F4
all holes covered
Bass recorder · Baroque fingering
Bass recorder fingering chart
The bass recorder is an F instrument — the same fingerings as the alto, an octave lower. Tap a note to see which holes to cover and hear the pitch. Every note from low F upward.
First octave — gentle, steady breath
Second octave — open, then pinch the thumb
Top register — advanced
New to the recorder? Start with B, A and G near the top of the first octave. They use only your left hand, and they are enough to play Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Where these fingerings come from
The bass is an F instrument, an octave below the alto, so every fingering here is the standard Baroque pattern from the soprano chart applied a fifth lower and an octave deeper. We transcribed those patterns from the American Recorder Society's published soprano chart and checked them note-by-note against the Yamaha Musical Instrument Guide; the two sources agree, and the fingerings are the same as the alto chart. The diagrams were redrawn by us from scratch, not scanned from a printed chart.
The chart is maintained by SKY AND WIND. If something looks wrong, use the report a fingering link under any note — we will verify it and update the chart when it is wrong.
Take it to the music room
The whole chart on one page
Every fingering above on a single sheet. Print it, or download the PDF and keep it in your case.
Bass Recorder — Fingering Chart
BAROQUE (ENGLISH) FINGERINGCOVEROPENHALF OR PINCH
First octave
F♯4
hole 7 — outer hole only
G4
hole 7 open
G♯4
hole 6 — outer hole only
A4
holes 6 and 7 open
B♭4
FORK
fork — hole 5 open, 6 and 7 closed again
B4
FORK
fork — hole 4 open, 5 and 6 closed
C5
left hand only
C♯5
FORK
fork — hole 3 open, 6 outer only
D5
thumb, 1 and 2
E♭5
FORK
fork — hole 2 open, 3 and 4 closed
E5
thumb and 1
F5
thumb and hole 2
Second octave
F♯5
thumb fully open, 1 and 2
G5
thumb fully open, hole 2 only
G♯5
thumb fully open, 2 to 6
A5
PINCH
pinch the thumb, 1 to 5
B♭5
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — hole 5 open, 6 closed
B5
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — hole 4 open, 5 closed
C6
PINCH
pinch the thumb, left hand only
C♯6
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — hole 3 open, 4 closed
D6
PINCH
pinch the thumb, 1 and 2
E♭6
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — 5 and 6 closed, 7 outer only
E6
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — 4 and 5 closed
F6
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — hole 1, then 4 and 5
Top register
F♯6
BELL FORK PINCH
pinch, fork, and cover the bell with your knee
G6
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — same as C♯ but leave the bell open
G♯6
FORK PINCH
pinch, fork — 2, 3, then 5 and 6
Reading the diagram
Alto fingerings, an octave deeper
The bass recorder is an F instrument, so the fingering is exactly the alto's — which in turn is the soprano pattern transposed a fifth. Seven holes down the front and one thumb hole on the back; the left hand covers the thumb hole and holes 1–3, the right hand covers holes 4–7. If you are new to reading these diagrams, the how-to-read guide on the soprano page applies unchanged.
The bass is the largest recorder most players will touch, and the one that needs the most air. Slow, warm, steady breath is the whole technique — the low notes reward a calm column of air and punish the least leak.
Most basses are keyed
Because the bottom holes sit out of comfortable reach, most bass recorders have keys for the lowest holes. The keys change nothing about the chart — a keyed note is still the same hole, just operated by a lever.
Written an octave above the sound
The bass sounds an octave below the written note. This chart uses written note names, so a part marked for bass recorder shows the note you finger, not the pitch you hear.
Coming from the alto?
Every finger pattern is identical. What changes is the size of the stretch and the amount of breath — the bass asks for more of both. If you can play the alto, you already know this chart.
Where does the bass fit?
The bass anchors the bottom of the recorder consort — the part you feel as much as hear. Its repertoire is almost entirely ensemble music, from Renaissance consorts to modern recorder quartets.
Two fingering systems
Baroque or German? The same question applies
Bass recorders come in Baroque and German systems just like every other size, and the same test works: look for the letter stamped near the thumb hole — B for Baroque (English), G for German. Nearly all instruments and method books are Baroque, and the chart on this page is Baroque.
For the full comparison — hole sizes, the fork F, what German changes and which to buy — see the Baroque vs German section on the soprano page.
Common questions
Questions bass players ask
Is bass recorder fingering the same as alto?
Yes, exactly. Both are F instruments, so every fingering on this chart is the same pattern you use on an alto — the bass just sounds an octave lower.
Why won't my lowest notes speak?
A leak or too little air. The bass's low notes need every hole sealed and a calm, steady column of air — blowing harder makes them worse, not better. If the note is absent, check the key seals first.
Do I need a bass recorder with keys?
For the bottom of the range, almost certainly yes. The lowest holes are out of reach on a full-size bass, and keys bring them back under your fingers. It is still the same chart either way.
Is the bass recorder very loud?
No — the opposite. It is deep, but soft. The recorder is a quiet instrument family, and the bass carries a consort without ever drowning it.
General recorder questions?
Sealing holes, squeaks, cleaning and the high notes are the same subject on every recorder size — those answers live in the soprano page FAQ.
Corrections
Found a fingering that looks wrong?
Tell us and we will check it. Every fingering on this page is the soprano pattern transposed to F — transcribed from the American Recorder Society's published chart and checked note-by-note against the Yamaha Musical Instrument Guide. Transcription is done by humans and humans miss things.
Email hello@recorder-chart.com — or use the link under any note on the chart, which fills in the note name for you. We will verify your report against the published charts and update the page if it turns out to be wrong.
Sources: the bass is an F instrument and we found no widely circulated printed bass chart to consult, so these fingerings are the American Recorder Society Fingering Chart for Soprano (or Tenor) Recorder, Baroque (English) Fingering transposed to F, checked note-by-note against the Yamaha Musical Instrument Guide Baroque soprano chart. Diagrams on this page are drawn from scratch and are not reproductions.