Fingering Chart For Alto Saxophone

Explore the fingerings on the alto saxophone in this interactive chart of first two octaves. It is hands-on, letting you use your computer’s keyboard to move around and your mouse to tap out each note. The interface will plays the note sound, highlight which keys to press and allow you to practise from home without needing a instrument.

All of the notes are displayed on a grid, ranging from high C down to low D. Simply clicking on a cell in the grid highlights that note and shows where the fingerings goes for that note on the diagram. Alternatively, you can use your keyboard to move through the pitches. Use Tab to move through the notes and Enter or Space to select. It’s clear what note is selected at all times.

How to Use This Saxophone Chart

On the right-hand side of this is a representation of the fingering used to play the chosen note. It divide the keys into sensible sections including the octave key, left hand fingers, and right hand fingers. A solid circle represents a key that needs pressing whilst a hollow circle represent a key that remains unpressed. This gives you a visual reference point to see how it alters up or down the scale.

The Alto Saxophone is an Eb transposing instrument, meaning that it do not play the same as what is written down. The widget will display actual concert pitch below each note name you select. So if you choose a note on the widget written as a G, it will show you that it sounds more like a Bb then a G. It is a useful way of connecting what we read and how things sound in the real world.

Each note has audio playback so you can train your ears too. Click the Play note button to play that note. Or, click the Play all button to cycle through them all. It’s a continuous loop that could of been stopped at anytime by another click of the button. Use the volume slider to adjust the volume of the synthesized sound as you work through the notes.

A quick reference help panel can be expanded using the How to play button. It summarizes the essentials, such as the octave mechanism and which keys is played by which fingers. This is helpful to have as a reminder of things like transposition logic and hand positioning if you’re studying. You can collapse it any time and regain screen space for the chart proper.

The Fullscreen button makes the widget fill your screen, so that it’s bigger and easier to read (useful on smaller devices too). The diagram keys and notes becomes bigger and there is more space to view them. Click the button again or press Escape to exit full screen once you’ve finished taking a detailed look at what it shows.

Instead of simply wandering around, try clicking on some notes and see if you can play through a known tune. As you take away or add fingers, listen carefuly to hear the change in pitch. How does moving the pinky finger of the left hand affect the pitch? Step-by-step it will move up the scale. What happens when you engage the octave key? Your range is altered but not your positioning of any other finger.

If you wish, try to remember what fingers to use without consulting the diagram first. It is an exercise in muscle memory after all! You might even go as far as covering the diagram with a sheet of paper. Listen to the audio feedback to see if you are fingering each pitch correctly.

Click on the first note in the grid above then listen to it play and watch as the keys light up. As you become more confident, start gently working your way around the bottom end of the instrument then jump into the second octave. The aim of this tool is to help learners find their way around standard fingerings for a saxophone with ease and instinct from wherever they are.