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I got to play on a friend's instrument and he had tapes on his fingerboard where your fingers go kinda like a guitar. He said his teacher put them there, but he's been playing for over a year. When I tryed it I played better and didn't miss as many notes. I've heard some people say they are bad to learn with, but this really helps, I think. Is it OK or not, because I think I might want to do it too.
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It is not advisable to use tapes because
1) it is not going to help you in the long run, for you may have to look at the sheet music and not at fingerboard.
2) you will not be training your ears
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Thanks jojo. Good points. There is no way one can play perfectly in tune using tape either. You have to use your ears anyway.
If you haven't been using tape definitely don't start. If you've been using it consider taking it off.
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Violaman said:
Thanks jojo. Good points. There is no way one can play perfectly in tune using tape either. You have to use your ears anyway.
If you haven't been using tape definitely don't start. If you've been using it consider taking it off.
that is exactly the same thing my teacher says, but it is defenitly true, if you dont use that tape you will develop your hear skills and you might get greater level faster jojo.
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uh oh. OK I guess I'll take off the tapes then. Mine are black and hard to see anyway. I just needed help to find where to put my 4th finger. I can kinda find the other ones OK.
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Hi Scarecrow! go to viola fingering chart under Viola learning tools. Let us take the first scale "C" Major as an example. Your fourth finger will have to contact G, D, A and E on the C, G, D and A strings.e Now if you have placed them perfectly you will hear a ringing sound (or resonant sound) in C, G and D strings. Or alternately keeping the 4th finger there play that string and the bottom adjacent open string together.
You can hear the ringing sound in 3rd finger position in G, D and A string.
http://www.violinist.com/blog/.....9/12681/
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That's a really good article, Jojo! I've used drones (fourth finger) and octaves (third finger) to check my finger position, and have gotten better as a result, but still have trouble getting my finger to just the right spot the first time - without having to play up to the note by ear.
I'll admit, I've toyed with the idea of a visual marker of some sort to help get me there, like the dots on the side of a guitar's neck. Hmmm... maybe that's my million-dollar idea. 
I'm guessing that Scarecrow put on/had someone put on tapes since his original question was asked, since now I think people have shamed him into taking them back off.
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Wow, I've never heard anyone say that tape was bad before. I used tape when I started violin. I don't think I could have done it without tape in the beginning.
After a while I took off the 1st finger tape and just used the 3rd finger tape. You kind of need the 3rd finger tape when you start shifting. xD
I didn't have a problem finding the notes after I took off all the tape.
I think you need to start with tape to build up the muscle memory.
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I havent taken off the tapes. But I try not to look at them so much either.
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Well i don't think that it is bad, but I think that it should be better if you don't use it, as my teacher says your hear will develope its hability to distinguish the sound that comes from your viola
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Maybe there is a legitimate reason for using tape but I have experienced that anyone that has a good ear can learn to play without the tape.
Using the tape for a week can't be bad but getting used to it and learning to play by looking at the fingerboard instead of by feeling can be bad.
It's kind of like driving stick. You shouldn't get in a habit of looking down when you drive. Your focus should be on more important things.
Intonation is best when we focus on what we hear.
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I used tapes for about a week when I first started, just to get a feel for it.
Bach : As the greatest expert and judge of harmony, he liked best to play the viola, with appropriate loudness and softness
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I'm with Barry--I started out using tapes as a guide to get the feel for it, but once I had the general idea how it felt when my fingers were in the right place I took it off. It was too tempting to look and see when I had it on.
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Michelle is my next door neighbor by the way ya'll. She also plays guitar,violin and piano...weve fiddled many a day together
Bach : As the greatest expert and judge of harmony, he liked best to play the viola, with appropriate loudness and softness
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Barry overestimates my ability--I'm still a beginner, just have a good ear haha
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Everyone here was a beginner at some point...well except for Pierre, I think he was born holding a violin 
Bach : As the greatest expert and judge of harmony, he liked best to play the viola, with appropriate loudness and softness
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Barry said
Everyone here was a beginner at some point...well except for Pierre, I think he was born holding a violin
I was thinking the same!!!
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maybe like this
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Scarecrow, I tried learning without tapes, but my ear isn't that sensitive, so I eventually put them on. Then, about 6 months later, Fiddlerman guilted me into taking them off. I squibbed out on the 4th finger tape, and it's still there, but the rest of the notes are coming along fine now. I only occasionally look at the tape, usually when I hear that I'm off. It also helps as a reference point when I change to 3rd position.
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