Euphonium Fingering Chart (Bass Clef)

How to read this chart

The three valves are numbered 1 for the one under your index finger, then 2 under the middle finger and 3 under the ring finger — on the euphonium they are played with the right hand. A filled, dropped cap means press that valve; a pale, raised cap means leave it up. No caps down is an open note.

The same fingering appears at several pitches, and that is not a mistake. Valves only choose how long the tube is; which note of that tube sounds is set by the harmonic partial your air and lips find. Every note on this chart is tagged with its partial as well as its valves.

Bass clef at concert pitch

Bass-clef euphonium and baritone parts are written at concert pitch: written B♭ sounds B♭, so a concert B♭ scale is simply a B♭ scale. That is the same as trombone and tuba parts, and different from treble-clef baritone parts, which are transposed — see the treble-clef baritone chart for those.

Three valves or four?

The chart shows the three main valves, which every euphonium has. Many euphoniums add a fourth valve, which lowers the pitch a perfect fourth — the same as 1-3, but tuned to be correct. So any note fingered 1-3 here can be played with 4 alone, and any note fingered 1-2-3 with 2-4, and both will sit better in tune.

The fourth valve also fills the gap below low E: with it you can play E♭2, D2, D♭2 and C2 and on down to the pedal B♭, which a three-valve instrument cannot reach chromatically. Compensating euphoniums route the air through extra tubing to correct the low notes automatically.

Full euphonium fingering chart — all notes

Concert pitch in bass clef, low E2 to B♭4, chromatically. The euphonium is half the length of the BB♭ tuba, so every fingering here is the tuba's, one octave higher.

The same chart, written out

Every fingering in words — handy for copying into lesson notes, and it reads aloud properly on a screen reader.

Why the same valves play different notes

A three-valve euphonium has seven valve combinations — open, 2, 1, 1-2 (or 3), 2-3, 1-3 and 1-2-3 — and each one is a complete harmonic series. With no valves down it plays B♭2, F3, B♭3, D4, F4 and B♭4: one fingering, several notes, chosen by air speed and lip aperture.

From any open note, valve 2 lowers it a semitone, valve 1 a whole step, 1-2 or 3 a minor third, 2-3 a major third, 1-3 a fourth and 1-2-3 a tritone. The 5th partial sits flat on every valved brass instrument, and 1-3 and 1-2-3 run sharp because each valve's tubing is cut to be right on its own, not in combination.

So when a note will not come out, ask which is wrong: the valves, or the slot your lips are aiming for. It is usually the slot, and the fix is hearing the pitch before you play it — not pressing harder.

Alternate euphonium fingerings

Alternates aren’t “better” fingerings — each one earns its place in a specific musical situation. Select any of these notes in the chart above and switch variants to compare them.

• G2 (G2) — 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone lowers the same minor third as 1-2 and often sits truer in tune this low.
• D3 (D3) — 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone is the standard substitute for 1-2 and is often smoother in a slurred line.
• E3 (E3) — 1-2-3: Valves 1 + 2 + 3. Reaches the same pitch from the 4th partial; much sharper, so it is kept for trills and awkward slurs.
• F3 (F3) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. A 4th-partial fingering for the same pitch, used for lip-flexibility work; it inherits the sharpness of 1-3.
• G3 (G3) — 3: Valves 3. The usual alternate — same minor third, same slot; it saves a finger move in a chromatic run.
• A♭3 (A♭3) — 1-2-3: Valves 1 + 2 + 3. Reaches the same pitch from the 5th partial; sharp and unwieldy, so a trill fingering only.
• A3 (A3) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. The same pitch off the 5th partial, used for trills; sharp like every 1-3 fingering.
• B♭3 (B♭3) — 2-3: Valves 2 + 3. A 5th-partial fingering for the same pitch, useful where an open note would break a slur.
• B3 (B3) — 3: Valves 3. The common substitute for 1-2 in this register; often easier to slur into and out of.
• C4 (C4) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. Reaches C3 from the 6th partial instead of the 5th; useful for avoiding a flat 5th-partial slot.
• D♭4 (D♭4) — 2-3: Valves 2 + 3. A 6th-partial fingering for the same note, a standard substitute when it is approached from above.
• D4 (D4) — 1-2: Valves 1 + 2. Places D3 on the 6th partial rather than the flat 5th — a trill and flexibility fingering.
• F4 (F4) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. The same pitch off the 8th partial; a flexibility fingering, sharp like all 1-3 combinations.
• G4 (G4) — 3: Valves 3. The standard 1-2 substitute; many players prefer its security this high.

Fingerings to avoid

These sound roughly the right note but badly out of tune. They are listed so you can recognize them, not so you can use them.

• A♭4 (A♭4) — Open (7th partial): Open (no valves). The open 7th partial sounds roughly this pitch but about a third of a semitone flat; listed for reference only, not as a usable fingering.

Common euphonium fingering mistakes

• Accepting sharp 1-3 and 1-2-3 notes. Low F, E, C and B run sharp on three valves. Use the fourth valve if you have one; otherwise lip them down.
• Choking the low register. Low notes need a relaxed, dropped jaw and slow, warm air. Tightening up to find them makes them thin and sharp.
• Reading a treble-clef part with this chart. If your part is in treble clef it is transposed for B♭, and every note will come out a whole step (plus an octave) off. Use the treble-clef baritone chart for those parts.

Frequently asked questions