hey all! i just got a new violin, and i am so ready to learn - i just need a little help marking positions on the neck, as i saw on some websites that some people mark places on the neck with light tape to help them learn - and i learn alot by visuals. any help on how to place the marks on the neck and where?

i plan on buying this to help me learn 2nd and 3rd position correctly. it may mar my violin`s fingerboard but i don`t sacrifice my learning for appearance.


http://www.music123.com/Don-t-Fret-Finger-Position-Markers-for-Violin-and-Viola-i74912.music?t=4

I don`t think it mars the fingerboard at all. Many teachers use masking tape, which must be cut into thinner strips, and it comes off clean, later. I guess the fingers keep it moist. If it`s a little tacky, you clean with guitar polish. Alternately, some put any kind of sticker, like those aluminum foil-type sparkly ones on. It`s the opposite concept of using straight markers as "frets". When you finger the correct note and it`s in pitch, you place the sticker "by ear". Strat man Dwight

Hi!!

I`m Brittany and I`ve played violin for three years and LOVE it! I do have some good advice for you if it is not too late. Placing tape on the neck of your violin can very easily result in sticky residue that is NOT enjoyable at all!! Learning from my sister`s experience with her cello i wouldn`t recommend using tape, but marking a VERY SMALL dot on either side of the neck where your first finger and third finger goes. After you don`t need the markings, you can easily scratch it off with your fingernail without any sticky residue!

marks left by tape is a huge problem of mine till i thought why not use fax paper/or any thin paper insert it on the finger board (you tape on the sides to keep it in place)..and i put my `colored` strips on the paper and not directly on the fingerboard preventing any mars whatsoever...the paper covers the whole fingerboard so i could mark until 10th position..

good luck!

that`s not a bad idea...
i think my some of the neck`s color came off witht he tape when i took it off long ago... i can see a lighter color where the tape used to be in first, second, and third position...

hey thanks all for helpin me out - i think i`m going to just put thin paper underneath the strings on the fingerboard because now i realize that tape`ll have it`s bad effects and such - so thanks everyone!

I don`t know if paper will work, because you need the markings to stay exactly in place. I use a type of craft tape that`s designed for wood and is meant to be removable with no residue. So far it`s working great for my students. I got it at Staples, and there are also dots (sorry I forget what their actual product name is) available at Staples that work well. As for how to put them on, it would be best if you could get another violinist to do it, like a teacher or friend who has played violin for awile.

I use thin pieces of sticky paper (like the sticky stuff on post-its.) and it works fine for me, it does tend to get mucky after a month but then I just peel it off and replace it, and it comes easily off by rubbing it with a damp warm cloth. Hope it works for anyone who`s up for trying that.

Hey, im Mark from the Philippines. Here in this country, very few violin teachers and students exist. So anyways, I advice you not to have marking positions on the violin. Why? It makes you dependent on markings instead of using your own ear. When i first studied violin, i wondered why my teacher never bothered to put markings on my instrument. He just gave me a piece of paper illustrating the basic positions. the first 3 months was HELL. I had to use my own ear, my own skill in determining right notes. Every time i sounded wrong my teacher would say: "INTONATION!!"(and his voice was kinda scary) i sounded wrong 7 out of 9 times in a single session, so he wrote on my music book repeatedly the words:"LISTEN TO YOUR INTONATION". I sometimes gave up on the middle of my session, but my teacher firmly encouraged me to not give up. So, believe it or not, 2 months passed and i perfected intonation, and i can look at a music book while playing without having to look at the fingerboard. I really thank him for not putting tapes on my violin. So, whenever i sound wrong, i rely on my ear for the finger adjustments, not some bunch of tapes. Well, i just shared my opinion, and i hope it helps many of our future violinists.

-Also goes for the 3rd position upwards. you should use your ears.

I think the markings are okay for when you`re just starting and have no idea how far apart to place your fingers, expecially for younger children. If you are encouraged not to rely on the tapes, and if your teacher removes them as soon as you don`t need them, it shouldn`t be a problem. By the time most people become familiar with playing in higher positions they don`t use tapes anymore at all.