Hi All,

Just wondering if any of you have encountered problems on finger placement of the 2nd finger on the A and E strings, e.g when you do the G major 2nd octave ? I feel awkward in placing the 2nd finger because the tendency is to bend my left wrist. On the other hand, if I keep it straight, I find it difficult to use the 3rd finger, and I feel like grasping the neck of the violin.

And talking about the 3rd finger...how can one solve that the 3rd finger (D on the A string) be in tune ? Mine always ends up as being flat. Even if i keep practicing the 4 fingers.

Is there a technique to improve on these ?

It's so frustrating that everytime you practice, you always end up out of tune... don't you agree ?

Did you ever play with little stickers in the relevant places on the fingerboard? I found that helpful when learning finger placement at first.

Hi !

No I haven't. My teacher didn't even suggest that to me.

Yeah, i had little orange strips n stars! they were really quite helpful.

yes i used to have stickers all different colours!could do with them now actually!!

Stickers - no, not if you can help it. You've got to train your ear, which is the only way to play a violin in tune.

If you're playing out of tune, it's either because you're not really listening to yourself, or because you're not totally sure how it's supposed to sound.

If you're sure you've got a good ear, then make sure you listen to yourself intently whenever you play, and correct yourself the moment you feel you're even slightly out of tune.

If you're not sure about your aural abilities, then have you got a keyboard or an (in tune) piano in your house? If so, play the same notes on the piano, and listen very hard to how they sound. Then try to reproduce the exact same sound on your violin.

Stickers won't really help train your ear because as soon as you remove them, you'll run the risk of being all at sea again, and it's not about finger positions really, it's about listening and sound. Your ear shoudl be guiding you, not little stickers.

Practise singing the notes too. If you can't sing them in tune, you'll most definitely have trouble playing them in tune, because this means you;re not totally sure how the notes are supposed to sound.

The other thing you could do is go to some Kodaly lessons, if you can find a teacher in your area.

Good luck!

Violinia

QUOTE

Stickers - no, not if you can help it. You've got to train your ear, which is the only way to play a violin in tune.

I think this is exactly the reason why I was never made to use stickers.

Can you give me any references regarding Kodaly ? Which books do you recommend? ARe there websites where i can search for lessons being offered?

I feel hopeless. I really find it difficult, esp. when you have to play the 1st and 2nd fingers one after the other. my left arm gets tensed.

i read from a book that one should practice to play some notes so that your left thumb does not touch the violin.... very difficult to do..

Hi this problem was solved by a client of mine - he has developed a product that he sells on his website www.fingerplacements.co.uk I am not trying to push this product for him but it does seem to be the answer to the problem. Click here to go to his website

Seems to me that's only ever going to be a short term cure - you need to know by feel and sound where your fingers need to go - markings of any kind will not help you learn when you're out of tune, and will only teach you to rely on them. You need to be able to rely on your ears...

Here's a hint - when you put your third finger down in the correct place for G on the D string, G on the D string and A on the E string, the note will resonate particularly sonorously. This is because the note is resonating with its open-string counterpart. Try moving your finger around very slightly around that point till you find the exact spot.

You also need to be able to train your ear to hear the sound of a perfect fourth. Try singing "away in a manger". The interval between the two syllables of 'away' make a perfect fourth.

Please don't settle for any method that uses stickers or markers - you'll only be lost without them!

Also try finding that resonant spot/away in a manger interval with your eyes closed. No looking! You want your ear to be the guide.

To play first and second finger on the A and E strings open your hand out just a little - there's nothing wrong in this (so that your palm is facing you rather than the neck) - you may find this more comfortable.

Violinia

The solution to finger placement - a customer of mine has solved the problem with his inexpensive invention. All the details are on his website www.fingerplacements.co.uk Click here to visit his finger plavement website

I've just had a look at this site and am frankly appalled. For a start every violin is slightly different even within the same size of violin, so how can this work? Aaarghh!!!

This has only come into being because violin teachers are looking for short cuts and frankly can't be bothered to teach their pupils to LISTEN. This makes me so cross!!! Wonkey Monkey will you please stop pushing this horrific thing. The violin is an unfretted instrument and should be treated as one. Anything that makes the pupil look down the neck of the violin at where their fingers are will cause bad posture and a poor approach to the instrument. If they really can't learn by ear how the notes should sound then perhaps they're playing the wrong instrument. Not for nothing did my old teacher simply turn away potential students she felt couldn't hear the intervals.

I differ from her in that I think pupils can be taught good intonation but it does take time and patience - but is very much worth it in the end. This thing will cause a deeply incorrect approach from the very start - and a very difficult habit to break.

Violinia

Ahhh! I love the sound my violin and especially my viola makes when I hit that perfect 3rd finger mark! (how often I hit it accurately first time is another matter )

I agree with Violinia, those fingerplacement films are not a solution, they're a short term short cut and will not help in the long term.

Violinia has said it all.

Search the "British Kodaly Academy" website. Books won't help much, I suspect, try lessons with a properly qualified and trained Kodaly teacher.

Tootsie, do you have a piano at home? Even if you don't know how to play the piano, Violinia's advice is excellent and will work! She said - ... play the same notes on the piano, and listen very hard to how they sound. Then try to reproduce the exact same sound on your violin...

Honestly, Tootsie, you don't need to have perfect ears to get your scales / intonation correct. Try it!

Thank you all for your help.

Violinia, your advice regarding the first 2 notes of away in a manger is helping me a lot (especially when i tune my violin) now. thanks a lot !

THe next question i got is that i wish to record myself when i practice. WHich gadget is the best one that i can use which has a very good sound quality. ?

I was told that midi recorders are better than the MP3 players with voice recorder. Can anyone recommend something ?

Thanks all !

tootsie