Flute Trill Fingering Chart
Every flute trill that needs a special key: hold the first note and shake the key drawn in green. Tap Hear the trill to hear it, or Stand mode to see it from the music stand. 11 trill fingerings.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
- E♭ key (right little finger)
Only your right little finger, on the E♭ key: every other finger is up. Hold the flute steady with your chin, right thumb and little finger. C♯ likes to sound a little high (sharp), so blow gently. More about C♯5
Trill fingerings: C♯5 to D5, C♯5 to E♭5
Only your right little finger, on the E♭ key: every other finger is up. Hold the flute steady with your chin, right thumb and little finger. C♯ likes to sound a little high (sharp), so blow gently. More about C♯5
Trill fingerings: C♯5 to D5, C♯5 to E♭5
Sound and display
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11 trills · free
All basic flute trills
Each row is one trill: the note you start from, the note you trill to, the key that shakes, and the complete fingering as the diagram shows it — that is, the base fingering with the trill key already depressed. The flute is a concert-pitch instrument, so written and sounding notes are the same.
- TrillLow D → E♭4D4 to E♭4
HoldLow D: Left hand: B key, 1, 2, 3 · Right hand: 4, 5, 6
ShakeE♭ key (right little finger)
Hold low D and shake the E-flat key with the right little finger. Full fingering with the trill key down: Thumb B key + Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right index (key 4) + Right middle (key 5) + Right ring (key 6) + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillC5 → D5
HoldC5: Left hand: 1 + E♭ key
ShakeFirst (D) trill key
Hold C and shake the first (D) trill key with the right index finger. Full fingering with the trill key down: Left index (key 1) + First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillC♯5 → D5
HoldC♯5: E♭ key only
ShakeFirst (D) trill key
Shake the first (D) trill key; nothing else is held down. Full fingering with the trill key down: First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillC♯5 → E♭5
HoldC♯5: E♭ key only
ShakeSecond (E♭) trill key
Shake the second (E-flat) trill key for the whole-step trill. Full fingering with the trill key down: Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillD5 → E♭5
HoldD5: Left hand: B key, 2, 3 · Right hand: 4, 5, 6
ShakeE♭ key (right little finger)
Hold second-octave D and shake the E-flat key. Full fingering with the trill key down: Thumb B key + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right index (key 4) + Right middle (key 5) + Right ring (key 6) + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillC6 → D6
HoldC6: Left hand: 1 + E♭ key
ShakeSecond (E♭) trill key
Hold C and shake the second (E-flat) trill key — the first trill key gives a flat D here. Full fingering with the trill key down: Left index (key 1) + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillC♯6 → D6
HoldC♯6: E♭ key only
ShakeFirst (D) trill key
Shake the first (D) trill key. Full fingering with the trill key down: First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillC♯6 → E♭6
HoldC♯6: E♭ key only
ShakeFirst (D) trill key + Second (E♭) trill key
Press and release both trill keys together. Full fingering with the trill key down: First (D) trill key + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- 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).
- TrillHigh G → A♭6G6 to A♭6
HoldHigh G: Left hand: 1, 2, 3 + E♭ key
ShakeFirst (D) trill key
Hold high G and shake the first (D) trill key. Full fingering with the trill key down: Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
- TrillHigh A♭ → A6A♭6 to A6
HoldHigh A♭: Left hand: 2, 3 + G♯ key, E♭ key
ShakeFirst (D) trill key
Hold high A-flat and shake the first (D) trill key. Full fingering with the trill key down: Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + G♯ key (left little finger) + First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger).
