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Music Tools · MIDI to Fingerboard

MIDI to Violin Fingerboard

Open a MIDI file and it becomes violin music: the notes, the string and finger for every note, and the fingerboard lighting up as it plays, with the other parts of the file (or simple piano chords) as your backing.

Open a MIDI fileDrag a .mid file here, or choose one. It stays on your device. Got a song file from “Export song”? Import it to get its fingering too.
Tap any note on the music to jump to it.
Tempo
Fingering for this note
✎ Your own changes are saved on this device.
✎ Change this note: step up/down, ♭ ♮ ♯, length, or delete it

Quick edits: click a note in the music to choose it, then press ↑ or ↓ to move it up or down a step, or 0–4 to change its finger. Or right-click a note for a menu with steps, ♭ ♮ ♯ 𝄪 𝄫, length and delete. Your changes go into 💾 Export song, 🎵 Download MIDI and ⬇ Download PDF.

Making a note longer uses up the rest after it in the same bar (so a quaver + quaver rest can become a crotchet). Making it shorter puts a rest after it. A deleted note becomes a rest of the same length.

0 open string I E · II A · III D · IV Gstrings 1234 fingers

On a computer: → next note · ← back · Space play / stop. 📌 keeps the page still. No sound on iPhone or iPad? Turn off silent mode (the switch on the side) and turn the volume up. Tap any note on the fingerboard to hear it.

For teachers: edit the fingering and the music

Each note is written as note/length/string+finger, for example F#4/e/D2. Lengths: x hemidemisemiquaver, t demisemiquaver, s semiquaver, s. dotted semiquaver, e quaver, e. dotted quaver, q crotchet, q. dotted crotchet, h minim, h. dotted minim, w semibreve; triplets e3, s3, q3. Rests: r/q, r/h … Use | for a bar line. Signs go after a 4th slash: ( slur starts, ) slur ends, ~ tie, . staccato, > accent, - tenuto, ^ pause, v up-bow, n down-bow, e.g. A4/q/A0/(.. Dynamics (p mf f …), hairpins (< or > … !) and words such as "pizz." go just before their note.

“Apply” saves your changes on this device, for this song with these settings. Use “Copy code” to keep a copy or to send it to someone.

How to use it: open a MIDI file (or try the example), check that the tune and the bar lines look right, then press Play to listen. Switch to Learn to go through it note by note with Next ▶, watching the fingers on the fingerboard. When you know it, untick 🎻 Violin tune and play along with the backing at the Slow tempo, then Steady and Target.
Questions
Where do I get a MIDI file?

Most music programs can save one. In MuseScore (free) choose File → Export → MIDI. Sibelius, Finale, Dorico, GarageBand and Logic can export MIDI too. Many websites also share MIDI files; please only use music you are allowed to use.

What does it do with my file?

It finds the part that carries the tune, takes one note at a time (the top note of any chord), tidies the rhythm into notes a violinist can read, works out the key, and picks a string and finger for every note: 1st position and open strings first, with as few shifts as possible. The other parts become the backing, and chord names are worked out from them.

Is my MIDI file uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is read inside your web browser and never leaves your device. Songs you open are kept in your browser on this device, so you can come back to them, and you can remove them at any time.

The bar lines or rhythm look wrong. What can I change?

Under “Arrangement settings”, try “Up-beat” if the music starts before the first strong beat, “Time” if the time signature is wrong, and “Rhythm: Quavers (simplest)” if the rhythm looks too busy. Files made in a notation program work best; recordings of live playing are harder to tidy up.

Can I change a fingering?

Yes. Step to the note, type a different string and finger under “Fingering for this note” and press Change. Teachers can also edit the whole piece in the code box. Changes are saved on this device.

Can I change a note, or how long it is?

Yes, in teacher mode (midi-fingerboard.html?teacher). Click a note and press ↑ or ↓ to move it a step, right-click it for ♭ ♮ ♯ 𝄪 𝄫, length, fingering and delete, or open “✎ Change this note”. Pick a different letter name, sharp or flat, or octave, or a different length, and press Change. A longer note uses up the rest after it in the same bar (so a quaver followed by a quaver rest can become a crotchet); a shorter note leaves a rest after it. “Delete this note” turns it into a rest. Your changes are saved on this device, and “Go back to the original” undoes them.

How do I share my fingering with a student?

Press “💾 Export song” above the music. It saves one small file with the MIDI, your settings (key signature, bars and so on) and your fingering changes. Send it by email or message; your student opens this page, presses “📥 Import a song file” and gets exactly your version. “Back up all my songs” saves every song in one file, to move them to another computer or tablet.

Lessons with Aria

In-person violin lessons in Pakuranga, Auckland

This app takes care of the notes at home, so lesson time can go to what needs a teacher: bowing, tone and musical expression. Aria Z Li has taught violin in person, one to one, since 1998, from first lessons to ABRSM diploma level, including exam preparation.

In-person lessons → Contact Aria

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