Whole Steps on Violin — Understanding Finger Spacing
In violin playing, the distance between notes isn’t marked by frets or keys. Instead, your fingers create the spacing. One of the most important concepts to understand early on is the whole step, which represents a larger gap between two notes.
In this lesson from Violin Theory Simplified, violinist Dayna Bee demonstrates how whole steps work on the violin fingerboard and how they compare to the piano keyboard. You can follow more of her work here: Dayna Bee on Instagram.
What Is a Whole Step?
A whole step equals two half steps. On the piano, this usually means moving from one white key to the next with a black key in between. The only exceptions are B to C and E to F, which are naturally half steps because there’s no black key between them.
On the violin, these distances are created through finger placement. A whole step feels like a slightly wider space between two fingers compared to a half step.
Whole Steps from an Open String
When starting from an open string, placing your first finger on the next natural note often creates a whole step. For example, moving from an open E string to F# forms a whole-step distance.
Whole Steps Between Strings
A whole step doesn’t always happen on one string. You can also move between strings and create the same interval. Whether you shift along one string or cross to another, the sound distance stays the same — only the finger placement changes.
Watch the Lesson
This short tutorial, taught by Dayna Bee, walks through whole steps visually so you can clearly see how finger spacing changes on the violin.
If you’re learning from the Violin Theory Simplified book, this video expands on the QR code lesson and helps reinforce how intervals feel under your fingers.