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How to Read Music for the Violin

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff | Reader-Approved | 25 References
Updated: September 6, 2019

The violin is a great instrument because it allows you to start making music right away.
Explore this Article
However, learning to read music, while challenging at times, is where things really start
to get fun. Reading music allows you to play your favorite songs and experiment with Learning the Basics
Reading Bow Movements
style, all while improving your musical ability.
Reading Dynamics and Style Markings
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Article Summary
Related Articles

Method
Learning the Basics
1

1 Identify the staff and clef. The staff is the set of 5 parallel lines on the page where notes are marked. The
clef is the very first marking on the staff, at the left-hand side of the first staff line.[1] This signifies the
musical register in which you play.
Violins only play in treble clef. This is the marking that resembles an &.

2 Learn the notes. Each note is a round circle on a line or in a space on the staff. The notes in the spaces,
from bottom to top, are F, A, C and E. The notes on the lines, from bottom to top, are E, G, B, D, and F.[2]
Notes below or above the staff are marked with a round circle and a horizontal line going through the
middle of the note.
If there are flats (b) or sharps (#), these may be marked next to a note. They may also be marked next
to the treble clef. For example, if a sharp is placed on the F line, this means that every F played in a
given musical piece will be played as an F#.

3 Learn which notes correspond with open strings. An open string means that it is not pressed with a
finger when it's played. There are four open string notes on a violin: G, D, A and E. These strings are in
order from thickest to thinnest string, or left to right when holding the violin in playing position.[3]
On sheet music, these notes are often marked with a 0.

4 Match numbers to each of your fingers. In order to play more notes than just G, D, A and E, you will
need to press strings with your fingers. The fingers on your left hand are numbered 1 to 4. Your index
finger is 1, your middle finger is 2, your ring finger is 3 and your pinky finger is 4.
When a note is displayed on beginning violin sheet music, it will be accompanied by a number, 0 to 4.
The 0 is an open note, while the other numbers correspond to a particular finger that will press a
string.[4]

5 Learn the fingerings for the strings. The notes on each string will ascend in tone as you place another
finger down on the string.
Start by drawing your bow across the D string without pressing it down. This will play a D note.
Place your index finger on the D string and play. You are now playing the next note up on the D scale, or
C#.
Play the next three notes on the D scale by placing your middle, then ring, then pinky fingers on the
string.[5]

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After you have placed your pinky finger on the D string and you have played that note, move to the next
string (the A string) to play the next note in this scale. Start by playing the A string open (no finger
pressing the string). Subsequent notes will be played by pressing first your index finger, then your
middle finger, and so on.
While you practice pressing your fingers on the string in order, memorize the fingers that match the
notes in the music. So, for example, when you see a D, you know that will be the open D string. When
you see an F#, you'll know to press your middle finger on the D string.

6 Move your hand up or down the violin's neck when Roman numerals are noted on the music. When
playing the violin, one of your hands will wrap around the neck in order to press the strings with your
fingers. The strings can be played closer to the pegbox, usually called 1st position, or closer to the bridge (3rd,
4th or even 5th position). These positions are noted on violin music with Roman numerals underneath a note.[6]
Move your hand down the fingerboard of the violin to correspond with the numbered position. 1st position, or I,
means that your hand will play closer to the pegbox of the violin neck.[7]
These positions may also be marked as “1st position” or “3rd position,” instead of using Roman
numerals.
Most beginner violin music is written for 1st position.[8]

7 Play two stacked notes as double stops. Double stops are when you play two notes together. On the
violin, you'll play two strings at the same time.[9] Double stops are represented on the musical staff with two
notes stacked on top of each other at the note position to which they correspond.
The notes may not be stacked directly on top of each other. Rather, there is likely a space between
each, but one is above the other note.
Advanced violin music might have triple or even quadruple stops, meaning you play three or four notes
together at the same time.

Method
Reading Bow Movements
2

1 Play the bow in an upward direction for a V notation. There are a number of symbols that indicate how
to play with the violin's bow. A V shaped marking under the note indicates bow movement in an upward
direction.[10]

2 Play the bow with a downward motion for a table-like notation. A shape that resembles a table
(rectangle with two legs coming out of the bottom) is the notation for playing the bow in a downward
motion.

