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.

Activity

Another way I use to help kids review and understand is through fingerboard maps. This worksheet can be done away from the violin. This is used after we have been playing the A scale. I have them fill in the letters. Studies have shown that the physical act of writing helps the brain retain the information. So, here is yet another way to make sure those letter names are sinking in.

Download here

Creativity

I had each students fill out the fingerboard chart in group class yesterday, and then I had them write 7 letters from the A scale in a line at the bottom of their page. Then they played those letters. Just a variation to help them understand where those pitches are on the fingerboard. Most of their melodies were very atonal but because it was their choices for what notes to use, there were big smiles as they each played them for each other. You could make this an even larger activity if they were to play this piece at home and come up with a title.