Knowing that there is a “hidden” note between those two notes suddenly makes the slur a whole lot easier! Single F Horn Fingering Chart Notice the note between the 6th and 8th partials, and think about the opening to the 2nd movement of Mozart’s 3rd horn concerto. Now take a look at the third line (Bb 1). If you look up and down the chart, you’ll see that this flat 7th partial is present on every line, and in each case, this note/fingering combination doesn’t appear on standard fingering charts. If you’re slurring a C major arpeggio, you must use extra caution (and airspeed) between that G and C to skip over the Bb. This 7th harmonic Bb is a “hidden” note – its pitch is very flat, so Bb is almost never played open – but it’s there. You can see that you have all the expected open notes but if you look between the 6th and 8th harmonics, you’ll see something unexpected. Take a look at the line for an open F horn (in the middle of the page, labeled “F 0”. Here’s why it’s so important to know your harmonic series:

The number denotes cents from equal temperament (there are 100 cents in a half-step). These numbers show that a particular harmonic will be flat (shown by the “-” sign) or sharp (shown by the “+” sign). You will see that some notes have numbers underneath them. This is called the overtone or harmonic series, and it’s the basis for every brass instrument. Note that no matter the fingering, the interval pattern (octave, fifth, fourth, major third, etc) is the same. This chart shows you the partials (or harmonics) for every fingering on a double horn. You need something like my harmonic series sheet. To see all the note possibilities for a double horn (or single F/Bb), you need something different. While all these charts show recommended fingerings for each note, they don’t give you all the possibilities. The biggest issue with these charts is what they don’t show.

This page has fingering charts for all sorts of horns, including:Īs well as information about the hidden problem with all fingering charts – especially for younger players! French Horn Fingering Charts – Strengths and Weaknesses

I get quite a few questions about French horn fingering charts (both online and in lessons and sectionals) I wanted to create a page to hopefully reduce some of the mystery of French horn fingerings for all the different types of French horns. The biggest WEAKNESS of Fingering Charts.

B flat french horn major scales