Mellophone Fingering Chart

How to read this chart

The three valves are numbered 1 for the one under your index finger, then 2 under the middle finger and 3 under the ring finger — on the mellophone they are played with the right hand. A filled, dropped cap means press that valve; a pale, raised cap means leave it up. No caps down is an open note.

The same fingering appears at several pitches, and that is not a mistake. Valves only choose how long the tube is; which note of that tube sounds is set by the harmonic partial your air and lips find. Every note on this chart is tagged with its partial as well as its valves.

Written vs concert pitch on mellophone

The mellophone is pitched in F: every written note sounds a perfect fifth lower. Written C sounds concert F, so when the band tunes to concert B♭ you play a written F. The chart shows both pitches, and the play button sounds the concert pitch — what a listener hears.

Mellophone parts are written in F like French horn parts, but the fingerings are not the horn's. The mellophone takes trumpet fingerings for the same written notes, which is why trumpet players switch to it so easily and horn players have to relearn a few.

Full mellophone fingering chart — all notes

The standard written range, low F♯3 to high C6, chromatically. Read down the valve column and the trumpet's pattern appears: from each open note, the valves step down one semitone at a time.

The same chart, written out

Every fingering in words — handy for copying into lesson notes, and it reads aloud properly on a screen reader.

Why the same valves play different notes

A three-valve mellophone has seven valve combinations — open, 2, 1, 1-2 (or 3), 2-3, 1-3 and 1-2-3 — and each one is a complete harmonic series. With no valves down it plays written C4, G4, C5, E5, G5 and high C: one fingering, several notes, chosen by air speed and lip aperture.

From any open note, valve 2 lowers it a semitone, valve 1 a whole step, 1-2 or 3 a minor third, 2-3 a major third, 1-3 a fourth and 1-2-3 a tritone. The 5th partial sits flat on every valved brass instrument, and 1-3 and 1-2-3 run sharp because each valve's tubing is cut to be right on its own, not in combination.

So when a note will not come out, ask which is wrong: the valves, or the slot your lips are aiming for. It is usually the slot, and the fix is hearing the pitch before you play it — not pressing harder.

Alternate mellophone fingerings

Alternates aren’t “better” fingerings — each one earns its place in a specific musical situation. Select any of these notes in the chart above and switch variants to compare them.

• A3 (A3) — 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone lowers the same minor third as 1-2 and often sits truer in tune this low.
• E4 (E4) — 3: Valves 3. Valve 3 alone is the standard substitute for 1-2 and is often smoother in a slurred line.
• F♯4 (F♯4) — 1-2-3: Valves 1 + 2 + 3. Reaches the same pitch from the 4th partial; much sharper, so it is kept for trills and awkward slurs.
• G4 (G4) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. A 4th-partial fingering for the same pitch, used for lip-flexibility work; it inherits the sharpness of 1-3.
• A4 (A4) — 3: Valves 3. The usual alternate — same minor third, same slot; it saves a finger move in a chromatic run.
• B♭4 (B♭4) — 1-2-3: Valves 1 + 2 + 3. Reaches the same pitch from the 5th partial; sharp and unwieldy, so a trill fingering only.
• B4 (B4) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. The same pitch off the 5th partial, used for trills; sharp like every 1-3 fingering.
• C5 (C5) — 2-3: Valves 2 + 3. A 5th-partial fingering for the same pitch, useful where an open note would break a slur.
• C♯5 (C♯5) — 3: Valves 3. The common substitute for 1-2 in this register; often easier to slur into and out of.
• D5 (D5) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. Reaches C3 from the 6th partial instead of the 5th; useful for avoiding a flat 5th-partial slot.
• E♭5 (E♭5) — 2-3: Valves 2 + 3. A 6th-partial fingering for the same note, a standard substitute when it is approached from above.
• E5 (E5) — 1-2: Valves 1 + 2. Places D3 on the 6th partial rather than the flat 5th — a trill and flexibility fingering.
• G5 (G5) — 1-3: Valves 1 + 3. The same pitch off the 8th partial; a flexibility fingering, sharp like all 1-3 combinations.
• A5 (A5) — 3: Valves 3. The standard 1-2 substitute; many players prefer its security this high.

Fingerings to avoid

These sound roughly the right note but badly out of tune. They are listed so you can recognize them, not so you can use them.

• B♭5 (B♭5) — Open (7th partial): Open (no valves). The open 7th partial sounds roughly this pitch but about a third of a semitone flat; listed for reference only, not as a usable fingering.

Common mellophone fingering mistakes

• Using French horn fingerings. Horn players switching to mellophone often keep horn habits — but written D4 is 1-3 on mellophone, not 1 as on F horn. Learn it as a trumpet chart.
• Ignoring the sharp low notes. Low D (1-3) and low C♯ (1-2-3) run sharp, and most mellophones have no slide trigger, so lip them down or use the alternates.
• Forcing the top. High notes come from air speed and a firm aperture, not from pressing the mouthpiece harder — pressure kills endurance over a long rehearsal.
• Letting the bell drop. A marching mellophone projects straight ahead; with the bell tipped down the sound goes into the field and you overblow to compensate.

Frequently asked questions