Definition

1. Noun:
   • A narrow strip of wood on the neck of a stringed instrument: The fingerboard is the part of a violin, cello, guitar, etc., where the strings are pressed down with the fingers to change the pitch of the notes.
   • A bank of keys on a musical instrument: In some contexts, 'fingerboard' can refer to the set of keys on an instrument like a piano or organ.
   • A guidepost resembling a hand with a pointing index finger: This is a more specialized or historical meaning for a signpost shaped like a pointing hand.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Instrument Part):

  • The guitarist practiced moving his left hand quickly along the smooth fingerboard.
  • Wear on the violin's fingerboard can affect the instrument's tone.

• Noun (Bank of Keys):

  • The organist's hands flew across the vast fingerboard. (This usage is less common; 'keyboard' is standard.)

• Noun (Guidepost):

  • An old fingerboard at the crossroads pointed travelers toward the village. (This usage is rare and archaic.)

Advanced Usage

• "Fretless fingerboard": A fingerboard without frets (the metal strips), as found on violins, cellos, and some bass guitars, requiring precise finger placement for correct pitch.
  • Jazz bassists often prefer a fretless fingerboard for its smooth, vocal-like sound.

Variants and Related Words

• Fingerboard (as a compound noun): The term itself is a compound of 'finger' and 'board'. It is used as a single lexical unit.
• Fretboard (n): A synonym specifically for a fingerboard with frets, like on most guitars and banjos.
  • He memorized the note positions on the fretboard.

Synonyms

• Fretboard: Specifically for fretted instruments.
• Keyboard: For the bank of keys on pianos, organs, etc. (This is the more common and precise term for that meaning).

Related Phrases

• To navigate the fingerboard: A phrase used by musicians to describe skillfully moving their fingers along the fingerboard to play music.
  • Mastering the cello requires learning to navigate the entire fingerboard.

Noun

1. a narrow strip of wood on the neck of some stringed instruments (violin or cello or guitar etc) where the strings are held against the wood with the fingers
2. a bank of keys on a musical instrument
3. a guidepost resembling a hand with a pointing index finger