Tenor Sax Fingering Chart

How to read this chart

Filled circles are pressed, open circles are not. The diagram runs top to bottom the way the horn hangs: the octave key at the top on the back for the left thumb, the left hand’s three pearls down the centre with the small bis key between the first two, then the right hand’s three. Palm keys (D, E♭, F) sit to the left for the heel of the left hand; side keys (E, C, B♭) sit to the right for the right index knuckle; the little-finger clusters are in the bottom corners.

Two conventions to know: the right-hand low C key stays down for low C♯, low C, low B and low B♭ while the left pinky selects which sounds, and the G♯ and low E♭ keys open a pad rather than closing one, so adding those fingers raises the pitch.

Written vs concert pitch on a B♭ tenor

The tenor saxophone is a B♭ instrument sounding a major ninth below what is written: written C5 sounds concert B♭3, the band’s tuning note. Every note in the chart above shows both pitches, and the play button sounds the concert pitch — what a listener actually hears.

In practice: when the director calls a “concert B♭ scale”, a tenor player reads a C scale, exactly as the trumpets and clarinets do — but the tenor sounds it an octave below them. Written D5 sounds middle C; written A4 sounds concert G3.

Tenor and alto: same fingers, different key

Every saxophone is one design at different sizes, so the fingerings on this page are identical to the alto sax chart and to soprano and baritone too. A player who moves from alto to tenor has nothing new to learn in the fingers. What changes is the transposition — alto and baritone are in E♭, tenor and soprano in B♭ — and the feel: the tenor’s pearls sit further apart, its bottom notes need slower, warmer air, and its palm-key notes run sharp in the same way but with more weight behind them.

Full tenor sax fingering chart — all notes

The complete standard range, written low B♭3 to F♯6, chromatically. Written notes are what you read; the concert column is what a B♭ tenor actually sounds.

The same chart, written out

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

Alternate tenor saxophone 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.

• B♭4 (B♭4) — Bis B♭ (left index on the B and bis keys): Left index key + Bis key. In flat keys — B♭, E♭ and A♭ major — where the passage has no B natural next to the B♭. — One-and-one B♭ (left index + right index): Left index key + Right index key. When the B♭ is next to F, so the right index finger is already down and only the middle and ring fingers move.
• C5 (C5) — Side C (left index + side C key): Left index key + Side C key. In chromatic passages and B–C trills, where it avoids swapping the left index for the middle finger.
• B♭5 (B♭5) — Bis B♭ (left index on the B and bis keys): Octave key + Left index key + Bis key. In flat-key passages with no neighbouring B natural, and when the right hand needs to stay free. — One-and-one B♭ (left index + right index): Octave key + Left index key + Right index key. When the B♭ is approached from or resolved to F5.
• C6 (C6) — Side C (left index + side C key): Octave key + Left index key + Side C key. In chromatic passages and B–C trills in the upper register.
• C♯6 (C♯6) — C♯6 with the right hand down: Octave key + Right index key + Right middle key + Right ring key. To steady and darken a note that is otherwise thin and unstable, especially on long or exposed C♯s.
• High E (E6) — Front (fork) E: Octave key + Front F key + Left middle key + Left ring key. When approaching from C6 or C♯6, or when the surrounding line already uses front F. Less stable than the palm-key fingering.
• High F (F6) — Front (fork) F: Octave key + Front F key + Left middle key. In F arpeggios, when coming from C6, and as the standard launch fingering for altissimo. Slightly less stable in tone than the palm-key F.
• High F♯ (F♯6) — Fork (front) F♯: Octave key + Front F key + Left middle key + High F♯ key. When the line already uses front F, and when moving on into altissimo G and above.

Common tenor sax fingering mistakes

• Playing F♯ with the right index finger. F♯ is a fork: left hand down, right index up, right middle finger alone. Most tenors also carry an alternate F♯ key beside the right ring finger for fast chromatic runs.
• Biting for the low notes. A tenor’s low B♭, B and C want slower, warmer air and a dropped jaw. Pinching the reed makes them honk or jump up an octave.
• Lifting the right pinky off the horn. Slide it between the low E♭ and low C keys instead; a floating pinky is why E♭–D and the whole bottom register refuse to connect.
• Brushing the octave key. If low D or E keeps cracking up an octave, the left thumb is touching the octave key. Rest the thumb flat and move only the tip when you cross the break.

Frequently asked questions