French Horn
A4 on the French Horn
Written A4 — sounds concert D4. Tap the diagram to hear it.
Plays the real sound: written A4 sounds concert D4 on french horn.
Written A4 is open on the B♭ horn (thumb down): the 5th partial. It sounds concert D4. The 5th partial sits flat, so lift it with the air and open the right hand slightly in the bell. Above the switch point the B♭ side's partials are farther apart than the F side's, so notes are easier to hit.
About this note
Written A4 is open on the B♭ horn (thumb down): the 5th partial. It sounds concert D4. The 5th partial sits flat, so lift it with the air and open the right hand slightly in the bell. Above the switch point the B♭ side's partials are farther apart than the F side's, so notes are easier to hit.
- Primary fingering: Thumb (B♭ side), open
- Written pitch: A4 · Concert pitch: D4
- Sounding frequency: 293.66 Hz
- Harmonic partial: 5 — the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure select the partial.
Alternate fingerings for A4
- F side: valves 1-2: F side + valves 1 + 2. The same note on the F horn (8th partial). Often the better sound in this range; use it when the passage around it stays on the F side.
French Horn 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.