Category: Violin Notes

Violin Finger Placement: Finger #'s vs. Pitches

6/28/2020

In the arena of heated conversations among string teachers, the subject of finger #s (i.e., 1, 2, 3) versus pitches (B, C#, D) is a hot topic. I was surprised to read the comments on the blog post Best Way to Learn Violin Notes? and did not expect the consistency of responses. My favorite part was learning how the different countries approach this.

Click HERE to read what others are saying about finger #'s vs. pitches.

The pros of using finger numbers are that they are simple and clear. They also can segue nicely into using finger patterns. I am a proponent of teaching finger patterns even if using pitches over finger #s is the preference since they help train the whole and half steps while strengthening the mind-body circuitry. Since the finger patterns correlate nicely with the tapes on the violin fingerboard, it is easy to integrate them into the curriculum, especially at a beginning level.

Another pro of using #'s is to benefit students with special learning needs. These students (i.e., dyslexic, or right-brain dominant learners), have minds that best connect with a # over a letter.

The pros of using the letter name of the note segue into a broader understanding of key signatures. This leads to understanding music theory, and ultimately teaches the universal language of music.

I spent most of my teaching career using finger #s and have to wonder:

Was my reluctance to embrace using pitch names a reflection of my struggles with music theory?

I digress but bring this up since many of us had either very limited or unsuccessful music theory training. It was not until I was age 25 and did teacher training and teaching using the Music Mind Games music theory curriculum that I began to understand music theory.

I recently discovered the Fantastic Finger Guides. I think they are fantastic- they offer a quick and economical solution to accurate finger placement and immediately help to code the language of music theory into the beginning level violinist.

In 8 seconds, I applied the Fantastic Finger Guide. It went on smoothly and would be doable for students to apply independently.

Now, a clear map of pitches appears on my fingerboard as well as easy to see finger numbers identified on the side of the neck (perfect to see from "rest position"). The product comes on a beginning version (with less information as not to overwhelm the beginning student) and an advanced version that includes more pitches and a quick visual guide for how sharps and flats work.

Receive 10% off the Fantastic Finger Guides thru July 31, 2020 with coupon code MFYV2020.

Click HERE to learn more and order the Fantastic Finger Guides.

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Best Way to Learn Violin Notes?

6/19/2020

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Giveaway Contest - Win the Fantastic Finger Guides!!!
Entering is easy, scroll down to learn how.

What is the best way to improve student learning

After almost a decade of teaching, Toby Weston, educator & creator of the Fantastic Finger Guides asked himself:

Why do we use finger tapes when first learning to play string instruments such as the violin, viola, or cello?

Is there a better way than finger tapes to get our beginners playing correctly with musical confidence?

Learn more about why using pitches instead of finger numbers is empowering to the learning process below by guest blog post author Toby Weston.

I have learned from teaching middle school music for the past 12 years that the best way to improve student learning is to improve the teaching system.

I wondered if there was a better way to teach than with finger tapes because finger tapes don't provide sufficient musical information to help the student grow musically smarter and they are a very abstract teaching tool.

I was concerned that by using finger tapes, my students were labeling the sound only by its physical location and not coding the actual musical language. At one point I used different color tapes for different locations:
1st finger was red, 2nd finger was white, and the 3rd finger was blue.

After a year of playing, most students using this system will code the location as 1st finger on the red tape on the A string, but not code the letter name nor musical language. By the time these students reached the 7th grade, many had deficiencies in understanding their fingerboard in terms of a musical alphabet.

After years of using finger tapes I had a breakthrough in the Fall of 2017:

Why don't we just put the letter names on the instrument?

How to make more musical violin students

This way the student has the information needed to move forward in the music. When a student practices on their own they build correct muscle memory for spacing and also musical alphabet memory. This leads to gaining confidence in their playing without their teacher present. The student can code the music alphabet as their primary thinking versus finger tapes that are too abstract and don't provide any musical information.

I ended up creating the Fantastic Finger Guides to solve this problem for my students. I created the D Major Beginner Guide for my first-year students and the All Notes guide for my second-year students. When students are beginning to learn the violin, less is better thus the rationale for a more simplified finger guide.

Learn More About the Fantastic Finger Guides HERE

Receive 10% off the Fantastic Finger Guides thru July 31, 2020 with coupon code MFYV2020.
Click HERE to order the Fantastic Finger Guides.