How do you place your fingers on the violin? First position

Finger numbers and hand shape

In violin sheet music, numbers above the notes indicate the left-hand finger: 1 is the index finger, 2 the middle finger, 3 the ring finger, and 4 the pinky. 0 means an open string. The thumb has no number because it doesn't stop the strings; it rests behind the neck.

• Thumb: relaxed, roughly opposite the first or second finger. Don't squeeze: the chin rest and shoulder support the violin.
• Wrist: straight, in line with the forearm. If it bends inward and the palm presses against the neck, your fingers lose strength and reach.
• Fingers: curved, landing on the string with the fingertips like little hammers. This keeps them from brushing the neighboring string.
• Base of the index finger: lightly touches the side of the neck near the nut, giving you a reference point.
• Elbow: underneath the violin. It moves slightly to the right to reach the G string and to the left for the E string.

Keep your left-hand nails short: if the nail touches the fingerboard before the fingertip, the finger lands flat and the note becomes unreliable. Press only enough for the string to touch the fingerboard and sound clear; extra force won't improve the sound and will tire your hand.

The first-position note map

Before placing your fingers, tune your violin: if the open strings are out of tune, none of the references will help. The table shows the note each finger plays on each string. The second finger has two possible placements: “low,” touching the first finger, and “high,” touching the third.

Two recurring relationships help you find your way. Finger 4 on each string plays the same note as the next open string (D, A, and E). Finger 3 plays an octave above the previous open string: G on the D string, D on the A string, and A on the E string.

The four finger patterns

Instead of memorizing each note separately, violinists think in patterns: the shape your hand takes depending on where the half step falls. Different methods number them differently, so here we name them by the fingers that touch.

How do you know which one to use? Look at the key signature. If the piece has C sharp, the second finger on the A string is high; if it has C natural, it's low, touching the first finger. The same applies to F on the D string and G on the E string. Before playing a new piece, work through the key signature string by string and decide where each second finger will go: you'll avoid many wrong notes.

Finger tapes: how to use them without becoming dependent

Many teachers put thin tapes on the fingerboard at first to give your hand a visual reference. Most mark finger 1, high 2, and 3; some add low 2 or 4. Your teacher places them note by note using a tuner, because the distances vary with each violin and size.

• Look at the tapes to place your hand, but listen to make corrections. If the note sounds flat with your finger on the tape, move your finger: the tape marks an area, not an exact point.
• Place your finger on the tape, not beside it. On a small violin, even half a centimeter can make a note sound out of tune.
• Check occasionally that the tapes haven't shifted, especially after cleaning the fingerboard.
• Once you can play a note in tune without looking, you can remove that tape. They're usually removed one at a time.

A trick for gradually letting go of them: play the scale with your eyes closed, then check after each note whether your finger landed on the tape. If it nearly always does, your hand has learned that distance.

How to check intonation against open strings

Your best reference is built into the violin: its open strings. Several first-position notes match them in unison or at the octave. When those notes are in tune, the neighboring open string vibrates on its own through resonance. The violin sounds fuller, with a noticeable brightness even when you aren't playing that string.

To practice this, bow the stopped note and then, without lifting your finger, play the open string; or play both together as a double stop. Check notes without an open-string reference, such as second-finger notes, with the violin tuner.

Exercises to help your hand find the notes

Do these slowly, with the metronome at 60 and one note per beat. Five minutes at the start of practice is enough.

1. Little hammers without the bow. Hold the violin in playing position, drop each finger onto the A string from a couple of centimeters above it, and lift it again, one at a time. Aim to land on the fingertip and hear a small tap.
2. Pizzicato ladder. Play 0-1-2-3-4-3-2-1-0 on one string in pizzicato. Without the bow, you can focus entirely on intonation. When you reach 4, compare it with the next open string.
3. Fingers that stay down. As you go up, leave the previous fingers in place: when you play 3, fingers 1 and 2 stay on the string. This gives your hand stability. As you go down, lift only the finger whose note has finished.
4. Low and high second finger. On the A string, alternate 1-2-1-2, first with C and then with C sharp. This is the movement that causes the most confusion at first.
5. Same pattern, different string. Play the pattern with 2 and 3 touching on the A string, then on the D string without changing your hand shape. Your elbow moves; your finger pattern stays the same.
6. Scale with a drone. Play a one-octave D major scale over a sustained D from a keyboard or app. Each note has its own color against the D; an out-of-tune note produces a noticeable roughness.

Common left-hand mistakes

Almost all these mistakes are visible to an observer before they're audible. That's why, in violin lessons, your teacher checks your left hand every session during the first few months and adjusts your position to the size of your hand and instrument. Once first position is stable, the next expressive step is vibrato.

Frequently asked questions