Violin Forum/Message Board

[Dr. Strange]

http://www.fretlessfingerguides.com/

or have you used something similar? Do they help or possibly create a bad habit?

[kel]

would it be difficult/troublesome looking at music sheet and finger chart on fingerboard at the same time?
_________________
Newbie Maker Kelvin

[Barry1963]

best to train your ear, teach yourself good habits.

[dinga]

I guess why not.
My daugheter's instructor had color tapes put on her 1/10th violin. I thought about having them for myself, but I've tried to practice without them. Since it is easy to peel off and would not make your fretboard sticky, once you memorize a piece you can watch your left fingers to make sure they are positioning to the right fret positions.
Of course, you don't want to totally rely on it. Once your fingers are get used to all fretborad positions you can take it off.
It is sort of like those fretboard marks or dots in guitars. Almost all steel string guitars have those marks/dots on 5th/7th/9th/12th positions. Some classical guitars do not have any dots, or only one at 7th position, but most beginners would benefit from dots on 5/7/9/12th positions. Many professionals would not rely on those position marks.

I would consider the fretless finger guide similar to dots in guitars. For beginners it may help, but eventually you want to work out without having it.

[Dr. Strange]

[Dr. Strange]

[Dr. Strange]

[caeman]

I gotta say that I like the idea of this as a learning aid. For example, I already know Amazing Grace from playing it on my guitar and harmonica. I know the notes. This finger guide could help someone like me begin to learn the fingerings in a visual way. I am a visual-hands-on learner.

[dinga]

I actually got it today.
It works quite easily. It wraps around the neck and stays there without using any adhesive.
The position marks work pretty good, at least better than my fingering.
The dotted positions are a bit sharp on my violin, so I tried to position right behind each dot.
Hope this position marks would help more rather than hurt, and graduate from it soon.

[Dr. Strange]

Thanks for letting us know Dinga. Please give us an updated review of it after you have used it for a bit.

[Becky]

Dinga pointed out the problem I've encountered with these. They're generally accurate, but slight variances in violins can cause the markings to be sharp or flat different instruments. I've used them a few times with students and found it best to tune the violin, play my first finger, and use that as an indicator of where the first marking should go. The top of the sticker doesn't always line up exactly with the nut when it's in tune. They're generally accurate though.
I liked using them with my students, but now I use stickers as it's cheaper. I like how quick the big "sticker" with all the markings is to put on and how easy it is to take off. I like stickers because most of my students don't need all the notes marked (or I don't want them to have every note marked) and I can mark the ones they need help with while leaving the other ones unmarked to force them to use their ear. I find that stickers or aids such as this are a benefit with beginners as they learn correct finger placement from the start (no guessing) and they also cut down on frustration as the student can visually see where the finger is supposed to go while their muscle memory develops. Stickers should not be used in place of using one's ear. I want my students eyes on their music and not relying on the stickers. I also make sure that we work on developing their ear.

[dinga]

After using over a week, I found that I can live without it.
It stayed on the neck pretty solid for first week, but after that I felt a strange buzz. When I removed it the buzz was gone. I may need to rewrap it tight every week or so.
But overall, it helped my finger position and I can now hear better if each note is correct or not.

[Charisa]

I used a different version from www.violinstickers.com. My teacher positioned the stickers for me, so I knew they were in the right place for the note. Plus-she only let me use the note labeled ones at the beginning-now I can only use the blanks. I know lots of teachers object to the stickers, but I'm still very new to violin and find them helpful.

[mshikibu]

I have yet to find that violin stickers page. Is it still up and working? URL, again??

As far as fingerboard tapes are concerned, it *is* very controversial. When I was a young person first studying the instrument, my teacher did not use them, looked down on people who did, and I adopted that stance. As a teacher, however, I do use them.

I have a section on this in the Violin/Viola FAQ. Please see:

(33) Do you use fingerboard tapes with your students, and if so, what kind of tape?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#33