Fretless Finger Guides improve intonation!
In 1997 a study was done by Louis Bergonzi, "The Effects of Finger Markers and Harmonic Content on Performance of Beginning String Students" and published in the Journal of Research in Music Education. In his research of 76 sixth grade string students in three different schools, Bergonzi found that student's intonation improved with the use of finger markers.
Research shows that without finger markers, students can only guess whether or not they are playing correct pitches. Practicing incorrect pitches requires students to later go back and relearn correct finger placement.
From the very beginning, Fretless Finger Guides has adopted the concept that being able to show people where the notes are, right on an instrument, would help them learn faster and stay with it longer. And if we could make that violin "finger guide" be easy on, easy off, we would be doing a big service to the stringed education industry.
We strongly felt that this simple visual aid would effectively help students get over "Novice Player Anxiety Syndrome". By giving the student an easy to use "road map" of the instrument neck they can quickly find and put their fingers on the correct locations of the notes. Our next logical step was to color code the notes. This added visual cue could be transferred to printed sheet music and help students easily learn to recognize a note location on a musical staff then actually find that note on the instrument.
Steady progress can be made when the Finger Guides are used in conjunction with a qualified music instructor. Many Seattle area music educators and luthiers have confirmed our philosophy. Unlike other finger markers, Fretless Finger Guides show the name and location of the whole notes, as well as the location of the sharps and flats. The added features of being color coded and easy on, easy off make the Fretless Finger Guide unique in the industry. Fretless Finger Guides will never gum up the fingerboard.
Links for learning more about how music affects young minds.
The following database provides an effective overview of music and how it affects learning. http://www.songsforteaching.com/references.htm
This Google search for “music and the brain research” is packed with links to amazing research on how music affects the brain.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=music+and+the+brain+research