French Horn
B♭5 on the French Horn
Written B♭5 — sounds concert E♭5. Tap the diagram to hear it.
Plays the real sound: written B♭5 sounds concert E♭5 on french horn.
Written B♭5 is valves 1 on the B♭ horn (thumb down): the 12th partial, 2 semitones below open C6. It sounds concert E♭5. This slot is close to in tune, so it is a good reference for the hand position 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 B♭5 is valves 1 on the B♭ horn (thumb down): the 12th partial, 2 semitones below open C6. It sounds concert E♭5. This slot is close to in tune, so it is a good reference for the hand position 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) + valves 1
- Written pitch: B♭5 · Concert pitch: E♭5
- Sounding frequency: 622.25 Hz
- Harmonic partial: 12 — the valves set the tube length, but your air and embouchure select the partial.
Alternate fingerings for B♭5
- F side: valves 2: F side + valves 2. The same note on the F horn (15th 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.