How To Finger Accurately And Play In Tune.

Section links: Intro Tuning Straight Wrist Hand Form Finger Placement Minimum Finger Movement Third Finger "Secret" Exercises

You can use your 3rd (ring) finger to check your hand position while you are playing.

At this point in the lesson, you know where to place your fingers on the strings, and you know you should be moving your fingers as little as possible as you play--all good information; but it won't necessarily help you play in tune.

Here's a great trick to playing in good tune, all the time: Concentrate on the 3rd finger. If it's in tune with the open string below it, your 1st and 2nd fingers will play in tune too.

Fortunately, it's easy to check the 3rd finger just about any time while you're playing a tune to make sure it's where it should be. The video shows how to do this.

The note played by the 3rd finger is exactly one octave higher than the open string below the string you're playing.
To check your 3rd finger, just bow the string next to it. You can play the two notes separately, or both at the same time.
If the 3rd finger note and the open string below it sound good together, the 3rd finger is in the right spot. If they don't, it isn't. In that case you know you need to adjust the 3rd finger position and check it again as soon as the tune melody allows.