Piper's SongbookHow to play very high C♯ on recorder
Pinch the thumb hole, leaving a narrow crack. Cover holes 1, 3, 4 and 7. Leave holes 2, 5 and 6 open.
very high C♯ is written on the second ledger line above the staff, with a sharp. It is also called very high D♭. The fingering shown is for a soprano (descant) recorder with Baroque fingering.
Which finger goes where
| Hole | Finger | For very high C♯ |
|---|---|---|
| Thumb hole (back) | left thumb | pinched |
| Hole 1 | left index finger | covered |
| Hole 2 | left middle finger | open |
| Hole 3 | left ring finger | covered |
| Hole 4 | right index finger | covered |
| Hole 5 | right middle finger | open |
| Hole 6 | right ring finger | open |
| Hole 7 | right little finger | covered |
Tips for a clean very high C♯
Pinch the thumb and cover holes 1, 3, 4 and 7. Most music for beginners never goes this high.
very high C♯ on a German recorder
Pinch the thumb hole, leaving a narrow crack. Cover holes 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7. Leave holes 2 and 5 open.
On a German recorder hole 5 is smaller than hole 4. If yours is the other way round, use the Baroque fingering above.
Songs that use very high C♯
None of the songs on this site use this note yet. It appears mostly in more advanced music.
Half step down: very high C · Half step up: very high D · Full fingering chart