

If you were looking at the strings on the viola from left to right, the string on the far left would be the thickest as well as the lowest-pitched string (C String). In this relaxed position, there are two half-steps between your 1st and 2nd finger, one half-step from the 2nd to the 3rd finger, and two half-steps between the 3rd and 4th finger.

Place your first finger about two half-steps up from the nut, and there you have it! First position. Now pretend that your hand is in this same position, but curl it around the neck of your violin. You will also notice that there isn’t a very big space between your 2nd and 3rd finger (middle and ring). As you do this, you will notice that there is a naturally wider gap between your 1st finger and 2nd finger (index and middle) as well as your 3rd and 4th finger (ring and pinky). To get your hand into the right position, turn your left hand towards you and curl your fingers like you are examining your fingernails.


First position allows you to play the first five notes on each violin string. Violin Finger PlacementĪs a beginning violin player, the initial hand position you will learn is called first position. We like to think of finger tapes like training wheels eventually, they will come off because you will have developed “muscle memory” to recall exactly where to place your fingers. We’ve found the easiest way to get around this issue is by placing finger tapes on the fingerboard. That means there’s no visual guide to help you determine where your fingers should go. Violins and other orchestral stringed instruments do not have frets like guitars. One tip we give new players is to use finger tapes. In that time, we’ve learned a few tricks to help you or your student play like a pro. West Music has been working with musicians and music teachers for over 75 years. Building good finger placement habits is extremely important for playing in tune and with ease. When someone talks about having correct finger placement when playing a stringed instrument, they are typically referring to two things: how you place your fingers on the strings and where you place your fingers on the strings.
