Fretless Finger Guides for Violin

This works well enough for me, but isn't perfect. I feel that it is too complex and difficult to read as you are playing. You don't need this much information, and the amount of information on the fingerboard makes it difficult to pick out the information you need as you are playing to correct finger placement in real time. I purchased this because I am beginning on my own, without a teacher. But I probably would have been happier just putting tape on the fingerboard. I do have a music background, but even for someone who is new to reading music and playing an instrument you shouldn't need the hand holding of a tool telling you exactly what note each finger is playing. Tape will help you position your fingers correctly for first position, and a little bit of practice will help you learn what each note is. Mine doesn't have a perfect fit. It's close enough, but I'd be in trouble if I didn't have a decent ear. I installed it right up against the nut as instructed, but on my particular violin it would have been perfect placement if I could have moved it up a hair. (In other words, I know my finger has to be a touch higher on the fingerboard than exact center on each dot. I have verified this with a tuner and my ear.) To a true beginner or someone who can't hear the intonation as well, this could be a big problem. For me it's not a problem at all. (I just know my finger needs to consistently hit a bit off center so I'm not sharp.) My first suggestion would be to have a teacher or luthier or someone like that place tape on your fingerboard. My second suggestion would be to use a really sensitive tuner to help you do that yourself. My third suggestion would be to have a teacher or luthier place one of these on your fingerboard and tell you whether it's accurate for your instrument. Summary: This gets the job done, but is too much information and may not fit your instrument perfectly. You probably don't need this, but if you have it you can probably make it work for you.