Tones and Semitones
A semitone is the smallest distance between two notes used in western music. On a piano keyboard, two adjacent keys are a semitone apart; on a guitar or mandolin, two frets are a semitone apart. On the violin there are no markers such as keys or frets to give a clear indication of where the notes fall, so it is up to the violinist’s ear to determine the correct position for notes.
The notes B and C are a semitone apart, as are the notes C# and D, F# and G and G# and A. Play these notes on the violin and notice that your fingers are very close together. If you add two semitones together, they become a whole tone (or tone for short). The natural notes B and C, and E and F are a semitone apart, but all other natural notes are a tone apart. An example of this would be the notes A and B on the 4th string. Check these on the following diagram and also on your violin. Notice that the notes a tone apart are twice the distance of the notes which are a semitone apart.
Learning the fingering for all these notes can be difficult at first. Practice slowly and carefully finding notes which are a semitone apart and then use the same the finger distances on other strings, as well as higher and lower on the same string. Using this method, it is possible to play any note on the violin. It is also recommended that you work closely with your teacher on this.
