We have created a sizing chart to help you figure out which size finger guide to get for your instrument.
Meet Mr. Weston
Dear Musician Friends,
Welcome to Weston's Fantastic Finger Guides. My name is Toby Weston. I appreciate your visiting my website to learn more about my finger guide invention for beginning and intermediate string players. I am a middle school orchestra teacher in the Pacific Northwest. On my 10th year of teaching I had a breakthrough and discovered a system better than finger tapes for teaching students how to play the violin, viola, cello and bass. Let me tell you the story...
Back in the fall of 2017 I had a large beginning 5th grade orchestra of 30+ students that met twice a week for 30 minutes. They were super excited to learn their first songs. After about 4 weeks of very slow progress, most of the students were still trying to figure out where the D string is. I realized at that moment that finger tapes weren't very effective as a teaching tool. I searched around for a better option and couldn't find anything. At that point I decided to create a finger guide for my students that included the essentials for a beginner to be successful.
Back in the fall of 2017 I had a large beginning 5th grade orchestra of 30+ students that met twice a week for 30 minutes. They were super excited to learn their first songs. After about 4 weeks of very slow progress, most of the students were still trying to figure out where the D string is. I realized at that moment that finger tapes weren't very effective as a teaching tool. I searched around for a better option and couldn't find anything. At that point I decided to create a finger guide for my students that included the essentials for a beginner to be successful.
Over about 2 weeks I designed the first prototype of the D Major Beginner Guide. I still remember the day I ripped off all of the finger tapes on the student instruments and replaced them with the D major beginner finger guides. In less than 10 minutes nearly every student was playing hot cross buns and could tell you with confidence their first notes. Students came back the next rehearsal beaming with confidence. Many had come back with new songs already learned on their own. I then went on to make the All Notes Finger Guide and A Major Finger Guide.
For the last 2 years I have tested dozens of vinyl decal samples and various printing techniques until I was able to find a highly durable, thin material that easily installs and leaves no residue upon removal. In addition, I applied for a utility patent and was just awarded the patent December, 2019 (Patent #10504378)
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I am now ready to share the Fantastic Finger Guides with the world. Our grand opening was officially December 24th, 2019. Looking forward to helping our beginning string students across the world to grow musically smarter by way of the Fantastic Finger Guides.
Please reach out to me through my contact page with feedback, success stories or any ways I can better help you get started in playing the violin.
Have a musical day!
Toby Weston
Fantastic Finger Guides LLC
Note the difference
Frequently Asked Questions
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What size finger guide should I get for my instrument?
Where are the finger guides made?
We design, manufacture, package our finger guides in Portland, Oregon, USA with American made products.
I am an adult, is it too late to learn a string instrument such as the violin, viola, cello, or guitar?
It is never too late to learn to play an instrument. Our finger guides were designed with the beginner in mind and give you the musical knowledge at your fingertips to build your confidence.
Will the Fantastic Finger Guides damage my instrument upon removal?
The Fantastic Finger Guides will not damage your instrument upon removal. We spent over 6 months researching materials to find a low-tact glue that comes off and doesn’t leave a sticky residue on your instrument upon removal.
How do I install my Fantastic Finger Guide?
Install is easy and takes no time at all. We have made installation videos and instructions for all finger guides. See Installation HERE.
What is the sharp/flat directional indicator on the side of the neck ?
On the side of the neck we have provided a patented sharp/flat directional indicator. This tells in reference to the natural notes (squares) which direction to go when you want to play a sharp or flat note. For flats you move one dot towards the tuning pegs and for sharp you move one dot towards the body of the instrument.
Do you offer a wholesaler program for music stores?
Yes we do. You may use our contact page to reach out to us for more information.
Do you offer a program for orchestra programs?
The finger guides were initially designed for beginning orchestra programs. We are now in our second year of offering the FFG for Schools bulk order program for school. In 2020-2021 school year, 10 school piloted the D major guide with their beginners and had huge success. We plan to expand the program nationwide to all orchestra programs across the country. We will be offering bulk order pricing in August 2021. If you would like more information please contact us HERE.
How accurate are the Fantastic Finger Guides?
We have tested them on many instruments. We have found that our finger guides fit most instruments. In the case they don’t fit, you can hack the finger guide, by trimming off the top or cutting it into strips to adjust the pitches. We are here to offer our assistance when our customers need further assistance to align pitches. Simply reach out to us via our contact page and we will do our best to help with with fitting the finger guide. We offer a money back guarantee if you can’t get it to align
Why are the Fantastic Finger Guides better than finger tapes?
apes really offer no musical information to the beginning student. We have found that beginners are able to more quickly start learning songs and enjoying the music with our finger guides. Our finger guide provide the musical alphabet in an easy to read format. They can easily understand the concept of sharps and flats and start playing in different keys. Often finger tapes with a gooey mess that has to be clean up after use. Our finger guides remove easily. Upon removal students are able to visualize the foundational musical information provided by the finger guides.
Can I see the finger guide while I am playing my violin/viola?
Yes you can! We recently brightened the colors and bolded the text so that the squares and dots are easier to see while playing. We recommend that you get to a point where you are not looking at your fingers and train your ears to hear the correct pitches.
Do you make a guide for the left handed violin?
Yes we do. We received this request so often that we made a left handed violin guide. This guide will need to used with an actual violin that is made with the string reversed. See Left handed finger guides HERE.