Flute Fingering Chart for High Notes: What Changes Above the Staff
Published October 19, 2026 · by Flute Fingering Chart
High notes are where many flautists hit a wall. Fingering charts make them look like a new alphabet, but the idea behind them is simple, and learning that idea makes the chart much less scary.
The flute plays in octaves
A flute does not have separate keys for every octave. Instead, the same fingering can sound a note in a higher octave when you blow faster, narrower air. That is why G in the low register and G in the middle register share the same keys, and why low D and middle D are the same fingering too.
Think of it as three registers:
- First octave (low C to B): relaxed, slower air.
- Second octave (C to B above it): faster air and a slightly smaller opening between the lips.
- Third octave (high C and above): even faster air, a tighter aperture, and for most notes, different fingerings.
Where the fingerings change
The octave trick works up to about C♯ in the third octave. You can see high C and C♯ above it on the chart: high C is just the left middle finger, like the C an octave lower, and C♯ is no keys at all. Past that, third-octave notes need special fingerings that add trill keys and half-covered holes.
We only publish a fingering once it has been checked against more than one reliable source. The notes above C♯6 are marked as coming soon on the all notes page rather than guessed. Until they appear, a teacher or a method book is the best reference for the very highest notes.
How to practise high notes
- Warm up first. Start with long notes in the low and middle registers. Cold lips make high notes harder.
- Use support, not squeeze. The air comes from your core. Tension in your neck and jaw makes the note thin and sharp.
- Angle the air up. A small forward motion of the lips, not a bigger breath, raises the air stream toward the far edge of the embouchure hole.
- Slur between octaves. Play low G, then middle G with the same fingers. Listen for the same pitch family.
- Quiet is hard. Practise high notes at a soft volume. They are easier to play loudly, so quiet practice builds control.
Common problems
If a high note cracks or drops to the lower octave, check three things: that you pressed the correct keys, that your air is fast enough, and that you are not covering too much of the embouchure hole with your lower lip. A mirror helps. If it sounds sharp, relax, and use less pressure from the head joint against your chin.
Open the interactive fingering chart to play any available note and compare it with your own sound. Hearing the target pitch is half the battle with high notes.