B5 on the Soprano Recorder
To play B5 on recorder: Left hand: half thumb, 1, 2 · Right hand: 4, 5.
Play along: hear the note for 2 beats, then you play it for 2.
- Thumb hole (half covered)
- Hole 1 (left index)
- Hole 2 (left middle)
- Hole 4 (right index)
- Hole 5 (right middle)
Everything above the staff wants a narrow pinch and fast air; loudness only makes the note split.
Everything above the staff wants a narrow pinch and fast air; loudness only makes the note split.
Sound and display
Next moves
Teaching a class? Class mode keeps Stand mode and Test me on the notes your class is learning (B, A, G).
Alternate fingerings for B5
Each alternate has its own link. Send it to a student and the page opens with that fingering on the big diagram.
More for advanced players
Written and sounding pitch, and how the note works
About this note
B5 is written B5 and sounds concert B6.
Pinched thumb with holes 1, 2, 4 and 5 — hole 6 lifts from the Bb5 shape. Everything above the staff wants a narrow pinch and fast air; loudness only makes the note split.
- Primary fingering: Thumb hole (half) + Hole 1 (left index) + Hole 2 (left middle) + Hole 4 (right index) + Hole 5 (right middle)
- Written pitch: B5 · Concert pitch: B6
- Sounding frequency: 1975.53 Hz
What to press, key by key
- Thumb hole (half covered)
- Hole 1 (left index)
- Hole 2 (left middle)
- Hole 4 (right index)
- Hole 5 (right middle)
Alternate fingerings for B5
- Pinched thumb + holes 1, 5, 6 and 7: Thumb hole (half) + Hole 1 (left index) + Hole 5 (right middle) + Double hole 6 + Double hole 7. Yamaha's chart gives this as the alternate — stuffier, but steadier on some instruments; worth trying when B5 refuses to speak.
Questions
How do you play B5 on recorder?
To play B5 on recorder: Left hand: half thumb, 1, 2 · Right hand: 4, 5. B5 is written B5 and sounds concert B6. Press: Thumb hole (half covered), Hole 1 (left index), Hole 2 (left middle), Hole 4 (right index), Hole 5 (right middle).
Is B5 written or concert pitch?
The name on this page is the written note you read. On C recorder it sounds concert B6.
Is there another fingering for B5?
Pinched thumb + holes 1, 5, 6 and 7: Yamaha's chart gives this as the alternate — stuffier, but steadier on some instruments; worth trying when B5 refuses to speak.
Soprano Recorder 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.