Flugelhorn Fingering Chart: Play Your First Jazz Line

A flugelhorn fingering chart lets you use familiar trumpet valve combinations to start playing a B-flat flugelhorn right away. Start with written C–D–E–G: open, 1–3, 1–2, open. Play each note slowly, then reverse the order.

Those fingerings match a standard B-flat trumpet. However, the instrument’s response and tuning can feel different, so matching the valves is only the beginning.

Below, you’ll find a practical chart, a short jazz exercise, and a clear next step for practicing the notes.

Your flugelhorn fingering chart: written notes

This chart is for a standard three-valve B-flat flugelhorn. All notes are written pitches, not concert pitches. Written C sounds concert B-flat, a whole step lower.

Valve 1 is nearest the mouthpiece, valve 2 is in the middle, and valve 3 is nearest the bell. Open means no valves pressed. Combinations such as 1–3 mean press both valves together.

Middle C is C4, on the ledger line below the treble staff. C5 is the C in the third space.

| Written note | Valves | |---|---| | F♯3 / G♭3 | 1–2–3 | | G3 | 1–3 | | G♯3 / A♭3 | 2–3 | | A3 | 1–2 | | A♯3 / B♭3 | 1 | | B3 | 2 | | C4 | Open | | C♯4 / D♭4 | 1–2–3 | | D4 | 1–3 | | D♯4 / E♭4 | 2–3 | | E4 | 1–2 | | F4 | 1 | | F♯4 / G♭4 | 2 | | G4 | Open | | G♯4 / A♭4 | 2–3 | | A4 | 1–2 | | A♯4 / B♭4 | 1 | | B4 | 2 | | C5 | Open | | C♯5 / D♭5 | 1–2 | | D5 | 1 | | D♯5 / E♭5 | 2 | | E5 | Open | | F5 | 1 | | F♯5 / G♭5 | 2 | | G5 | Open |

These are standard starting fingerings. Alternate fingerings can help particular instruments, but first establish a reliable sound with these combinations.

For another explanation of written notes and valve patterns, see Fingering for the Trumpet: A Practical Jazz Guide.

Why the right valves can still produce the wrong note

Notice that C4, G4, and C5 are all open. Your air and embouchure select different resonances while the tubing stays the same length.

Therefore, a fingering chart cannot tell you the whole physical task. Hear the target pitch before playing, and begin in a register where your sound feels comfortable.

On B-flat trumpet, C4–E4–G4 usually feels like a compact move through the lower register. The E4-to-G4 change releases both pressed valves. If they lift unevenly, a brief unwanted pitch can appear between the notes.

On flugelhorn, avoid forcing a trumpet-like brightness by pressing harder. Aim for a centered tone with a clear beginning. A soft sound should still have a definite pitch.

Written low D4 and C♯4 often need tuning attention because their valve combinations tend sharp. Check sustained notes with a tuner. Use your instrument’s tuning mechanism if fitted, rather than forcing every correction with your lips.

Turn the chart into a two-bar jazz exercise

Put the flugelhorn fingering chart beside your music stand, then play this original exercise in written C major. It is a practice line, not a transcription from a recording.

Set a metronome to 60 beats per minute in 4/4:

• Bar 1: C4 quarter note, D4 eighth note, E4 eighth note, G4 quarter note, E4 quarter note.
• Bar 2: D4 quarter note, E4 quarter note, C4 half note.
• Valve sequence: open, 1–3, 1–2, open, 1–2 | 1–3, 1–2, open.

First, play the eighth notes evenly. Then give the D–E pair a gentle long-short swing feel. Keep the quarter-note pulse steady rather than rushing toward G.

Listen especially to D4–E4. Valve 1 stays down while valve 3 rises and valve 2 falls. Uneven coordination can create a bump, even when you know both fingerings.

Next, tongue every note lightly. Then slur only D–E while keeping the remaining notes articulated. This exposes valve timing without making the whole phrase harder.

Finally, leave a full bar of silence and repeat. The ending C should sound settled, not squeezed short. For more short phrases, try Beginner Jazz Trumpet Call and Response Riffs.

Listen for warmth without losing definition

For a real flugelhorn reference, listen to Art Farmer on Benny Golson’s New York Scene. Farmer plays flugelhorn on that recording. Notice how a rounded tone can still carry distinct attacks and shaped phrases.

You do not need to copy his range or speed. Instead, listen for where a phrase begins, grows, and releases. Then give your two-bar exercise the same deliberate direction.

Practice the notes in order

Use the flugelhorn fingering chart to check a note, then look away and play it again. That small step connects the written pitch, valve motion, and sound.

Open JazzValve’s C major scale screen. Play written C4–D4–E4–F4–G4–A4–B4–C5, then descend. Start with quarter notes at 60 beats per minute, and finish by replaying the two-bar C–D–E–G exercise above.