Four strings, four fingers
Four strings, and four fingers to press them — the whole left hand, at this stage, is those sixteen combinations. Before any of it means a note on the page, get clear on what a finger number is.
The strings
Low to high: G, D, A, E (you tuned them in Stage 0). Under the left hand, the G string is farthest from you and the E string nearest. To reach the low strings your elbow swings under the violin; for the E string it swings back out. The hand shape doesn't change — only the elbow.
A finger number is a finger, not a note
The fingers are numbered 0, 1, 2, 3, 4:
| Number | Finger |
|---|---|
| 0 | open — no finger, the string alone |
| 1 | index |
| 2 | middle |
| 3 | ring |
| 4 | little finger |
The 1st finger is roughly a whole step up from the nut on every string — but that's a different note on each one:
So "2nd finger" on its own means nothing. It's B on the G string, F♯ on the D string, C♯ on the A string, G♯ on the E string. A finger number is only an instruction once it's paired with a string.
The usual mistake
Reading a fingering as if it were a pitch — thinking "2 = C" because that's where you first met the 2nd finger. It isn't; C is one place the 2nd finger goes. Always say the string and the finger together: "A string, 2."
Try
No bow, no reading. Place fingers 1-2-3-4 gently on the A string, one at a time, then lift all four at once and shake the hand out. Do it five times. Then the same on the D string, feeling the elbow swing a little further under.