The violin fingerboard and first position

A violin has no frets — the pitch is wherever you stop the string. This page shows where the four fingers of first position sit on each string, and how to hear that a note is in tune.

Fingers, tapes and notes on the violin

Four tapes, four fingers

From low to high the strings are G, D, A and E, each a fifth above the one before it. In first position four tapes mark the home spot of each finger: first finger a whole step above the open string, second finger a major third, third finger a perfect fourth, fourth finger a perfect fifth. On the A string that is B, C sharp, D and E. The spacing narrows toward the bridge.

High and low finger placement

First position on the violin is built on whole steps, so a half step fits above the first and the third tape, and the same finger has two places to land. Slide the second finger back toward the nut and you get low 2 — C instead of C# on the A string. Move the third finger toward the bridge and you get high 3. A tape only ever shows one of the two, which is where most beginners land wrong.

The fifth checks itself

The fourth finger sits on the fifth and sounds exactly like the next higher open string: fourth finger on the A string gives the same note as the open E. Bow both together, and if nothing beats, the finger is in tune. That check needs no tuner and works on every string except the E.

Frequently asked questions

Where do the tapes go on a violin fingerboard?

Measured up from the open string: the first tape a whole step (first finger), the second a major third (second finger), the third a perfect fourth (third finger), the fourth a perfect fifth (fourth finger). On the D string that is E, F sharp, G and A. The distances follow the scale length, so a smaller violin has smaller ones.

What do high 2 and low 2 mean?

The same finger, moved a half step toward the bridge or toward the nut. On the violin the tape for the second finger marks the high placement, and low 2 sits a half step in front of it, closer to the nut — C instead of C sharp on the A string. The key tells you which one applies, not the accidental in front of the single note.

Can I practice first position without reading sheet music?

Yes. In the practice view the notes travel toward the fingerboard as dots, the finger number is printed inside the dot, and 0 means open string. Sheet music is a view you can switch on — there the finger marks sit above the staff, with an H or an L in front of the number when a finger leaves its tape.

First position on your own violin

In Notegleam every note travels toward the fingerboard as a dot with the finger number inside it. Listen mode hears you through the microphone and holds until the note actually sounds in tune.

Demo