How do you read a violin finger chart?

The left column gives the offset and the common finger label for that row: 1 is the index finger, 2 the middle, 3 the ring and 4 the little finger. A label with low in it is the lower of two spots a finger can take, a semitone nearer the nut, and high3/low4 is the one note either finger can play.

What notes are in first position on the violin?

On this chart, each string's open note and the seven semitones above it: G3 to D4 on the G string, D4 to A4 on the D string, A4 to E5 on the A string and E5 to B5 on the E string. That is 32 spots covering G3 to B5. The last spot on each of the lower three strings, the fourth finger, sounds the same note as the next string open, so three pitches appear twice.

What is the difference between low 2 and 2 on a violin?

They are the two places the second finger sits in first position, a semitone apart. On this chart low2 is offset 3 and 2 is offset 4, the spot many method books call high 2. On the A string that is C5 for low2 and C#5 for 2. Which one a piece needs depends on its key: in D major the second finger on the A string plays C#, in A natural minor it plays C. Pick a scale and the chart lights the notes that belong to it.

What frequency is each violin string tuned to?

At A = 440 Hz in equal temperament, G3 is 195.998 Hz, D4 is 293.665 Hz, A4 is 440 Hz and E5 is 659.255 Hz. Set a reference from 430 to 450 Hz to recalculate every frequency: at 430 the open G is 191.543 Hz, at 450 it is 200.452 Hz. Tap an open string to hear its reference tone. The chart does not listen to your instrument or measure its tuning.

Why is the same note shown in two places?

Because a violin can play it in two places. The fourth finger on the G string, offset 7, is D4, the same pitch as the open D string: both are MIDI 62, 293.665 Hz at A = 440. The same is true of the fourth finger on D and open A, and of the fourth finger on A and open E. Select one and the note details name the other spot.

Can I use this chart to place finger tapes?

No. The rows are evenly spaced, so the drawing shows the order of the notes and which finger usually plays each one, not where a finger lands on a real string, and the tool gives no measurements. It is a schematic of first position in standard tuning.

Why does a note read D# on one setting and Eb on another?

D# and Eb are two names for the same pitch, and the Sharps and Flats switch picks which name the whole chart uses. Switching changes only the names: the MIDI number, the frequency and the spot on the chart stay the same, and for a sharp or flat note the details show its other name too. The switch applies to every note rather than following the key signature, so D major with Flats on reads Gb and Db. Use the spelling your music is written in.

How does the reference tone work?

It is a short triangle-wave tone made in your browser by Web Audio at the frequency shown, and nothing is downloaded. Sound starts only when you tap a note, press Enter or Space on one, or press Play or Play scale, and Stop, hiding the tab or leaving the page silences it. Turn Sound on tap off to explore the chart quietly: tapping then only selects, while Play, Play scale and Enter or Space on a note still sound. A browser without Web Audio shows a message instead, and the chart, the MIDI numbers and the frequencies keep working.

Can I print a free violin finger chart or download a PDF?

The chart is free to use without an account. Print opens the browser print dialog with a white chart showing the tuning, reference A, scale, spelling and selected note. Saving a PDF depends on the options in that dialog; there is no direct PDF download. The .svg button downloads a scalable image file, such as violin-finger-chart-d-major.svg. Copy puts the selected note details on the clipboard as one line of text.

Can beginners use this printable chart for a 4/4 violin?

Yes. The note names and common finger numbers apply to a full-size 4/4 violin in standard G D A E tuning. The printed chart is a first-position reference sheet, not a life-size finger-tape pattern.

How do I view major, minor or chromatic finger patterns?

Choose a tonic in the scale menu, then Major or Natural minor. For example, choose Bb with Flats selected to highlight Bb major. None removes the scale highlight so you can read every chromatic semitone position. The chart covers first position only; it does not include harmonic or melodic minor scales, higher-position fingering or sheet music.

Violin Finger Chart

Explore 32 first-position note spots in standard G D A E tuning. Select a note to see its name, common finger label and frequency, or hear a reference tone. Highlight a major or natural minor scale, switch between sharps and flats, and print the chart or save it as an SVG file.

fingerboardfirst position, A 440, sharps

spelling

scale

selectedA string, offset 4

note: C#5, Db5 with flats
MIDI: 73
frequency: 554.365 Hz at A = 440
finger: 2
scale: degree 7 of D major
D E F# G A B C#, 20 of 32 spots lit

pick

A4 (Hz)430 to 450

Note

C#5, MIDI 73

Frequency

554.365 Hz

Finger

Scale

D major, 20 of 32

Open strings at A = 440G, D, A, E at offset 0
MIDI 55, 62, 69, 76; open A is 440 Hz
A string, offset 6sharps, then flats
MIDI 75, D#5 or Eb5, 622.253967 Hz, high3/low4; the frequency and the note on the chart stay the same
G string offset 7 and open DA = 440
both MIDI 62, D4, 293.664768 Hz

Tap a note to select it and hear it. On the chart, the arrow keys move across the strings and along them, and Enter or Space plays the selected note. Names follow the Sharps or Flats switch, not the key signature.

