I’ve taken on a few transfer students who don’t have familiarity with their note names.

I want to share some ideas about how to quickly and effectively teach note names in a fun way.

Goals

Fluency and speed. There are many cute ways to learn note names, but I’ve picked the fastest ones.

Motivation

Some teachers question the need to know how to identify notes. Or they think that step comes later. I believe strongly that since music systems are built around keys, scales, and relationships between notes, students need to be familiar with those letter names.

If your student only knows finger numbers, associations like key centers and intervals like octaves will not make sense. 

The further you go in the book, the more challenging it is to process and remember a string of numbers like 3-1-3-2-0-1-2-3-3. How do you even know which fingers go on which string? But it is simple to teach that sequence as an elaboration on a G arpeggio and then jumping back down the octave. Knowing note names actually simplifies your musical thinking.

When you introduce reading you need to be able to tie notes to the notes on the staff.

Eventually you will teach shifting where different notes are played by different fingers anyway. Students need to have a solid understanding of fingerboard geography to understand how different locations on the instrument still play the same sounding music.

Clarification

I need to clarify that even though I emphasize note names with parents and students, that I do still use finger numbers occasionally. I’m not opposed to finger numbers writ large, I’m just opposed to only using finger numbers to learn pieces.

Note Name Explanations

1. “B string.” I borrow this from Ed Sprunger’s explanation of note names. An A string makes the sound A because of its length and tension. When we put a finger down we are changing the length of that string– making it shorter. We are making it shorter at exactly the note B. Same with 2nd finger making C# and 3rd finger making D. In fact, if you put a different finger there it still makes the same sound. We only use 1, 2, 3 and 4 because they are convenient.
2. Scales are musical alphabets. Every next finger is the next letter in the alphabet. If you know the names of your open strings then you can figure out the name of your notes.
3. Your name vs. your address. I believe I heard this distinction from Ed Kreitman. Ask the student what their name is. Then ask them where they live. The name of the note is its letter (A, F, D, etc.). The finger and string is its address. The address is helpful information, but it is simpler to just call someone by their name. You can also discuss how people with the same name can live in different houses. For example, you can reach three B’s in first position! One lives on G string, one on A string, and one on E string. All different addresses but the same name.
4. Fluency. I say, “Do you have to think about how to spell your name?” “Do you have to think about what 2+2 is?” We want you to know every note name on every string like how you know the name of everyone in your family. When it is that easy, it is called ‘fluency.’

Note Name Games and Exercises

1. Alphabet cards. I have a deck of cards that has one musical alphabet letter on each card (one card is A, next is B, etc.). I give them A-A and ask them to put it in order. We talk about where the second A goes (right after G). Then we sing up and down the scale. The next variation is I’ll put one card down and ask them which letter comes next. Then, which card comes before? We lay out the cards and I say the cards match my notes on the following. You already know A (open string!), and every time I add a finger we go up one note in the alphabet. Then I let them point to a card and I play what is on the card. We swap, whatever I point to they play. Eventually you can just hold up a card and they play it.
2. Say it, play it scales and arpeggios. Ask students to go up and down the scales and arpeggios they already know and simply say the note name they are playing before they play it. I occasionally do ‘turbo’ style where they say all the note names first, then play all the note names next.
3. Scavenger Hunt. Ask a parent or student to write down a whole string of letters. The student then goes and finds each of those notes on their violin. They can cross off, or circle, or put a sticker next to each letter they find. Occasionally we can hide a tune or a new piece in the scavenger hunt, which is fun for them to recognize. I also discuss how this is the first form of composition in they can write pieces for themselves.
4. Spelling Words. So much fun! Find a word that only uses the musical alphabet (A-G) and then have them spell it one their violin. Bag, Cab, Dad, Egg. Epic seven letter words are Baggage and Cabbage. Flip the game around and have the child play the word, and the parent has to guess what they spelled. A great group class game, too.
5. Every time you play A do X. Have the student play a familiar review piece or scale. Specify an action to go along with a note name. For example, every time you play an F# you need to stick out your tongue. You can end up tying an action to every note in the piece which is both a brain twister, a note name assessment, and a way to get a lot of wiggles. Another fabulous group class game.

Conclusion

Once your student is note name fluent you’ve unlocked a lot of potential independent work. The student can then learn pieces on their own, start reading, start improvising, have access to any scales, understand low/high fingers, and think about shifting. Their musical horizon just extended by orders of magnitude.

I hope the explanations and games above give you the resources to start exploring note names in earnest.