Piccolo Fingering Chart

How to read this chart

The diagram is the flute's, drawn vertically: the thumb keys on the back at the top, the left hand's three keys down the middle, then the right hand's three. Filled keys are pressed; open ones stay up. The piccolo has no foot joint, so there are no low C or C♯ keys — its lowest note is D.

Read each note as written. Piccolo parts are written an octave below where they sound to save ledger lines, and every fingering here is for the note on the page.

Written vs sounding pitch

The piccolo is pitched in C, so it plays in the same key as the flute — but it sounds an octave higher than written. Written D4, the lowest note, sounds D5; written A6 sounds A7. The chart shows both, and the play button sounds the real pitch.

Why this chart stops at high A

Up to written A6 the piccolo takes the flute's fingerings almost everywhere. Above that, the best fingering for B♭6, B6 and C7 depends on the individual piccolo — its maker, bore and headjoint — far more than on flute. A generic chart would be wrong for many players, so for those notes use the chart from your teacher or your piccolo's maker.

Full piccolo fingering chart — all notes

Written D4 to A6, chromatically, with the flute's alternates and trill fingerings where they apply. Every diagram is the flute fingering for the same written note.

The same chart, written out

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

What changes from flute

The fingers stay the same; the air does not. The piccolo's embouchure hole is tiny, so it needs a smaller, faster airstream and much less of it. Flute players who blow a flute-sized stream into a piccolo go sharp and shrill.

Its registers also behave differently. The bottom octave is soft and hard to project, so do not force it; the second octave is the sweet spot; the third octave is loud and tends sharp, so aim the air slightly down and back off the pressure.

Alternate piccolo 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.

• Low F♯ (F♯4) — F-sharp with right 2: Thumb B key + Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right middle (key 5) + E♭ key (right little finger). Only for the E–F-sharp trill and fast slurs with E; go back to right 3 for anything sustained or being tuned.
• Low B♭ (B♭4) — Thumb B-flat (Briccialdi lever): Thumb B♭ lever (Briccialdi) + Left index (key 1) + E♭ key (right little finger). Use in flat keys and any passage with no B natural in it — the thumb simply lives on the B-flat lever throughout.
• E5 (E5) — E with the second (E-flat) trill key added: Thumb B key + Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right index (key 4) + Right middle (key 5) + Second (E♭) trill key + E♭ key (right little finger). Add the second trill key when second-octave E keeps cracking; it steadies the note without changing anything around it.
• F♯5 (F♯5) — F-sharp with right 2: Thumb B key + Left index (key 1) + Left middle (key 2) + Left ring (key 3) + Right middle (key 5) + E♭ key (right little finger). For the E–F-sharp trill and fast slurs from E only; right 3 remains the fingering for sustained notes.
• B♭5 (B♭5) — Thumb B-flat (Briccialdi lever): Thumb B♭ lever (Briccialdi) + Left index (key 1) + E♭ key (right little finger). Use when the passage sits in a flat key and contains no B natural; the thumb stays on the B-flat lever throughout.

Trill fingerings

Trill fingerings trade a little tone quality for speed — use them for rapid alternation, not sustained notes.

• 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)

Common piccolo fingering mistakes

• Blowing a flute-sized airstream. Too much air makes the piccolo sharp and harsh. Use less air, moving faster, through a smaller lip opening.
• Biting for the high notes. Tightening the lips pinches the tone and raises the pitch further. Keep the lips loose and let the air speed do the work.
• Expecting the low register to project. Low piccolo notes are naturally quiet. Play them with a focused tone rather than more air, which only makes them crack.

Frequently asked questions