High D on the Flute
To play High D (D6) on flute: Left hand: B key, 2, 3 + E♭ key.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
- Thumb B key
- Left middle (key 2)
- Left ring (key 3)
- E♭ key (right little finger)
Your first finger comes up: thumb on the B key, left fingers 2 and 3, right little finger on the E♭ key. Blow faster air through smaller lips and aim it a tiny bit higher. Never bite or blow harder.
Trill fingering: High D to E♭6
Your first finger comes up: thumb on the B key, left fingers 2 and 3, right little finger on the E♭ key. Blow faster air through smaller lips and aim it a tiny bit higher. Never bite or blow harder.
Trill fingering: High D to E♭6
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Trill fingering from High D
Hold the first note and shake the key drawn in green: press it and let it go, fast.
- TrillHigh D → E♭6D6 to E♭6
HoldHigh D: Left hand: B key, 2, 3 + E♭ key
ShakeSecond (E♭) trill key
Hold high D and shake the second (E-flat) trill key. Full fingering with the trill key down: Thumb B key + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
Gold (filled): hold these downGreen with a dark ring: shake this key, press and release it fast
More for advanced players
Why this fingering works · Getting it to speak · When it will not come out
About this note
High D sounds D6 (the flute reads at concert pitch).
Third-octave D is thumb, left second and third fingers and the E-flat key — the left first finger stays off, venting the tube for the third harmonic of G4. It is the doorway to the high register: much faster air, a smaller aperture and a slightly higher air direction, but no biting. Students who try the second-octave D fingering here get only a squeak.
- Primary fingering: Thumb B key + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + E♭ key (right little finger)
- Written pitch: D6
- Sounding frequency: 1174.66 Hz
What to press, key by key
- Thumb B key
- Left middle (key 2)
- Left ring (key 3)
- E♭ key (right little finger)
Why this fingering works
Third-octave D is not the second-octave D fingering blown harder. It is built on the 3rd harmonic of low G: with the left first finger lifted as a vent, the tube splits so the note an octave and a fifth above G speaks. That is why the fingering looks so different from the D below it, and why forcing the old fingering only produces a squeak.
Getting it to speak
Try it as a harmonic first. Finger low G, then blow faster with a slightly smaller aperture until you hear G5 and then D6 — the same note the real fingering plays. Switch to the high D fingering on the same breath and match the tone you just found.
High notes on the flute need faster air, a smaller lip opening and an air stream aimed a little higher across the hole — but not more pressure from the lips or jaw. Keep the corners relaxed; biting closes the aperture unevenly and makes the note thin and sharp.
Start softly. A soft high D with a centered tone is the foundation for a loud one; blowing loud first usually overshoots into the next harmonic.
When it will not come out
A squeak or a jump to a higher note means too much air speed or too small an aperture; a fuzzy or airy sound means the aperture is too big or the air is aimed too low. Check the fingering too: the left first finger must be up and the E♭ key down.
Slur up to it from second-octave A or B rather than tonguing it cold, and keep the head joint aligned the way your teacher set it — a rolled-in head joint makes every third-octave note harder.
Trill fingerings
- High D ↔ E♭6 (Hold high D and shake the second (E-flat) trill key): Thumb B key + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger)
Questions
How do you play High D on flute?
To play High D (D6) on flute: Left hand: B key, 2, 3 + E♭ key. High D sounds D6 (the flute reads at concert pitch). Press: Thumb B key, Left middle (key 2), Left ring (key 3), E♭ key (right little finger).
Is High D written or concert pitch?
The name on this page is the written note you read. It sounds D6.
What is the trill fingering for High D?
To E♭6: Hold high D and shake the second (E-flat) trill key.
Flute 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.