Q&A for How to Read Music for the Violin

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.

If think you are referring to a "glissando."

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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

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.

Move your finger slightly upwards, or towards the bridge. But only do this a little bit, so you do not play the next note.

Those are called eighth notes. if a whole note is four seconds and a half note is two and a quarter note is 1, then an eighth note would be an eighth of a beat. So really, you just bow a bit faster on those notes.

Those lines are called ledger lines, and they extend a note below or above the staff. This is used for higher/lower notes that can't fit on the staff.

Pay attention to sharps (thy look like hashtags) and flats (they look like Bs) on the very left of your sheet music and staff. Different combinations of sharps and flats (or none at all!) tell you your key signature.

Chords are made of of three or four notes, while double stops are only made up of two.

On your left hand, fingers go from 1st (index) to 4th (pinky). There isn't a 7th finger, but you can shift positions to reach higher notes.