Chromatic Scale Trumpet Finger Chart

If you’re a trumpet player, this interactive application allows you to hear each semi-tone of that instrument in B flat. With either your mouse or using your computer keyboard, you’ll find it easy to navigate around the chromatic scale and click the note to hear it played. It also show the written pitch, which helps you learn finger patterns for playing on your instrument.

There are three complete octaves on display here with F sharp (low) at the bottom through to high C at the top. Each of these buttons are a note in the scale and you simply click on whichever note you wish to play. You will hear that note straight away, it will be highlighted to show what you have selected.

How to Use the Trumpet App

A big diagram on the right contains the three trumpet valves. Filled circles shows which valve(s) you should of press for your chosen note, while empty circles show which valves to leave open. Clearly written underneath the diagram is combination of valves required. It’s a useful visual aid that helps with remembering fingerings without having to hold an instrument.

Above this there are buttons for Flats to Sharps or vice versa. These alter which name appears on accidentals within the grid. The next note up from G could be shown as G sharp or A flat. What it doesn’t alter is the pitch or the fingering. This can be helpful when looking at sheet music where they uses one particular naming convention.

You can play the whole chromatic scale by pressing on the Play chromatic scale button. This will run all of the notes through one after another from lowest to highest. Pressing on it a second time will halt sound before the end.

If you want to just play the current note then press on the Play note button which plays the note that is highlighted only. This is useful if you are practising a particular fingering or tone.

The volume slider lets you change the volume. Sometimes this is useful when playing with others or if your ears is sensitive. The slider gives you very fine control of the volume.

Alternatively, clicking directly onto valve diagram will start the sound for that note. Clicking on Fullscreen expands the interface so you have more space to view the valve diagrams and notes in detail, particularly handy on a tablet or small screen. To return to standard view simply click on the button again. The layout will auto adjust to suit the new display.

Click on the How to play button for a refresher if required. That will open up the help panel that explains how to navigate using your keyboard and which controls does what. The panel also has some basic information about how to get started. The panel is always available to refer back to when exploring tool, but you can easily hide it again to see the main view.

You can navigate around the controls and the note grid using the Tab key. To click on a button, press the Space bar or Enter key. This selects the button and lets you use the widget without a mouse. All of the interactive parts responds to regular keyboard commands which makes it a smooth experience if you want to stay on your keyboard.

Click on through the scale gradually and learn fingerings. Listen out for the valve combination changes from note-to-note and also the repeating patterns as you ascend in pitch. The open valves for G and C are good pointers different than where you are at any time. If available, use the play function to hear the connection of the notes in a real musical phrase. Get familiar with the instrument and start trying other note out.

You can also use it to check your fingerings or listen to pitches you don’t yet have access to. It is also handy for learning the chromatic scale anytime. Enjoy discovering what the trumpet sounds like and what range it has.