Violin Position Chart

Download this chart (SVG) Violin Position Chart, printable and free to use.

Violin positions describe where the left hand sits on the fingerboard. In 1st position, the standard starting point, the index finger (finger 1) lands on A3 on the G string, and the hand spans four semitones per string. Shifting to a higher position moves the entire hand up the neck, giving access to higher notes without requiring a longer instrument. The open strings are G3 (String IV), D4 (String III), A4 (String II), and E5 (String I) across all positions. In 1st position, the standard major-key fingering on the G string follows a whole-half-whole pattern: A3 (1), B3 (2), C4 (3), D4 (4). Each subsequent position shifts the index finger up by one half or whole step, expanding the playable range into the upper register. Mastering positions 1 through 7 gives access to the full concert range of the violin. Source: Ivan Galamian, Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching.

Open String Notes

String	Note
String IV (G)	G3
String III (D)	D4
String II (A)	A4
String I (E)	E5

1st Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	A3
String IV	2	B3
String IV	3	C4
String IV	4	D4
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	E4
String III	2	F#4
String III	3	G4
String III	4	A4
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	B4
String II	2	C#5
String II	3	D5
String II	4	E5
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	F#5
String I	2	G#5
String I	3	A5
String I	4	B5

2nd Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	A#3 / Bb3
String IV	2	C4
String IV	3	D4
String IV	4	E4
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	F4
String III	2	G4
String III	3	A4
String III	4	B4
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	C5
String II	2	D5
String II	3	E5
String II	4	F#5
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	G5
String I	2	A5
String I	3	B5
String I	4	C#6

3rd Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	C4
String IV	2	D4
String IV	3	E4
String IV	4	F4
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	G4
String III	2	A4
String III	3	B4
String III	4	C5
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	D5
String II	2	E5
String II	3	F#5
String II	4	G5
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	A5
String I	2	B5
String I	3	C#6
String I	4	D6

4th Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	D4
String IV	2	E4
String IV	3	F#4
String IV	4	G4
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	A4
String III	2	B4
String III	3	C5
String III	4	D5
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	E5
String II	2	F#5
String II	3	G5
String II	4	A5
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	B5
String I	2	C#6
String I	3	D6
String I	4	E6

5th Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	E4
String IV	2	F#4
String IV	3	G4
String IV	4	A4
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	B4
String III	2	C5
String III	3	D5
String III	4	E5
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	F#5
String II	2	G5
String II	3	A5
String II	4	B5
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	C#6
String I	2	D6
String I	3	E6
String I	4	F#6

6th Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	F4
String IV	2	G4
String IV	3	A4
String IV	4	B4
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	C5
String III	2	D5
String III	3	E5
String III	4	F#5
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	G5
String II	2	A5
String II	3	B5
String II	4	C#6
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	D6
String I	2	E6
String I	3	F#6
String I	4	G6

7th Position

String	Finger	Note
String IV	Open	G3 (open)
String IV	1	G4
String IV	2	A4
String IV	3	B4
String IV	4	C5
String III	Open	D4 (open)
String III	1	D5
String III	2	E5
String III	3	F#5
String III	4	G5
String II	Open	A4 (open)
String II	1	A5
String II	2	B5
String II	3	C#6
String II	4	D6
String I	Open	E5 (open)
String I	1	E6
String I	2	F#6
String I	3	G6
String I	4	A6

Sources: Ivan Galamian, Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching

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