Brass Trainer

Positions and fingerings for trumpet, trombone, French horn, mellophone, baritone/euphonium, and tuba.

About Brass Trainer

Know every fingering and position without thinking

Brass Trainer shows a written note and you answer with its fingering or slide position. It covers trumpet, trombone, French horn (single F or double F/B♭), mellophone, baritone/euphonium, and tuba, with Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced ranges. Common alternate fingerings are accepted, and you hear the note when you answer, so fingering, pitch, and notation connect.

Rounds are short 10- or 15-note sprints, or free practice. Missed notes come back later in the round, so the ones you don't know yet get extra practice.

Play the Note turns it around: you see a note and play it on your horn, and the microphone checks the pitch. You can show the fingering, hide it, or have it appear after a few seconds. The microphone hears only the pitch you play, not how you played it. If that pitch is a neighboring partial of the fingering, it says so; check your fingering first, then aim with your air.

Scales has you finger a whole scale in order, up and back down, using concert pitch names with your written key alongside (see concert pitch). Pick a level, single keys (drill their signatures in Key Trainer), relative minors, the chromatic scale, or two octaves, and turn on timed mode to build tempo for chair tests.

How to practice

  1. 01Pick your instrument and start at the Beginner range, even if you already play.
  2. 02Finger along on your instrument, or move your arm for slide positions, as you answer.
  3. 03When you miss a note, play it on your horn right away to lock it in.
  4. 04Move up a range once you finish a 15-note sprint with no misses.
  5. 05Do a sprint before you practice new music with high or low notes.

One fingering, many notes

Every valve combination or slide position gives a length of tubing, and each length can play a whole series of notes called partials, or the harmonic series. Your embouchure and air choose the partial and the fingering chooses the tubing. That is why the open fingering on trumpet can play C, G, C, E, and more.

Each valve adds tubing: valve 2 lowers the pitch a half step, valve 1 a whole step, and valve 3 a step and a half. Trombone positions do the same job with the slide. Each position out lowers the pitch by a half step.

Who it's for

Beginning brass players learning fingerings, students switching instruments (trumpet to horn, or trombone to baritone), and directors who want quick fingering checks during sectionals.

Read more

BrassHow to make your first sound on trumpetBreathing, embouchure, buzzing, and your first notes on the trumpet, plus what to check for common first-day problems.BrassTrumpet fingering chart: how 3 valves make so many notesBeginner trumpet fingerings, why eight valve combinations make seven pitch groups, and how one fingering plays several notes.BrassHow to get a better sound on trumpetWhat a clear tone sounds like, what to check when a trumpet sounds fuzzy or thin, and the steady air and long tones that help.BrassThe harmonic series and brass valve combinationsHow partials and valves work together, why three valves make seven main pitch groups, and why some fingerings play more than one note.BrassHow to play high notes on trumpetWhy one fingering plays many notes, lip slurs, air and tongue position instead of pressure, and a gradual routine for a comfortable upper range.BrassHow to make your first sound on tromboneAssembly, holding, mouthpiece placement, and buzzing, then your first note in 1st position, how to tell which note you played, and what to check for air-only sounds and notes that fade.BrassTrombone slide position chart: beginner notes and full referenceThe first five notes and their positions, how to read the chart, then every note by register, with alternates and F-trigger positions.BrassHow to get a better sound on tromboneWhat a full trombone tone sounds like, what to check when it turns fuzzy or thin, and the steady air, long tones, slurs, and clean starts that help.BrassTrombone slide positions and alternate positionsAll seven positions, where the alternates are, and when using one makes a passage easier.BrassEuphonium in treble clef vs. bass clef: which part should I read?Why euphonium and baritone parts come in two clefs, how treble clef fingerings match trumpet, and how to switch between them.BrassFrench horn fingerings: when to use the thumb trigger (F vs. B♭ side)What the double horn's two sides are, how the lever, the valve, and the side fit together, where players often switch, and how to read a double horn fingering chart.BrassThe trombone F trigger: positions T1 to T6 and when to use themWhat the F attachment does, where the trigger positions are, and how the trigger saves long reaches to 6th and 7th.BrassThe 4th valve on euphonium and tubaWhy 4 can replace 1-3, which low notes the 4th valve adds, and how to start using it on euphonium, baritone, and tuba.BrassHow to make your first sound on French hornBreathing, embouchure, and buzzing, then holding the horn with your right hand in the bell and playing your first note, plus how to tell which note you played.BrassFrench horn fingering chart: single F and double hornThe first five notes many band books teach, why several notes share a fingering on horn, and a full chart for single F and double horn.BrassHow to get a better sound on French hornWhat a warm horn sound is, how your right hand shapes it, and the steady air, long tones, and lip slurs that help with a bright, stuffy, or airy tone.BrassWhy notes crack on French horn (and how to hit them)Why the horn's notes sit so close together, how hearing a pitch before you play it helps you land on it, and exercises for cleaner starts.BrassSwitching to mellophone from trumpet or French hornWhat changes when trumpet or horn players pick up mellophone: the mouthpiece, holding it, the fingerings, and where the notes sit.BrassMellophone fingering chart: beginner notes and full referenceThe first five notes many band books teach, why the fingerings match trumpet, and a full chart from written G♭3 (F♯3) to E6.BrassHow to get a better sound on mellophoneWhat a full mellophone sound is, and the steady air, relaxed playing, long tones, and lip slurs that let you play loud without blasting.BrassPlaying mellophone while marchingKeeping the horn steady and the sound clear while you march: horn angle, breathing on the move, and learning the music before you add the steps.BrassHow to make your first sound on euphonium or baritoneBreathing, embouchure, buzzing, and holding the horn, then your first note, how to tell which note you played, and what to check when a first-day sound goes wrong.BrassEuphonium fingering chart: bass clef, treble clef, 3 and 4 valvesThe first notes many band books teach, in bass clef and treble clef, and a full chart for 3- and 4-valve euphonium and baritone.BrassHow to get a better sound on euphoniumWhat a full euphonium sound is, what to check when it turns fuzzy or thin, and the breathing, long tones, and lip slurs that help.BrassHow to make your first sound on tubaSitting and holding the tuba, relaxed breathing, embouchure, and buzzing, then your first note and how to tell which note you played.BrassTuba fingering chart: beginner notes and full referenceThe first notes many band books teach, why one fingering plays several notes, and a full chart for 3- and 4-valve BB♭ tuba.BrassHow to get a better sound on tubaWhat a full tuba sound is, what to check when it turns fuzzy or thin, and the breathing, open throat, long tones, and lip slurs that help.BrassHow to play low notes on tubaWhat usually changes as you go lower, and how more space, steady air, firm corners, downward slurs, and the 4th valve help keep low notes clear.BrassBreathing exercises for brass playersHow to take a full, relaxed breath, keep the air moving evenly, and plan breaths for longer phrases.
Practice tools
Fingering charts
Printable, every instrument
Scale sheets
Printable, every instrument
Sight-reading
Project for the full band
Tuner
Uses your microphone
Drone
Tune by ear
Transposer
Concert ↔ written