# Guides

[How to tune a violin, viola, cello, or double bass](https://arcosounds.com/guides/how-to-tune-a-string-instrument), The right pitches for each instrument, how pegs and fine tuners differ, and the order of operations that stops a string slipping.

[Violin, viola, cello, or bass, which string instrument should you play?](https://arcosounds.com/guides/choosing-a-string-instrument), How the four orchestral strings actually differ in sound, size, difficulty, and the kind of musical life each one leads to.

[How to practise a string instrument so you actually improve](https://arcosounds.com/guides/how-to-practice-effectively), A session structure that works in fifteen minutes or forty-five, and the specific techniques that turn practice time into progress.

[How to read sheet music: a string player’s guide](https://arcosounds.com/guides/how-to-read-sheet-music), Everything on the page, in the order it becomes useful: clefs, rhythm, keys, and the habits that make reading fast.

[Music theory for string players: what to learn and in what order](https://arcosounds.com/guides/music-theory-for-string-players), The theory that actually changes how you play, sequenced so each idea rests on the one before it.

[Your first year on a string instrument: what to expect, month by month](https://arcosounds.com/guides/first-year-on-a-string-instrument), What actually happens in the first twelve months, so you can tell steady progress from being stuck.

[How to hold the bow on violin, viola, cello, and double bass](https://arcosounds.com/guides/how-to-hold-the-bow), Where every finger goes on each of the four instruments, and the four faults that cause almost every scratchy tone.

[What size violin, viola, cello, or bass do you need?](https://arcosounds.com/guides/string-instrument-sizes), How the fractional sizes work, how to measure, and how to spot an instrument that is too large.

[How to shift positions on violin, viola, cello, and bass](https://arcosounds.com/guides/how-to-shift-positions), Why third position comes first, how the guide finger works, and the practice order that makes a shift reliable.

[How to prepare an orchestra audition](https://arcosounds.com/guides/preparing-an-orchestra-audition), What panels listen for, how excerpt preparation differs from learning a piece, and a twelve-week plan.

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/guides