The D string, note by note · From Zero to Mozart

The second string you learn, and your first taste of moving between strings — D sits right next to A. Five natural notes again; the shape is the same idea as the A string, one string over.

The five notes

Note	Finger	Where it is
D	0 — open	the string itself
E	1	just under the bottom line of the staff
F	2, low	back against the 1st finger (F♯, a high 2, is the D-major note)
G	3	on the second line — the note the treble clef names
A	4	the same pitch as your open A string

The ladder

58 bpm

D E F G A up the D string, then back down. These sit low, right across the bottom of the staff.

4th-finger A should match your open A exactly — the same check as the A string, one string over. Play them back to back until they lock.

F, low and high

Natural F is a low 2. But D major — the key of half the tunes you'll play here — wants F♯, a high 2 up against the 3rd finger. Same story as the A string's C. You'll read D major properly in Movement C; for now, know the finger has two homes on this string.

The D-major hand

56 bpm

D E F♯ G — the major pattern, 2nd and 3rd fingers touching. The Long, Long Ago hand.

Skips

56 bpm

D F A and back — fingers 0, 2, 4. Natural F, so a minor colour; F♯ makes it the bright D-major chord.

Read it

56 bpm

D string only. Name each note before the bow moves.

The usual mistake

Mixing up the F. The music writes F♯ — from the key signature, with nothing next to the note — and the hand plays natural F, or the reverse. On the D string, always know which F the key wants before you drop the finger.

Try

D E F♯ G A and back. Then swap in natural F and hear it sag. Check 4th-finger A against the open A. Then, gently, rock the bow between the open D and open A strings — that whole-arm move is the next skill you'll build.