Standard single-F side · written pitch
Finger the staff octave
A practical French-horn fingering ribbon for written C4–C5. Choose a note, or press the three large rotary valves to expose every note family that shares that tubing.
Written note
C4
sounds F3 · 174.6 Hz
Open family: C4, E4, G4 and C5 appear in this octave.
Written note → left-hand valves
Filled discs are the first-choice fingering. Small text lists useful acoustic alternatives.
The below interactive chart will help you see and hear how the French Horn are played on the F-side of the instrument. To move around the chart use your computer keyboard for speed or simply click with your mouse. It will show you at a glance what finger to use to play each note plus listen to it as well. Note that the range in this widget are limited to the notes written between C4, C5.
Below you will notice that the main section is laid out as a grid of note cards. Each card depict one specific pitch in this octave. It lists the note name and the dominant valve combination used to produce that note. The card also has small dots to show what valves should of been engaged. Filled dots signify that the valve is down.
How to Use the French Horn Chart
Below the main combination there are other options listed in smaller print. These additional options makes note-to-note transitions smoother and also help with intonation.
The selection highlight can be moved around with the arrow keys or by clicking on one of the cards in the grid to make that particular note active. If you hit Enter or Space when a note is selected, it will play the note. It will also update the main display panel to the left, which displays the note’s visual representation on a stave, concert pitch, and large note name. Below this there is an interactive valve console that highlights which valves is required for playing each note.
Additionally you’re free to construct fingerings using the three big rotary valve buttons with numbers 1, 2, and 3. These represent your index, middle and ring fingers. When you click one of those buttons it turns it on/off and highlights every note in the widget that have the same combo of valves. This comes in handy if you want to see how a family of harmonics work together or what notes is possible given some particular tubing configuration. You can also just hit the key numbers 1, 2, and 3 on your keyboard to turn these valves on and off.
You can control the sound level of the horn by using the volume slider located in the lower section of the left panel. This will come in handy if you need to practice late at night and don’t want to disturb anyone. It is also useful if you prefer not to hear the audio while concentrating on the fingering.
Fullscreen. When you click the Fullscreen button, the widget occupy your whole screen giving you more room to see the chart and interact with the controls which is particularly nice if you have a smaller screen as the default setting may seem tight.
For those who might be unfamiliar with playing via the computer, there’s always the How to play button. Pressing this will open up the help panel that gives a brief overview of the conventions and keyboard shortcuts within the widget.
What you’re looking at is what you’d expect to find in any normal French horn score. The notes correspond directy to F-horn notation. What you hear is actualy a perfect fifth down from what is written; this is as it should be for this instrument.
You can use this in a practical manner by selecting a valve combination and clicking through the highlighted notes in a harmonic series. Choose your preferred valve combination and work your way along the highlighted note sequence. Listen for each pitch change as it follow each harmonic. It will help you get the feel of the spacing between the partials and grasp how the pitch is alterred by lip tension. You can also try alternate fingerings alongside primary ones to listen for small variations in intonation or tone quality.
It’s a responsive and easy-to-use interface. It gives immediate and clear feedback whether you’re just starting out learning your very first notes or if you’re an advanced player double-checking some alternative fingerings. It doesn’t require any setup… It has no accounts to create. Just load up the page and begin using the chart.
Listen to the effect of each combination of valves on the range of notes available. See what happens when you toggle the valves yourself. The chart is updated live so try it out for yourself! By engaging with it actively you’ll develop muscle memory which will better tune your ear for the French horn. Get started by pressing a key or clicking on a note below.