Every first-position note

Names in sharps. Bold with * marks a note in D major.
Offset	Finger	G string	D string	A string	E string
0	open	G3 *	D4 *	A4 *	E5 *
1	low1	G#3	D#4	A#4	F5
2	1	A3 *	E4 *	B4 *	F#5 *
3	low2	A#3	F4	C5	G5 *
4	2	B3 *	F#4 *	C#5 *	G#5
5	3	C4	G4 *	D5 *	A5 *
6	high3/low4	C#4 *	G#4	D#5	A#5
7	4	D4 *	A4 *	E5 *	B5 *

How to read the chart. The four vertical lines are the strings, G on the left and E on the right, and the heavy line is the nut. The row above the nut is the open string, and each row below it is one semitone higher, down to offset 7. On the G, D and A strings, offset 7 is the same pitch as the next string open. The left column gives the offset and the common finger label for that row. The rows are evenly spaced, so the drawing shows order, not where a finger lands on a real string.

Pitches are equal-tempered values from the reference A you set, 430 to 450 Hz, so open A matches the reference exactly and every other note follows from its MIDI number. Finger labels follow one common first-position convention: open, low1, 1, low2, 2, 3, high3/low4, 4 for offsets 0 to 7, and the finger a passage calls for still depends on the notes around it. The chart is a schematic of standard G D A E tuning in first position only, not a tape-spacing template, and it does not listen to your playing.

Common questions

How do you read a violin finger chart?: The left column gives the offset and the common finger label for that row: 1 is the index finger, 2 the middle, 3 the ring and 4 the little finger. A label with low in it is the lower of two spots a finger can take, a semitone nearer the nut, and high3/low4 is the one note either finger can play.
What notes are in first position on the violin?: On this chart, each string's open note and the seven semitones above it: G3 to D4 on the G string, D4 to A4 on the D string, A4 to E5 on the A string and E5 to B5 on the E string. That is 32 spots covering G3 to B5. The last spot on each of the lower three strings, the fourth finger, sounds the same note as the next string open, so three pitches appear twice.
What is the difference between low 2 and 2 on a violin?: They are the two places the second finger sits in first position, a semitone apart. On this chart low2 is offset 3 and 2 is offset 4, the spot many method books call high 2. On the A string that is C5 for low2 and C#5 for 2. Which one a piece needs depends on its key: in D major the second finger on the A string plays C#, in A natural minor it plays C. Pick a scale and the chart lights the notes that belong to it.
What frequency is each violin string tuned to?: At A = 440 Hz in equal temperament, G3 is 195.998 Hz, D4 is 293.665 Hz, A4 is 440 Hz and E5 is 659.255 Hz. Set a reference from 430 to 450 Hz to recalculate every frequency: at 430 the open G is 191.543 Hz, at 450 it is 200.452 Hz. Tap an open string to hear its reference tone. The chart does not listen to your instrument or measure its tuning.
Why is the same note shown in two places?: Because a violin can play it in two places. The fourth finger on the G string, offset 7, is D4, the same pitch as the open D string: both are MIDI 62, 293.665 Hz at A = 440. The same is true of the fourth finger on D and open A, and of the fourth finger on A and open E. Select one and the note details name the other spot.
Can I use this chart to place finger tapes?: No. The rows are evenly spaced, so the drawing shows the order of the notes and which finger usually plays each one, not where a finger lands on a real string, and the tool gives no measurements. It is a schematic of first position in standard tuning.
Why does a note read D# on one setting and Eb on another?: D# and Eb are two names for the same pitch, and the Sharps and Flats switch picks which name the whole chart uses. Switching changes only the names: the MIDI number, the frequency and the spot on the chart stay the same, and for a sharp or flat note the details show its other name too. The switch applies to every note rather than following the key signature, so D major with Flats on reads Gb and Db. Use the spelling your music is written in.
How does the reference tone work?: It is a short triangle-wave tone made in your browser by Web Audio at the frequency shown, and nothing is downloaded. Sound starts only when you tap a note, press Enter or Space on one, or press Play or Play scale, and Stop, hiding the tab or leaving the page silences it. Turn Sound on tap off to explore the chart quietly: tapping then only selects, while Play, Play scale and Enter or Space on a note still sound. A browser without Web Audio shows a message instead, and the chart, the MIDI numbers and the frequencies keep working.
Can I print a free violin finger chart or download a PDF?: The chart is free to use without an account. Print opens the browser print dialog with a white chart showing the tuning, reference A, scale, spelling and selected note. Saving a PDF depends on the options in that dialog; there is no direct PDF download. The .svg button downloads a scalable image file, such as violin-finger-chart-d-major.svg. Copy puts the selected note details on the clipboard as one line of text.
Can beginners use this printable chart for a 4/4 violin?: Yes. The note names and common finger numbers apply to a full-size 4/4 violin in standard G D A E tuning. The printed chart is a first-position reference sheet, not a life-size finger-tape pattern.
How do I view major, minor or chromatic finger patterns?: Choose a tonic in the scale menu, then Major or Natural minor. For example, choose Bb with Flats selected to highlight Bb major. None removes the scale highlight so you can read every chromatic semitone position. The chart covers first position only; it does not include harmonic or melodic minor scales, higher-position fingering or sheet music.