The cello fingering chart for first position
Four strings, four fingers, a few strips of tape — here is which finger stops which note, why the spacing tightens toward the bridge, and what high and low fingers mean.
Fingers, tapes and notes in first position
What first position is
First position is the hand shape closest to the nut: your four fingers cover four half steps, one finger per half step. Open string plus four stopped notes gives you five notes on every string. Toward the bridge the spots move closer together, because a half step is always the same fraction of the sounding string length — the shorter it vibrates, the less room a half step takes.
The tapes and what they mark
The four tapes on the fingerboard mark where each finger normally sits: two half steps above the open string for the 1st finger, three for the 2nd, four for the 3rd, five for the 4th. On the D string that is E, F, F# and G. Tapes are a crutch for the eye — once the ear knows the distances, they come back off and the spacing stays in the hand.
High fingers and low fingers
Depending on the key, the same finger stops a half step off its tape. The 1st finger leans back and takes A# on the A string without the hand moving anywhere. The tape is the reference, not the accidental: A# carries a sharp and is still a low 1. Going the other way, the stretched 4th finger opens up half steps 6 and 7 — the extended first position.
Frequently asked questions
Which finger plays which note in first position?
The order is the same on every string: open string, then 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger, one half step apart. On the D string that gives D, E, F, F# and G; on the A string A, B, C, C# and D. The G and C strings follow the same pattern a fifth lower each time.
Where do the tapes go on a cello fingerboard?
They mark the four fingers of first position: the first tape two half steps above the open string, then three, four and five. Place them by ear or with a tuner rather than by measuring — scale length differs from cello to cello. Plan on taking them off again once the ear has the distances.
Do I have to read sheet music to start?
Not to start. If you know the string and the finger, you can play — that number is what sits inside each dot here, and 0 means an open string. Reading comes later, and the sheet music view is there when you want it, showing the same spot in bass clef.
Related pages
From the chart to the instrument
A chart shows where the finger belongs — whether it actually lands there is something you only hear. In Notegleam the dots carry the finger number as they run onto the fingerboard, and listen mode stops the piece until the microphone hears the note in tune.