B Flat Trumpet Finger Chart: Notes into Jazz Practice

A b flat trumpet finger chart helps you connect written notes, valve combinations, and the sound you want to produce. However, memorizing the numbers is only the beginning. Your next step is moving between notes without losing the pulse or interrupting the air.

> Practice this free in JazzValve: open the C major scale fingering exercise — tap each note to see the valves and hear the pitch, then play it ascending with the app.

This guide covers written middle C through the C one octave above. Then, it turns those fingerings into short scale patterns and a simple jazz phrase.

How to read your b flat trumpet finger chart

On a B-flat trumpet, written C sounds as concert B-flat, one whole step lower. Every note below is written pitch, so you can use these fingerings directly with a trumpet part.

Valve numbers count away from your mouth:

• 1: first valve, nearest the mouthpiece.
• 2: middle valve.
• 3: third valve, nearest the bell.
• 0: open; press no valves.

A combination such as 1–3 means pressing both valves together. It does not mean pressing them in sequence.

Pitch also depends on the vibration of your lips and the instrument’s resonance. For example, written C4 and G4 are both open. The valves alone cannot select between them.

For another reference, see A Practical Trumpet Chart for Notes and Fingerings.

One-octave written-note chart

Here is a b flat trumpet finger chart for the chromatic octave from C4 to C5. C4 is middle C, on the ledger line below the treble staff. C5 sits in the third space.

| Written note | Valves | Staff location | |---|---|---| | C4 | 0 | Ledger line below staff | | C♯4 / D♭4 | 1–2–3 | Below staff | | D4 | 1–3 | Space below staff | | D♯4 / E♭4 | 2–3 | Bottom line, altered E | | E4 | 1–2 | Bottom line | | F4 | 1 | First space | | F♯4 / G♭4 | 2 | First space, altered F | | G4 | 0 | Second line | | G♯4 / A♭4 | 2–3 | Second line, altered G | | A4 | 1–2 | Second space | | A♯4 / B♭4 | 1 | Third line, altered B | | B4 | 2 | Third line | | C5 | 0 | Third space |

For enharmonic pairs, the location column describes one spelling. D♭4, for example, occupies D’s space rather than C’s ledger line.

These are standard fingerings for this register. Do not automatically apply every entry to other octaves: written E5, for example, normally uses open valves, unlike E4.

Make the chart sound even

Start at a comfortable dynamic with written C4–D4–E4–F4–G4. Use 0, 1–3, 1–2, 1, 0. Play each note for two beats at quarter note = 60, then descend.

First, tongue each note gently. Next, slur the same pattern and listen for gaps, bumps, or unintended notes.

The D4-to-E4 change is especially useful. Keep valve 1 down while releasing valve 3 and pressing valve 2 together. Uneven timing can create a brief unwanted pitch between the notes.

Keep your fingertips close to the buttons and press each valve fully. The change should feel compact, not like lifting and dropping your whole hand.

Also, check D4 and C♯4 with a tuner. These valve combinations commonly run sharp. Use the third-valve slide as needed, if your instrument has an adjustable one, while listening to the pitch center.

For more transition work, visit Trumpet Fingering Guide: Notes, Valves, and Clean Changes.

Turn the b flat trumpet finger chart into jazz practice

Now play the written C major scale:

C4–D4–E4–F4–G4–A4–B4–C5 0–1–3–1–2–1–0–1–2–2–0, with each hyphenated valve combination grouped by the note list above.

For clarity, say each note and its fingering separately before playing. Then use this original two-bar exercise in 4/4:

• Bar 1: C4, D4, E4, G4 — four quarter notes.
• Bar 2: A4, G4 — two quarter notes; E4 — one half note.

Let the final E settle without a sudden drop in air support. Keep the ascending notes connected rather than squeezing harder for each step.

This is a practice phrase, not a transcription. For jazz articulation and space, listen to Miles Davis on “So What” from Kind of Blue. Notice how clearly his attacks speak and how rests shape his phrases.

Use the C major scale practice screen for focused scale work. If you add accompaniment, remember that written C major sounds in concert B-flat major.

A five-minute practice loop

Use your b flat trumpet finger chart as a checking tool, then look away whenever possible.

1. Minute one: Say the written notes and silently finger the C major scale. 2. Minute two: Play slowly upward and downward with gentle tonguing. 3. Minute three: Slur short groups and isolate uneven valve changes. 4. Minute four: Play the two-bar phrase, then leave two bars of silence. 5. Minute five: Record one attempt and listen back.

Check rhythm, clean transitions, and tone before increasing speed. If the upper C does not speak comfortably, stop at G and build from there. A smaller range played evenly is more useful than a rushed octave.

Where to go next

• Trumpet Fingering Chart: Written Notes and Jazz Practice
• A Practical Trumpet Chart for Notes and Fingerings