C5 on the Alto Saxophone
To play C5 on alto sax: Left hand: 2.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
- Left middle key
This is the second-to-top note of the first register and can feel airy, so keep the air moving and the throat open rather than pinching to find the center.
This is the second-to-top note of the first register and can feel airy, so keep the air moving and the throat open rather than pinching to find the center.
Sound and display
Next moves
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Alternate fingerings for C5
Each alternate has its own link. Send it to a student and the page opens with that fingering on the big diagram.
More for advanced players
Written and sounding pitch, and how the note works
About this note
C5 is written C5 and sounds concert E♭4.
Left middle finger alone — the index finger comes off, which catches out nearly every beginner. This is the second-to-top note of the first register and can feel airy, so keep the air moving and the throat open rather than pinching to find the center.
- Primary fingering: Left middle key
- Written pitch: C5 · Concert pitch: E♭4
- Sounding frequency: 311.13 Hz
What to press, key by key
- Left middle key
Alternate fingerings for C5
- Side C (left index + side C key): Left index key + Side C key. In chromatic passages and B–C trills, where it avoids swapping the left index for the middle finger.
Questions
How do you play C5 on alto sax?
To play C5 on alto sax: Left hand: 2. C5 is written C5 and sounds concert E♭4. Press: Left middle key.
Is C5 written or concert pitch?
The name on this page is the written note you read. On E♭ alto sax it sounds concert E♭4.
Is there another fingering for C5?
Side C (left index + side C key): In chromatic passages and B–C trills, where it avoids swapping the left index for the middle finger.
Alto Saxophone fingering data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.