Flute high notes: high D and the third octave

Flute high-note fingerings: high D to high C

The complete third octave of a C-foot flute. The flute is a concert-pitch instrument, so the written note is the note that sounds — start at high D and work upward.

Why third-octave fingerings differ

The first two octaves of the flute share fingerings: from E5 upward the second octave is simply the first octave overblown. The third octave breaks that pattern completely, because these notes are harmonics of lower fingerings, vented. Instead of closing the tube further, you leave a hole open partway along it, and the flute locks onto its third or fourth harmonic.

Once you know that, the strange shapes make sense. High D is the third harmonic of G4 with the left first finger lifted as the vent. High E-flat is the third harmonic of A♭4 — every finger down plus the G♯ key, which looks wrong and is right, because the full fingering is what stops it collapsing. High E is the third harmonic of A4. High F leaves a gap in the middle of the left hand: close left 2 out of habit and you get a muffled note or nothing at all. High A takes thumb, left 2 and right 1 — almost nothing closed, which is exactly the point.

The practical consequence is that you cannot guess up here, and you cannot carry a second-octave fingering into the third. Students who try the D5 fingering for high D get a squeak, every time.

Air speed, not blowing harder

The third octave asks for faster air through a smaller aperture, aimed a little higher across the lip plate. That is a different thing from blowing harder. More force spreads the airstream, and a spread airstream drops the note back an octave or turns it into a hiss — that is what is happening when high A refuses to speak.

Nor does the jaw help. Biting makes high notes sharp, thin and squeak-prone, and it caps how high you can get. Keep the corners of the embouchure firm, the aperture small but not pinched, and let the air do the work. Two useful reference points from the register itself: an airy sound at high G means the aperture has opened too far, while a sharp, pinched C6 or C7 means you are over-blowing.

F♯6 is the most cooperative note up here, which makes it the sensible place to start building the register. Then approach the others from below — slur into them from the second-octave note that shares the harmonic parent, rather than jumping at them cold.

The E♭-key exceptions at the top

Everywhere else on the flute the E♭ key is the right little finger’s home: it opens a tone hole, so pressing it raises the pitch, and it stays down for almost every note from E♭4 upward. The three notes at the very top of the range break that rule, and the table above marks them.

• B♭6 — thumb and right first finger with the first (D) trill key held down, and the E♭ key comes off. This is the first note in the whole range where the right little finger leaves its home position. It is a fourth-harmonic fingering, wants very fast air, and normally sits sharp.
• B6 — thumb, left first and third fingers and the second (E♭) trill key, with the E♭ key released. Holding a trill key while the little finger is off makes the flute feel unsupported, so practise the approach into the note slowly.
• C7 — no thumb, left hand down with the G♯ key, right first finger, and the E♭ key off. On a B-foot flute the gizmo key closes the low-B pad and makes C7 speak far more easily. A C-foot flute has no gizmo, so it depends entirely on very fast, accurately aimed air.

If one of these three arrives a semitone high or refuses to centre, the little finger is the first thing to check — habit keeps it pressed down.

Frequently asked questions