3 Play an angle bracket symbol by accenting the note. There may be an accent, depicted by an angle
bracket symbol (>), above or below the note. This means that you should play the note strongly.[11]

4 Play a bow lift notation. A symbol shaped like a thickly drawn comma indicates a bow lift. When you see
this symbol above a note, lift your bow and bring it back to the starting point.[12]

5 Look at initials to see which part of the bow to use. Sometimes, violin music will include initials, which
directs the player on which part of the bow to use on a particular note or segment of music.[13] The
following are the typical initials used to determine which part of the bow to use:
WB: Whole bow
LH: Lower half of the bow
UH: Upper half of the bow
MB: Middle of the bow

6 Decipher other bow notations. There are numerous other bow notations, particularly as you read more
advanced violin music or music from an earlier era.[14] These notations indicate advanced techniques to
achieve certain sounds, such as:
Col legno: This means “with the wood.” Use the bow's stick, rather than the hair, to play the strings.

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This can be damaging to the wood of the bow, so many musicians use alternate bows for these musical
segments.
Sul ponticello: Position the bow at the bridge of the violin (at the body of the violin) to achieve a
whispery tone.
Au talon: This refers to a section of music that should be played with the bow at the nut of the violin (the
area between the fingerboard and the pegbox).
Martelé: This term means “hammered,” and indicates that you put pressure on the string with the bow
and then draw the bow across the string with force. Release the bow pressure almost immediately from
the string.[15]

Method
Reading Dynamics and Style Markings
3

1 Play “Vibr” as vibrato. Vibrato is an effect that warbles a note while you play. Vibrato is achieved by
bending and unbending your finger as you play on a string.[16] This dynamic is usually marked as “Vibr”
underneath the notes that should be played as vibrato.[17]

2 Play “pizz” as pizzicato. Pizzicato is a technique, usually noted as "pizz" or sometimes spelled out in its
entirety, that indicates you should play a note by plucking the violin string with your finger.
If there is no obvious “pizz” or “pizzicato” designated, then assume the musical piece should be played
as “arco,” or using the bow to play the notes.[18]

3 Play a Bartok pizzicato. Pizzicato may also be designated with the Bartok pizzicato symbol, also known
as a “snap pizzicato.” This symbol, a circle with a vertical line through the top, will appear above the note to
be plucked. This type of pizzicato is given an extra snap by pinching the string with two fingers and snapping it
back into the finger board.[19]

4 Play a tremolo. A tremolo is a style of playing very quick, rapid sounds as the bow draws back and forth
across the string. The tremolo is noted with thick, short diagonal lines drawn through the note or the stem
of the note.[20] They can be either measured or unmeasured.
One diagonal line means 1/8 note tremolo (measured).
Two diagonal lines mean 1/16 note tremolo (measured).
Three diagonal lines mean an unmeasured tremolo.

5 Understand style markings. Style markings give you an indication of the mood with which to play music.
These are typically noted in Italian.[21] Some of the more common words you'll see are:
Con: With
Poco a poco: Little by little
Meno mosso: Less movement
Dolce: Sweetly
Allegro: Quick and lively

6 Pay attention to dynamics. Dynamics in sheet music indicate how loud or quiet you should play. These
are typically indicated below the staff and will change as you progress through the music. Written in Italian,
these range from very quiet (pianissimo) to mezzo (medium) to fortissimo (very loud).[22]
Dynamics usually show up as lower-case letters, such as p (piano), mf (mezzo forte), ff (fortissimo) and
so on.
Crescendos and diminuendos are also used, which indicate that your playing should get louder or
quieter gradually. They are typically indicated by a long, thin carrot or accent mark.

Method
Reading Violin Tablature
4

1 Understand what tablature tells you. Tablature, or “tab,” is a shorthand way of describing where and
when to place a finger on a string to play a note. This format often does not tell you note duration, however.

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A tab has 4 lines, each representing one of the strings on the violin.[23]
The lines are designated, from the bottom to the top, as G, D, A, and E.

2 Mark the frets on your violin. A tab will tell you which finger to place where on a given note, and if you
have the placements marked already, it will be easier to read a tab. These markings can be made with tape
or a dab of paint or white-out directly on the fingerboard of the violin. Measure these placements from the nut, or
the connector between the fingerboard and the pegbox and tuning pegs.[24]
1st fret: 1 and 7/16 inches from the nut
2nd fret: 2 and 21/32 inches from the nut
3rd fret: 3 and ¼ inches from the nut
4th fret: 4 and ¼ inches from the nut

3 Match each left-hand finger to the frets. Each of your fingers (minus your thumb) on your left-hand will
have a number that corresponds to a fret. The index finger is 1, middle finger is 2, ring finger is 3, and
pinky finger is 4. A 0 denotes an open string (no finger pressing the string).

