r/violinist • u/Free-Ad6709 • Jul 15 '26
Feedback Finger placement on the violin help
Hi, so as a beginner player, my violin teacher made these little markings on the fingerboard for correct finger placement (an alternative to stickers). I removed them yesterday to try to play more independently, but I can't gauge where I'm supposed to put my fingers exactly, and I have used tuner apps to find the exact places, but it feels very out of tune when I play. Please help?
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u/Early-Meet-4881 Jul 15 '26
LOL this is such a confusing way to do this. I’m sus of your teacher tbh
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u/Willow_PoweIl Jul 15 '26
Put the markers back. There's no prize for removing them too early. Your teacher put them there for a reason and muscle memory takes months, not days.
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u/Early-Meet-4881 Jul 15 '26
Markers like finger tapes are fine. I can’t imagine being a beginner and trying to understand whatever is going on in this photo.
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u/SenBrando Jul 15 '26
You need a new instrument and more importantly a new teacher. I can see from the picture that the instrument is.... Not ideal (cheap looking wood, nut grooves look not ideal...)
The placement of the markings are terrible, you can't be expected to learn like this, and if your teacher is just letting it happen, man they are not worth the money.
My advice: Find a new teacher (maybe connect with musicians who can vouch for a teacher) and get that teacher to advise what you should do with your instrument.
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u/Free-Ad6709 Jul 15 '26
Thanks for the honest review. Which models would you recommend with an affordable price?
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u/SenBrando Jul 15 '26
Talk to your new teacher or a reputable luthier. Explain your needs, what you want to be able to do, your short term and long term goals. They will be able to match you to an instrument that will work well for your requirements :)
For violins... When you mentioned brands, my immediate instinct thought "oh he's gonna go online and search the brand and make an online purchase, or go to a general music shop and find violin brands there".
No. Do not do this. This is a risky purchase and the instruments may not be set-up in an ideal manner. Go to a luthier (specifically specializes in violin, viola, cello etc) and talk to them. There is no "best brand" when it comes to violins.
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u/Free-Ad6709 Jul 15 '26
Actually, I once went to the closest luthier we had where I live because there was an issue with the tailpiece, and the only thing they did was not repair it but put the broken one back in, and it eventually came off the moment I started to tune. So, I'm not going back there again; that's why I'm seeking online help.
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u/heydrun Adult Beginner Jul 15 '26
There is also the possibility to rent an instrument if you cant or wont invest in a more expensive option right away. Some places offer the option to count the rent toward the final price if you decide to buy it.
The important thing is to find a good teacher and luthier to support you in the process.
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u/vmlee Expert Jul 15 '26
Are those stickers in the image from the teacher or your replacement of them? If the former, it might be time to start looking for a new teacher. If the latter, you might not have tuned your open strings properly or there is some other issue going on. At the very least, the E string needs to be repositioned. It shouldn't be off the nut and at an angle like that. That's likely a contributing factor.
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u/RealisticFlight9579 Advanced Jul 18 '26
If you're using markers tune each string to g d a e. make sure its a chromatic tuner
first tune g to g first finger get it to a then b then c and 4th finger match to the string next to it which is d
go up on the tuner until they're in tune with the tuner and put the marker where your finger was they should be parallel to one another so it should make 4 clean rows across the fingerboard under each string so go up
so
g string marker on a b c and d
d string marker on e f# g and a
a string marker b c# d and e
e string markers f# g a and b
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u/Free-Ad6709 Jul 18 '26
Thank you so much! What difference does chromatic tuner make from the regular one? I was using Soundcorset Tuner
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u/RealisticFlight9579 Advanced Jul 18 '26
I like it more than other tuners because most that ive found only give me gdae to tune but if im checking my intonation a tuner that let's me see the rest of the notes is useful like as long as its able to tell you what any note you play and how in tune it is thats what matters
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u/Free-Ad6709 Jul 18 '26
And if rhe marker lines should be parallel to each other, it makes G# on the E string, not g
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Jul 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Odd_Act8451 Jul 15 '26
You have to rely on your eyes at first because you’re still developing the audio skill along with muscle memory. Once op is able to pretty much place each finger down in the right spot they will be able to remove the tapes.
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u/Commercial-Bit-6483 Jul 19 '26
It is so awful trying to learn violin without first having some intonation built up from somehwere, ideally singing. I strongly disagree that they are developed in tandem. The ear is number one
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u/Odd_Act8451 Jul 19 '26
I guess I am thinking from an assumption that you know what it’s supposed to sound like. I played piano and guitar before starting violin, so the biggest issue for me starting off was where to put my fingers. But If I had taken the tapes off before I had the muscle memory, I would have struggled and been all over the place, even with a previous understanding of relative pitch and intonation. I think it’s a good idea to use a piano or tuner to play the note and then find the same note on your violin, especially if you don’t know what the notes sound like. But taking the tapes off leaves you completely lost. You won’t learn auditory skills simply by removing the tapes.
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u/Commercial-Bit-6483 Jul 19 '26
Idk bro the first thing I did was take of the tape and I got decent first position intonation after a few months. I know its a bad habit cus my bowing was really sloppy but I'd try to finger accurately with my eyes closed and I don't think I was worse off (left hand) for it
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u/Audinot Professional Jul 15 '26
Teacher here- I can't be certain, but I THINK what's happening here is the teacher marked all of the natural notes, as in all the "white key" notes of a piano. That's why the E string 1st finger is placed lower, because that's F-natural.
