Fingerboard Scales for Beginners

Help your students visualize their fingerboard and know where notes are on their instruments. Here are worksheet fingerboard scales for beginners. Teaching and reviewing where the notes are on the fingerboard is something we do in every lesson. Mary Kay Neal taught in the Suzuki Book 3 teacher training class to have our students say the letters out loud while they are learning to read notes on the staff. As I have incorporated that in my teaching I am discovering how helpful it is to say the letters out loud from the very beginning.

Saying it out loud forces the student to associate a letter with the placement of the finger on the string. Rather than A2 or E1, from the very beginning they are thinking C# or F#. Many of my students want to leave saying sharp and just say, C or G or F. This can lead to confusion down the road when we actually learn where C, G and F are on the fingerboard. While teachers realize this, it’s helpful for their practice partners to understand why this is important.