Now, now, now, here comes the best part.
Learning all the key note fingerings is like learning
to draw. All you need is practice, patience and enthusiasm.
First, associate your fingers with their
corresponding note values. Then, look at the actual
fingerings.
* Remember that Bb and B key levers
are only to be pressed by your left thumb (L1). The
Eb, C# and C keys are only for your right little finger
(R5).
Let us start with the low sounding note
fingerings. You will need your two hands to do this.
Black/shaded keys are pressed down,
while white keys are open keys.
C
C#/Db
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#
Lesson 5 Note Fingerings 2
2nd Octave
Again, Hopefully by now, you have memorised
the finger positions of the lower range of the flute.
Practice them and aim for a consistent and not airy
tone. You will find it harder to blow out the second
octave notes if you haven't got used to the lower notes.
Now, I will show you the fingerings
of all the second octave notes. All but D and D#/Eb
finger positions are new here. All the the rest are
the same from the first octave. Make sure you lift your
L2 (left index finger) for D and Eb on the second
octave only!
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
C
C#
*Note
Remember that you can still use the
alternative finger positions for Bb on the 2nd Octave.
Just don't rely on it too much!
Lesson 6 Note Fingerings 3
G - C# 1st Octave
Hopefully by now, you have memorised
the finger positions of the lower range of the flute.
If you haven't, you can always go back and look at it,
but try to remember them as quickly as possible.
Now, I will show you the fingerings
of higher register notes on the first octave.
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
A#/Bb
(Alternative)
B
C
C#
*Notes
For A#/Bb, you can either use one
of the two finger positions shown above. The 1st one
(with the Bb key) is mostly used on F Major/D Minor
scales, and is perhaps the easier one to remember.
But if you avoid using it, you will find that later
in your flute studies, it is better to use the harder
position. Get used to it now, and you won't struggle
a lot later on.
For C#, don't forget to press the
Eb key, otherwise, it will sound a little weird.
The finger shown above, including D,
D#/Eb, E, F and F#/Gb from the page before are the same
finger positions for second octave notes. That is why
you need to learn them.
Getting the notes in the higher octaves,
especially from A and above are harder to acheive than
lower notes. But as I said, have patience and keep trying.
Lesson 7 Note Fingerings 4
3rd Octave
Here comes the fun bit!
I must warn you that if you cannot produce
the second octave notes properly and consistently, you
should'nt attempt this yet.
Because, well, ermm... it's too darn
hard to produce the following notes, especially G#/Ab,
A, A#/Bb, B and C (even I have hard time pulling them
off). Also, the last 5 notes are rarely used in beginner
pieces, in fact, the note A#/Bb and C are never used.
Well, here they are. Don't be too hard
on yourself if you can't get them properly out yet.
Soon, with practice, you'll be able to.
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
C
The clip below shows
where in the scale you would find the note names. Press
play to hear the notes and to see the higher octave
notes.
First, practice the notes C, D, E, F,
G, A and B first. Leave out any accidentals first as
they are not so often used in beginner music.
The most common accidental you will
find is Bb, Eb, F# and C#. So get them right!
But there is of course no one stopping
you learning them all. The sooner you learn them all
the better you will get when you are playing harder
pieces.
