How accidentals affect finger positions on bowed strings

Two common accidentals change the pitch of notes: the sharp and the flat.

The sharp sign (♯)

It raises the note by a semitone, moving it away from the lower neighbouring pitch and towards the higher one.

The flat sign (♭)

It lowers the note by a semitone, moving it towards the lower neighbouring pitch and away from the higher one.

The intervals between the natural notes are as follows.

C–D: whole tone

D–E: whole tone

E–F: semitone

F–G: whole tone

G–A: whole tone

A–B: whole tone

B–C: semitone

On bowed string instruments, a whole tone requires a greater distance between stopping points than a semitone. In common beginner finger patterns, fingers for semitones sit close together. For example, in first position on the violin, the first and second fingers lie close together for E–F on the D string and B–C on the A string when playing the natural notes. Corresponding semitone pairs also require close spacing on other bowed instruments, though the exact fingering depends on the instrument and position. Accidentals can change these finger placements.

For example, in first position on the violin's A string, the first finger on B and the low second finger on C are close together. When C is sharpened, the second finger moves away from the first and closer to the third finger on D. The general principle is that sharpening a note moves its stopping point towards the bridge; the exact finger pattern depends on the instrument and position.

On a bowed string instrument, a flat is played by placing the finger farther back, towards the nut, than for the natural note.

For example, in first position on the violin's D string, the first finger on E lies close to the low second finger on F. To play E-flat, move the first finger back towards the nut to lower the note by a semitone.

Zeynep Fuçucuoğlu
Rekor Sanat – Violin Teacher