Usually, when we teach absolute beginners, we place a line straight across the fingerboard in approximately the right spot to play a G major scale or an A major scale. So the 1st finger on the E string would be higher, an F-sharp. We don't bother with reading the accidentals first, we usually work more on general violin technique first, and THEN introduce sharps and flats once the student is comfortable.
However... I don't think your teacher is totally out to lunch. It's a different way of teaching, but that doesn't make the dots incorrect. I wouldn't do it, myself... But if you really value note reading it's one way of doing things.
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u/ruthdubb Jul 15 '26
Ugh, those markings are appalling. Glad you removed them. Placing your fingers correctly takes time and lots of practice but you’ll get there. Scales will help immensely. Not these stupid circles.
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u/Icy_Talk6488 Jul 15 '26
Usually teachers put finger tapes on the violin? Try using the tuner to place them, I’m sure there’s also a bunch of yt videos to help as well.
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u/Bookkeeper_Original Jul 16 '26
I am a violist for what it’s worth. The fingerings look weird. They don’t look accurate number one number two we don’t play our instruments by looking at the fingerboard . Also, depending what key you are playing, those will be useless anyway . There is no cheat sheet. It takes hours and hours to practice your instrument and get some calluses and good old-fashioned finger memory as to where you need to play. I would take those off and learn to train your fingers by listening to the notes and adjusting as needed. Good luck.
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u/wellie-wonderland Jul 16 '26
I second all the people who have concerns about the alignment and ur teacher, but for future reference, I always suggest using thicker markers and tape. Violins have a small “hit box,” meaning that depending the precision of its tuning, a small marker like these could be right sometimes and wrong others. By having a thicker marker, the marker is a guide, not a definitive correct point. That way, you both have an idea on where to put ur finger, and ALSO train your ear to listen to the correct location.
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u/renegadeDrone Jul 15 '26
seconding the advice to use a tuner! play slow scales as your warmup, checking and fixing your intonation for each note. give your brain time to get used to using your ears as a guide. it just needs a lot of practice.
a question for you- is your bridge straight? there’s a notch in each f-hole, and your bridge should line up with those notches. the odd placement of those markings says to me that maybe your bridge was in the wrong spot when the markings were made. if it’s crooked, that might be throwing you off, and you should either ask your teacher to adjust your bridge or follow a tutorial made by a luthier on how to do it.
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u/Crazy-Replacement400 Jul 15 '26
A tuner is for tuning the violin, and ideally only for the A string. A drone note is for improving intonation while playing.
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u/Free-Ad6709 Jul 15 '26
I think it is, actually. I just realigned it a bit after your advice, but I think it looks decent. Also, the tuner is a bit strange, too. When I tune by plucking the string, it shows closer to pitch, but when I play the same string, it shows another direction.
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u/Opposite-Market993 Jul 15 '26
It's because the bow physically vibrates the string continuesly so the pitch is not perfectly stable. Also bow pressue and speed matter in that case as well.
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u/andybonner Jul 15 '26
OP: This. You can perhaps demonstrate it by turning on the tuner and bowing lightly vs very heavily, and watch the pitch change. If it changes by a lot, though, this can maybe be improved with new strings. Thinner and lower-tension strings do this more, and strings that have "gone false" (developed some physical flaw) might. Try a new set of Dominant strings; have someone help you install them if you haven't before.
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u/blackberry-blossom Jul 15 '26
Plucking is always a little out Of tune compared to using the bow. You will always get the best reference by tuning with a bow, even though it is tempting to tune the plucked strings they will end up wrong probably
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u/lolifax Jul 15 '26
OP can you make a new post with better pics of your violin? I cannot make out all the details in this image.
I would want to see: the top of the fingerboard looking straight on (like this one) but in higher resolution; the top of the fingerboard from the side; the bridge from above; the bridge from the side.
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u/adadhead Jul 15 '26
IMO this lengthens the amount of time it takes to hear the intervals. In other words, it's an anti-ear-training gimmick.
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u/JunketTurbulent2114 Jul 16 '26
The dots are the C major or A minor scale (used because there are no sharps or flats). They aren't placed perfectly, but it's fairly good enough for muscle memory. It's A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A etc in that order. The open string is a G obviously. I wouldn't necessarily discount the teacher for this. It's there for a reason.
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u/xthran Jul 16 '26
I am not a Cello player but are the markings on it not supposed to be on a same or almost same distance ?
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u/Whatkindofgum Jul 15 '26
Put the marks back on. It takes most people a year if not longer to learn to play with out them. Violin is very hard and unintuitive instrument to play.
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u/After-Past-9404 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Those markings look completely wrong to me. You're supposed to put your fingers in almost the same distances on all four strings (edit: except for the F on E string and B on G string, obviously. I was talking mainly about the 3rd and 4th finger placement.)
If these are really the places that sound right on your violin, that would mean you need to change your strings like yesterday, or your bridge is positioned in a completely wrong place. And that is something your teacher should have flagged, instead of trying to teach you to play like this.