4 Read the notes on the tab. Each note will be marked with a number on a particular string line in the tab.
For example, if there is a 0 on the top line of the tab, this means you will play the E string as open (no
finger pressing the string). If there is a 1 on the top line of the tab, you will press the first fret with your index
finger on the E string. If there is a 3 on the third line up on the tab, you will press the third fret with your ring
finger on the A string.[25]

5 Download violin tablatures to practice. There is a wide variety of songs written in tablature for the violin
that are available online. Type “violin tablature music” into a search engine to locate songs of varying
difficulty.

Community Q&A

Question

Have do I learn notes on spaces?

Community Answer

The spaces are from bottom to top, F-A-C-E. The lines are from bottom to top, E-G-B-D-F. You can remember these
with the pneumonic device "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge." Remember, this is only for treble clef. Bass clef is
different.

Question

What's it called when you run your finger up and down the strings while you play?

Community Answer

If think you are referring to a "glissando."

Question

Does a third position exist?

Technist

Community Answer

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Yep! The index finger (pointer/second finger) moves up two notes along the fingerboard. So if you are playing on the
A string and want to use third position, then your index finger will be on the C or C# note, depending on the key
signature of what you're playing. Third position generally has a "sweeter" sound due to the higher pitch on each
string. If you're trying to reach the D note (two octaves above the D on the D string), then third position is the way to
go.

Question

What does it mean when there are notes on all five lines, as a violin only has four strings and when notes go
above and below the top and bottom lines, how do I know where to put my fingers?

Community Answer

The lines on the staff only indicate the note name, not where you put your fingers, so for example, if you need to
play a C, then you'll play whatever the fingering is for C. And if you need to play the higher C, (above the staff) you'll
go closer the the bow area. Search up violin fingerings, then you can find fingerings and their higher octaves.

Question

Where can I find violin sheets for specific songs?

Community Answer

Try using Sheet.host. It is a website with a variety of sheet music, but you will simply have to search the song with
sheet host in your search engine, because the website itself does not have a search feature.

Question

How do I know how long to hold a note for?

Community Answer

You hold a note for the number of beats it has written on it. For example, an oval O note on the staff would mean you
hold it for four beats. The specific time for this varies depending on how fast the music is, or rather how fast the
tempo is. At the top of almost all sheets of music, it should state how fast the music is, saying a beat is 60 beats per
minute (in which you hold a one beat note for a second), three beats are 50 beats per minute, etc. I would
recommend using a metronome if you still do not have an idea of how fast the piece is. There should also be a word
describing the piece, like "allegro" (fast) or "andante" (quite slow).

Question

For the first position, there are G A B C D, whereas on the D string there are D E F G A. What if I'm required to
play D? Should I play on the G-string or on the D-string?

Community Answer

You can play whichever one that you want, depending on the notes before and after and the dynamics.

Question

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Is violin harder than guitar?

Community Answer

Not necessarily, it is just different. On the guitar you would mostly learn chords, whereas on the violin you don't, you
mostly focus on separate notes. You also have to learn the bow movements.

Question

How do I know what string to play for specific notes?

Community Answer

You will learn this as you take lessons and learn to play.

Question

What does it mean when a note is squished on top of one another when reading music for a violin?

Community Answer

It's called a double stop. It means you play both notes at once. It doesn't have to be two notes either. It can be a four
note chord.

References

1. http://www.violinonline.com/notereading.htm
2. http://www.violinonline.com/notereading.htm
3. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/open-strings-read-sheet-music/#.VMmvOC7UKug
4. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/fingerings-read-sheet-music/#.VMmv-C7UKug
5. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/fingerings-read-sheet-music/#.VMpyzi7UKug
6. http://takelessons.com/blog/violin-sheet-music
7. http://www.violinonline.com/shifting.htm
8. http://www.violinonline.com/shifting.htm
9. http://fiddlerman.com/tutorials/advanced-tutorials/double-stops-on-the-violin/
10. http://www.violinonline.com/bowingeffects.htm
11. http://www.violinonline.com/bowingeffects.htm
12. http://www.violinonline.com/glossary.htm
13. http://www.violinonline.com/glossary.htm
14. http://www.violinonline.com/bowingeffects.htm
15. http://www.violinmasterclass.com/en/masterclasses/right-hand/martele
16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoXZfvf5Teg
17. http://takelessons.com/blog/violin-sheet-music
18. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/pizzicato/#.VMmvuy7UKug
19. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/pizzicato/#.VMm6uS7UKug
20. http://www.violinonline.com/bowingeffects.htm

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21. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/style-markings-read-sheet-music/#.VMmyVi7UKug
22. http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/dynamics-read-sheet-music/#.VMmyby7UKug
23. http://takelessons.com/blog/violin-tabs
24. http://takelessons.com/blog/violin-tabs
25. http://takelessons.com/blog/violin-tabs

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