The recorder is part of the woodwind family. The fingering for this instrument is much simpler than other instruments in this family, which is why it is often the first woodwind instrument children learn. There are 7 holes at the front and a thumb hole at the back, as shown in the interactive fingering chart above. Please note, it shows Baroque style fingering.
Before using the above interactive fingering chart and playing your first pieces, you need to know where to position your hands on the recorder.
Your left thumb should cover the thumb hole at the back of the recorder. Your index, middle and ring finger should sit on the first three holes at the top of the instrument. You will never use your left pinkie, so keep it away from the holes.
Now on to your right hand. It’s very simple: place your index, middle, ring and pinkie finger on the four holes at the bottom of the recorder. Your thumb can simply rest at the back of the recorder as a support.
Once you understand where your hands should be positioned, you can use the interactive fingering chart above to practice the notes and to start playing your first pieces! You can simply click on any note and the fingering will be displayed on the visual recorder. Don’t forget, you can also download and print the interactive recorder fingering chart for free.
Your hands are in position and you’re now ready to play your first notes! The interactive fingering chart will help you but first, you’ll need to know where to begin.
The easiest notes to start with on the recorder are B, A and G. For the note B, simply place your left thumb on the back hole and your left index finger on the first hole at the front of the recorder. For the note A, you just need to cover one more hole - the second hole using your middle finger. For the note G, simply cover the third hole with your ring finger. You can continue to learn the other notes with the interactive fingering chart above.
Please note, on the interactive recorder fingering chart, we have included fingering for both the alto and soprano recorder.
We have a large catalogue of recorder sheet music for all different levels, including beginner level. Our team of professional musicians record the play-along tracks and produce the sheet music for you to play and enjoy! For beginner recorder players, you’ll be happy to hear that we also provide a visual recorder - select any note and the visual instrument will light up to show you the correct fingering!
