Read Methodology for the dataset scope, data checks, print consistency and correction workflow.
Print the full fingering chart
All 33 notes, including both little-finger choices, in 4 black-and-white pages. The printout always includes the whole range, not just the selected note.
In the print dialog, match the paper size, use portrait at 100% scale and turn off browser headers and footers. Choose “Save as PDF” for a file. Both spellings are listed; staff notes use flats.
The print feature supports personal reference. See printable permissions before classroom distribution, republication, modification or commercial reuse.
Clarinet Fingering Chart
B♭ soprano · Standard Boehm · Written E3–C6
US Letter 1 / 4
Cover / press Open / releaseT Thumb holeR Register key1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring
LH = left hand; RH = right hand. Side and little-finger keys are named below, not located on the schematic.
E3
Chalumeau · Concert D3
Either: Press LH pinky E/B key
or: Press RH pinky E/B key
F3
Chalumeau · Concert E♭3
Either: Press LH pinky F/C key
or: Press RH pinky F/C key
F♯3 / G♭3
Chalumeau · Concert F♭3
Either: Press LH pinky F♯/C♯ key
or: Press RH pinky F♯/C♯ key
G3
Chalumeau · Concert F3
No additional keys
G♯3 / A♭3
Chalumeau · Concert G♭3
Press RH pinky G♯/D♯ key
A3
Chalumeau · Concert G3
No additional keys
A♯3 / B♭3
Chalumeau · Concert A♭3
No additional keys
B3
Chalumeau · Concert A3
No additional keys
C4
Chalumeau · Concert B♭3
No additional keys
Clarinet Fingering Chart
B♭ soprano · Standard Boehm · Written E3–C6
US Letter 2 / 4
Cover / press Open / releaseT Thumb holeR Register key1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring
LH = left hand; RH = right hand. Side and little-finger keys are named below, not located on the schematic.
C♯4 / D♭4
Chalumeau · Concert C♭4
Press LH pinky C♯/G♯ key
D4
Chalumeau · Concert C4
No additional keys
D♯4 / E♭4
Chalumeau · Concert D♭4
Press RH lowest side key (E♭/B♭)
E4
Chalumeau · Concert D4
No additional keys
F4
Chalumeau · Concert E♭4
No additional keys
F♯4 / G♭4
Chalumeau · Concert F♭4
No additional keys
G4
Throat tones · Concert F4
No additional keys
G♯4 / A♭4
Throat tones · Concert G♭4
Press LH side G♯/A♭ key
A4
Throat tones · Concert G4
Press Top A key
Clarinet Fingering Chart
B♭ soprano · Standard Boehm · Written E3–C6
US Letter 3 / 4
Cover / press Open / releaseT Thumb holeR Register key1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring
LH = left hand; RH = right hand. Side and little-finger keys are named below, not located on the schematic.
A♯4 / B♭4
Throat tones · Concert A♭4
Press Top A key
B4
Clarion · Concert A4
Either: Press LH pinky E/B key
or: Press RH pinky E/B key
C5
Clarion · Concert B♭4
Either: Press LH pinky F/C key
or: Press RH pinky F/C key
C♯5 / D♭5
Clarion · Concert C♭5
Either: Press LH pinky F♯/C♯ key
or: Press RH pinky F♯/C♯ key
D5
Clarion · Concert C5
No additional keys
D♯5 / E♭5
Clarion · Concert D♭5
Press RH pinky G♯/D♯ key
E5
Clarion · Concert D5
No additional keys
F5
Clarion · Concert E♭5
No additional keys
F♯5 / G♭5
Clarion · Concert F♭5
No additional keys
Clarinet Fingering Chart
B♭ soprano · Standard Boehm · Written E3–C6
US Letter 4 / 4
Cover / press Open / releaseT Thumb holeR Register key1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring
LH = left hand; RH = right hand. Side and little-finger keys are named below, not located on the schematic.
G5
Clarion · Concert F5
No additional keys
G♯5 / A♭5
Clarion · Concert G♭5
Press LH pinky C♯/G♯ key
A5
Clarion · Concert G5
No additional keys
A♯5 / B♭5
Clarion · Concert A♭5
Press RH lowest side key (E♭/B♭)
B5
Clarion · Concert A5
No additional keys
C6
Clarion · Concert B♭5
No additional keys
Clarinet fingering questions
These answers explain the scope and notation used by the current Happy Clarinet chart. For a data-source question, use Methodology; for a suspected error, use Contact.
Which clarinet is this fingering chart for?
This chart is for standard Boehm-system B♭ soprano clarinet. It covers written E3 through C6. It is not a complete chart for bass clarinet, German/Oehler systems, extended-key instruments or the full altissimo range.
What do the filled and empty circles mean?
A filled main tone-hole circle means cover that hole; an outlined circle means leave it open. T is the thumb hole and R is the separate register key. Extra side, throat and little-finger keys are named in text so the chart does not guess their exact physical position on every clarinet.
What does the number in C4 or F5 mean?
The number identifies the octave. C4 is middle C. The same letter name in another octave is a different pitch and may use a different fingering, so keep the octave number when you look up a note.
Are these written notes or concert notes?
The note selector, staff and main note name use written pitch, matching a B♭ clarinet part. A B♭ clarinet sounds a whole step lower, so written C4 sounds as concert B♭3. The Hear note control plays the corresponding concert-pitch reference tone.
Why do some notes have two little-finger choices?
E3, F3, F♯3, B4, C5 and C♯5 publish two co-equal basic little-finger options. Use one option according to the notes around it. The chart does not tell you to press both and does not claim one choice is always best.
Why do sharp and flat notes share a fingering?
Enharmonic spellings such as F♯ and G♭ represent the same pitch in this chart. Switching the accidental display changes the written name and staff spelling while keeping the underlying pitch, fingering and concert relationship consistent.
Does the chart include every alternate fingering?
No. V1 publishes basic fingerings and the co-equal basic little-finger choices described above. Passage-specific trill, resonance and intonation alternatives, plus options that require model-specific mechanisms, are outside this release.
Can I print or save the chart as a PDF?
Yes. Choose US Letter or A4 in the print section, then select Print / Save PDF. The browser creates the paper copy or PDF and the printout always contains the full 33-note range, not only the note currently selected on screen.