Saxophone fingerings are the same on alto, tenor, soprano and baritone. Each written note has a fixed set of keys; only the sounding pitch changes with the instrument. The chart below covers the full range from low B♭ to high F♯ (the “sounds” column is for alto sax). Tap a note to hear it.
Full-range fingering chart
Tap a note name to hear its concert pitch.
Selected note (written)
—
Sounds (concert pitch)
—
Keys to press
Click a note on the staff to see its fingering. The ← → keys also move between notes.
Show every note as a list (for printing)
Written note ｜ Keys to press
B♭3sounds C♯3
Standard low B♭
B3sounds D3
Standard low B
C4sounds E♭3
Standard low C
C♯4sounds E3
Standard low C♯
D4sounds F3
Standard
E♭4sounds F♯3
Standard low E♭
E4sounds G3
Standard
F4sounds G♯3
Standard
F♯4sounds A3
Standard (F♯ key) F♯ keyFork
G4sounds B♭3
Standard
G♯4sounds B3
Standard G♯ (L pinky)
A4sounds C4
Standard
B♭4sounds C♯4
Bis (standard) BisSide B♭ side B♭1 and 1
B4sounds D4
Standard
C5sounds E♭4
StandardSide C side C
C♯5sounds E4
Standard (open) All open
D5sounds F4
Standard octave
E♭5sounds F♯4
Standard octave · low E♭
E5sounds G4
Standard octave
F5sounds G♯4
Standard octave
F♯5sounds A4
Standard (F♯ key) octave · F♯ keyFork octave
G5sounds B♭4
Standard octave
G♯5sounds B4
Standard octave · G♯ (L pinky)
A5sounds C5
Standard octave
B♭5sounds C♯5
Bis (standard) octave · BisSide B♭ octave · side B♭1 and 1 octave
B5sounds D5
Standard octave
C6sounds E♭5
Standard octaveSide C octave · side C
C♯6sounds E5
Standard (octave key only) octave
D6sounds F5
Standard octave · palm D
E♭6sounds F♯5
Standard octave · palm D · palm E♭
E6sounds G5
Standard octave · palm D · palm E♭ · palm FFront E octave · front F
F6sounds G♯5
Standard octave · palm D · palm E♭ · palm F · side EFront F octave · front F
F♯6sounds A5
Standard octave · palm D · palm E♭ · palm F · side E · F♯ keyFront F♯ octave · front F · F♯ key
From high G upward (the front-F and palm-key range) the easiest fingering depends on your horn and mouthpiece. If a note cracks, check your air speed and embouchure before changing the fingering.
Get fingerings straight from your sheet music
Looking up every note of a piece in a chart is slow. Yubioto reads a photo or PDF of your sheet music, puts the fingering under each note and plays the melody back. Free, no account, nothing to install.
No. Alto, tenor, soprano and baritone all use the same fingerings for the same written notes. Only the sounding pitch differs: alto sounds a major sixth lower than written, tenor a major ninth lower.
Which B♭ fingering should I use?
For most music the Bis-key fingering (left index finger plus the Bis key) is the easiest. When your fingers collide, for example moving between B♭ and A, switch to left index plus the side B♭ key, or the “1 and 1” fingering (left index plus right index).
When do I press the octave key?
From written D5 upward. In the chart you can see that most upper-register notes keep the same fingers and simply add the octave key.
Is F♯ played with the F♯ key or the fork fingering?
Both are correct. The standard fingering uses the F♯ key with the right ring finger; the fork fingering is handy when the right hand is busy, such as moving between F♯ and E♭.