Beginning Orchestra Resources

Most method books for beginning orchestra start students on the D and A string if the students have selected Violin, Viola or Cello. If students have selected Bass, students will begin learning notes on the D, A and G strings. Click the links below to learn the notes of the D Major scale for your instrument more easily! Once you have learned the notes on each string, click the "All notes in D major scale" link to identify all the notes we have learned.

(Practice these about 5 minutes a day).

Part of playing a musical instrument is being able to identify which key signature a piece of music is written in. Key signatures tell us what notes to play in a specific scale. The key signature reminds the performer which sharps or flats are in the scale (key) of the piece. This also prevents the composer or arranger from writing every sharp or flat from the scale every time it occurs in the piece. The quicker a musician is able to identify these keys, the quicker they will be able to accurately perform a piece of music. Students in Beginning Orchestra should be able to identify C, G, and D Major.

(Practice these about 5 minutes a day).