The Violin Fingerboard — Understanding First Position
Before learning scales on the violin, it’s important to understand how finger placement works. Unlike fretted instruments like guitar or bass, the violin has a smooth fingerboard with no fixed markers. This means intonation — playing in tune — depends entirely on where you place your fingers.
In this lesson from Violin Theory Simplified, violinist Dayna Bee explains how first position works and how small adjustments in finger placement change pitch. You can follow more of her work here: Dayna Bee on Instagram.
Low and High Finger Placement
On each string, your finger can sit slightly lower or higher within the same hand position. A Low finger sits closer to the nut, creating a slightly lower pitch. A High finger sits closer to the bridge, raising the pitch.
These small adjustments allow you to play sharps and flats without moving your entire hand to a new position.
What Is First Position?
First position is the main hand placement used by beginners and forms the foundation for many scales, melodies, and songs. Your first finger typically plays a note a whole step — or sometimes a half step — above the open string, while the other fingers follow naturally from that spacing.
Your hand stays in one stable spot, and only the spacing between fingers changes to create Low or High positions.
Watch the Lesson
This short tutorial, taught by Dayna Bee, walks through first position step by step so you can understand how finger placement organizes notes across the violin fingerboard.
If you’re learning from the Violin Theory Simplified book, this video expands on the QR code lesson and helps you connect the diagram to real playing.