This is where the weight of the horn should sit if you are holding the bell off the leg.

Relax your thumb so that it makes a flat surface with your index finger.

Now relax your hand so your fingers begin to gently curve.

Put your fingers together as if you are making a 'karate chop.'.

The right hand is important for creating a clear tone and controlling intonation.

Your pinky finger should rest inside the pinky ring.

Your thumb should rest on the trigger if you are playing a double-horn, or in a ring, if you are playing a single horn.

Place your ring finger on the key furthest away from you.

Place your middle finger on the next key or second valve.

Place the index finger on your left hand on the key closest to you.

Start by making a relaxed 'C' shape with your left hand.

To use a fingering chart correctly, you have to first make sure your fingers are in the right place! To hold a french horn correctly: Left-Hand Placement If you forget, write the fingering back in. Play through the passage a few more times slowly and see if you remember the fingering. Once you feel comfortable (usually after three times through the passage), erase the written fingering. Practice the passage slowly so your fingers can get a feel for the passage. Take a pencil and write the fingering under the note.

When you encounter a note you don't know look at your fingering chart. Once you have the basics, go to real music and try to play through a passage. This will help you get comfortable with fingerings in a given key. I've always found it helpful to start to learn fingering through scales. What makes the french horn more challenging is the number of alternate fingerings, both thanks to its overtone series and having a b-flat side to the instrument. The french horn is like most brass instruments in that you use valves to change pitch. It can be helpful to have a fingering chart when you are beginning a new instrument.

E flat minor fingering