Gold (filled): hold these downGreen with a dark ring: shake this key, press and release it fast
The same trills, written out
| From | To | What to shake | Full fingering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low D (D4) | E♭4 | Hold low D and shake the E-flat key with the right little finger | Thumb B key + Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right index (key 4) + Right middle (key 5) + Right ring (key 6) + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| C5 (C5) | D5 | Hold C and shake the first (D) trill key with the right index finger | Left index (key 1) + First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| C♯5 (C♯5) | D5 | Shake the first (D) trill key; nothing else is held down | First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| C♯5 (C♯5) | E♭5 | Shake the second (E-flat) trill key for the whole-step trill | Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| D5 (D5) | E♭5 | Hold second-octave D and shake the E-flat key | Thumb B key + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right index (key 4) + Right middle (key 5) + Right ring (key 6) + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| C6 (C6) | D6 | Hold C and shake the second (E-flat) trill key — the first trill key gives a flat D here | Left index (key 1) + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| C♯6 (C♯6) | D6 | Shake the first (D) trill key | First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| C♯6 (C♯6) | E♭6 | Press and release both trill keys together | First (D) trill key + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| High D (D6) | 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) |
| High G (G6) | A♭6 | Hold high G and shake the first (D) trill key | Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
| High A♭ (A♭6) | A6 | Hold high A-flat and shake the first (D) trill key | Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + G♯ key (left little finger) + First (D) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger) |
Every flute trill that needs a special key, with the full fingering and the key to shake. Each card above draws the diagram with the trill key depressed: tap Hear the trill to hear it.
How flute trill fingerings work
A trill fingering has two halves: a base fingering you hold completely still and one key you shake. The diagrams and the table above show the moment the trill key is down, so the note you actually hear alternates between what the table shows and the base note with that one key released.
Three keys do this job on a flute. The first (D) trill key and the second (E♭) trill key are the small levers under the right index finger, drawn offset to the right of the main keys. The E♭ key under the right little finger doubles as a trill key at the bottom of the range: low D to E♭4, and second-octave D to E♭5, are both made by shaking it. The reason these exist is practical — trilling D to E♭ with ordinary fingerings would mean moving the little finger and getting a clean semitone out of a pad that is normally held down for the whole passage, and trilling C to D would mean lifting a hand.
Two rows deserve a note of their own. From C6, the first trill key gives a flat D, so the second (E♭) trill key is the one to shake even though it is nominally the E♭ lever. And the C♯6–E♭6 whole-step (whole-tone) trill is made by pressing and releasing both trill keys together — one motion of the right index finger across the pair.
When not to use a trill fingering
Trill fingerings trade tone and intonation for speed. That is a good trade during a trill and a bad one anywhere else, so keep them for rapid alternation only:
- Never for a sustained note. A trill-key fingering vents the tube differently from the proper fingering and pitches accordingly. Hold it and you will hear it — usually sharp, often thin.
- Not for slow, expressive trills. If the trill is slow enough to hear as two distinct notes, use the two ordinary fingerings so both notes are properly in tune.
- Not when the ordinary alternation is already easy. Most flute trills need nothing special — A to B, G to A, and anything else where a single ordinary finger moves. Adding a trill key there just makes the pitch worse.
- Watch the exception at the top of the range. B♭6 and B6 hold a trill key down as part of their normal fingering rather than shaking it, so it is a vent there, not a trill. Do not confuse the two when reading the chart.
One related alternate is worth knowing: F♯ played with right 2 instead of right 3 exists purely for the E–F♯ trill and fast slurs from E. It is noticeably out of tune, so go back to right 3 for anything sustained or being tuned.
Frequently asked questions
What are the flute trill keys?
The two small levers under the right index finger, drawn offset to the right on the diagrams here. The first is the D trill key and the second is the E♭ trill key. They exist so you can move a semitone or a whole step without shifting the main fingers, which is what makes a fast, even trill possible — and both also appear in a few third-octave fingerings, where they are held rather than shaken.
Do I need a special fingering for every trill?
No. Most flute trills are just the two ordinary fingerings alternating, and those need nothing special. Only the trills listed on this page need a dedicated key — either a trill key or the E♭ key — because the ordinary alternation would mean moving several fingers at once or crossing between hands.
Why is my trill uneven?
Usually because more than one finger is moving. A trill is even when exactly one key shakes and everything else stays completely still, so hold the base fingering as a frozen shape and let only the named finger move. Keep the air steady too — trills tend to make players stiffen and slow the airstream, which flattens the pitch and dulls the tone.