Table of harmonics and fingerings
Fingering (and equivalent)
In C (heard pitch)
In F (written pitch)
On the F horn
F0 (B13)
Fingering (and equivalent):
F0 (B13)
In C
In F
F2 (B123)
F2 (B123)
In C
In F
F1
F1
In C
In F
F12 (F3)
F12 (F3)
In C
In F
F23
F23
In C
In F
F13
F13
In C
In F
F123
F123
In C
In F
On the B♭ horn
B0
B0
In C
In F
B2
B2
In C
In F
B1
B1
In C
In F
B12 (B3)
B12 (B3)
In C
In F
B23
B23
In C
In F
F0 (B13)
F0 (B13)
In C
In F
F2 (B123)
F2 (B123)
In C
In F
With a chromatic scale
All fingerings written above the first staff (notated in C) correspond to fingerings on the F horn. All fingerings written below the second staff (notated in F) correspond to fingerings on the B♭ horn.
The first line of fingerings (just above or below the staff) shows the standard fingerings used most of the time. The second line further out shows alternate fingerings (which may be used in fast passages or lip trills, for example). The other lines (separated from the first two by dotted lines) indicate theoretically possible fingerings, but whose intonation is generally too bad to be used in tempered contexts.
Nota Bene
In fast passages, it is easier to move only one finger per note. For example, the transition 2 → 12 is easy and quick to execute, whereas 1 → 23 is more difficult (since the air travels from a short to a long tubing, and all fingers must move). The intonation of the fingerings 23, 13, and 123 on the F horn is very sharp, whereas the fingerings 0, 1, 2, and 3 on the B♭ horn can be quite flat in the upper register (see Fingerings intonation).
Fingerings intonation
The intonation of certain specific fingerings can vary depending on the maker and model of the horn. Unfortunately, detailing everything here would be lengthy and likely unnecessary. However, an important general principle emerges from these exceptions:
The shorter a tubing or fingering is, the flatter its intonation tends to be. Conversely, the longer a tubing or fingering is, the sharper its intonation tends to be.
The B♭ horn, being a short-length tubing, generally tends to be flat. This tendency becomes more pronounced with so-called ‘short’ fingerings (where a valve activating a short length of tubing is pressed, i.e. fingerings 0, 1, 2, and 3), as well as with fingerings that correspond to a third or tenth harmonic.
Here are the notes (along with their corresponding fingerings) that are likely to be particularly flat:
As a result, these fingerings are generally used very little: they are mainly employed to execute fast passages without having to press multiple valves at once. Here are the accurate fingerings commonly used for these notes:
The F horn, being a long tube, has a generally sharp tendency. This tendency becomes more pronounced with fingerings that activate a large length of tubing (two or more valves), especially 23, 13, and 123, as well as fingerings corresponding to a fifth or twelfth harmonic.
Be aware that the intonation of these fingerings is almost always correctable with the lips; however, they will be significantly more difficult to attack and control.
Here are the notes (along with their corresponding fingerings) that are likely to be particularly sharp:
Unfortunately, some of these fingerings do not have a more accurate equivalent on the F horn. Therefore, one must either settle for them or play the corresponding notes on the B♭ horn. Here are the fingerings commonly used for these notes:
György Ligeti understood this problem well, as we can notice in the second movement of his Trio for Violin, Horn, and Piano, on bar 27, where he asks for a staccato motif on a harmonic series to be played entirely on the natural harmonics of the corresponding fingering.
However, on bar 193, this motif reappears in the low register of the instrument on the low B natural series, which is certainly achievable with the natural harmonics on the F horn with all three valves pressed, but the intonation would be almost a quarter tone too sharp. Ligeti therefore chooses not to indicate on the score the necessity to play on the natural harmonics, leaving the choice of fingerings to the performer.
