How to Play Basic Notes on the Fiddle

You're not fiddling away your time if you learn to play the fiddle. You can learn to play anything from county to blues to jazz to classical music. Before running up and down the strings, though, learn to walk by playing basic notes on the fiddle. This is a beginner's exercise to become accustomed to playing the scale and arpeggios.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Find the thickest string on your fiddle. This is the G string, and you will be playing the G scale if you start here.

2. Begin with no fingers on the string--play open G--and play the next four notes by putting down your first finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger on the G string. This will give you A, B, C and D notes to play the first five notes in G scale--G, A, B, C, D. Play the notes in reverse to come back down the scale, D, C, B, A and G. Do this twice.

3. Learn to play a basic arpeggio, which involves skipping notes by using the first, third and fifth notes of the scale. Play a G, B, D, and then B again, not lifting the bow from the fiddle. Do the arpeggio twice.

4. Bow the arpeggio notes again, this time lifting the bow from the string after each note to give each note a separate sound. Do this sequence twice.

5. Move one note higher on the G string. This time play A, B, C, D, E up the scale and then back down twice.

6. Try an arpeggio using the first, third and fifth notes in this sequence--A, C, E, C. Do it by keeping the bow on the string and play the sequence twice.

7. Play the A arpeggio sequence again, lifting the bow from the string after each note, doing the sequence twice.

Tips & Warnings

• Continue doing this basic exercise on the fiddle, starting one note higher each time with the B, C and D notes.