The four strings and the finger numbers
A violin has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. From the lowest they are G (the G below middle C), D, A and E, and the A string is the one an orchestra tunes to, usually at 440 Hz. In this fingerboard they run from left to right in the same order you see when you look down the neck of a violin held under your chin, and on a phone turned sideways they lie across the screen with the E string on top.
Violinists number the fingers of the left hand from 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger, and 0 means the open string, played with no finger down. In first position the hand sits close to the scroll and each string covers seven semitones above its open note, so the fourth finger reaches the same pitch as the next open string. Each spot on this fingerboard shows the note name and, underneath, the finger that normally plays it.
Violin notes in first position
With the finger pattern most beginners learn first, the notes are: G string G, A, B, C, D; D string D, E, F♯, G, A; A string A, B, C♯, D, E; E string E, F♯, G♯, A, B. The second finger is the one that moves most. Next to the first finger it plays a low second, such as C on the A string, and next to the third finger it plays a high second, such as C♯. That is why both spots appear here, and why the faint lines across the fingerboard mark the places where teachers put beginner tapes: first finger, high second, third and fourth.
Use the names button to switch between letter names such as A4, where the number is the octave, and the Do Re Mi names used in many countries and in solfège classes. The sharp sign ♯ means the note a semitone higher than its natural neighbour, which is how D major gets its F♯ and C♯.
A practice order that works
Start with the open strings in free play to hear how far apart they are, then follow Twinkle, Twinkle in A major, the traditional first piece in many violin methods: it uses only the A and E strings with the first, high second and third fingers. Mary Had a Little Lamb, Ode to Joy and London Bridge are in D major and move the same finger pattern onto the D string. Frère Jacques and Jingle Bells are in G major, which brings in the low second finger on the A string, and the Minuet in G puts all of it together.
For each new song, listen once at a slower speed, then follow along without hurrying. The follow mode waits for you, so the goal is the right spot, not speed. When a song goes through cleanly, try saying the finger numbers aloud as you play; that is the habit that later makes reading real violin music easier.
What a screen cannot teach
A real violin has no frets, so the exact place of each finger is found by ear, and moving a finger a millimetre changes the pitch. The bow arm is half of the instrument: the speed, weight and contact point of the bow make the tone, and none of that can be practised on a touchscreen. Use this page to learn which finger plays which note and how the songs lie on the strings, and leave posture, bowing and intonation to lessons with a teacher or a real instrument.
If you do have a violin, the Tone Generator on this site can play the open-string pitches G3, D4, A4 and E5 to tune against, and the Metronome helps once a song is under your fingers.
The sound comes from real violin recordings: open-string and fingered notes from the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios' Musical Instrument Samples, which are free to use for any project without restrictions. The page plays the nearest recording, tunes it to the exact pitch and holds it for as long as you keep your finger down, adding a gentle vibrato after the note starts, the way a player would. If the recordings can't load, a synthesized tone takes over.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are the violin strings tuned to?
From the lowest string: G3 (about 196 Hz), D4 (293.7 Hz), A4 (440 Hz) and E5 (659.3 Hz). Each string is a perfect fifth above the one before it, and the A string is usually tuned first, to 440 Hz.
What do the finger numbers mean?
0 is the open string. 1 is the index finger, 2 the middle, 3 the ring finger and 4 the little finger of the left hand. The same number can sit in two places, a semitone apart: a low or high first, second or third finger, depending on the key of the piece.
Why are some spots dimmed?
While a song is selected in Follow along or Listen, spots whose notes are not in the song's key are dimmed so the ones you need stand out. They still play if you press them. In Free play every spot is shown at full strength.
Can I play two notes at once?
Yes, on two different strings, which violinists call a double stop. As on a real violin, each string plays one note at a time: pressing a second spot on the same string replaces the first, and sliding along a string glides the pitch.
Can I learn the violin with this?
You can learn where the notes are, the finger numbers and how simple songs move across the strings, which is the part beginners often find confusing. You cannot learn intonation, bowing or posture on a screen, so treat it as a companion to lessons or a real instrument, not a replacement.
Does it work on a phone or with a keyboard?
Yes. Held upright, the strings run down the screen like a real fingerboard, and turned sideways they lie across it so every spot stays large enough to tap. On a computer each keyboard row is one string: Z to comma for G, A to K for D, Q to I for A and 1 to 8 for E, starting with the open string.
Is this a real violin sound?
Yes. Each note is played from real violin recordings by the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios (Musical Instrument Samples, free to use without restrictions), tuned to the exact pitch and held while you press. Only if the recordings fail to load does the page fall back to a synthesized tone.