Technical Basics and Scales
IN THIS LESSON
ONE-POSITION SCALES & ARPEGGIOS USE ALL 4 FINGERS, ON EVERY STRING, TO PLAY ALL OF THE SCALE&ARPEGGIO NOTES LOCATED IN THAT POSITION.
These exercises can be tricky for our ears because we aren’t simply playing a F major scale that begins and ends on the note F. Written turnarounds and lead ups to the listed position help orient our ears to the key, and brackets help orient our eyes.
The finger patterns may feel new, so below you will find the string and hand frame listed for each position.
Practice Tips:
Be sure to always use your 4th finger instead of open strings - only open C may be played.
The arpeggio uses the same hand frame as the scale, so it is useful to place all fingers to feel the spacing (for example, place 12 along with 3, or 123 along with 4.)
F Major One Position Scales
First Position:
Finger Patterns:
C: 2-3
G: 1-2
D: 1-2
A: Open, reach 1 back for Bb
Second Position:
Shift: On 1st finger from D to E, moving to second position. The arpeggio involves an immediate shift to 2 on F.
Finger Patterns:
C: 1-2
G: Open, reach 1 back for Bb
D: 3-4
A: 3-4
Third Position:
Shift: On 1st finger to F, reaching 3rd position. The arpeggio shifts on 1 to F.
Finger Patterns:
C: 3-4
G: 3-4
D: 2-3
A: 2-3
Fourth Position:
Shift: On 1st finger to G, reaching fourth position. In the arpeggio, shift to 2nd finger on A.
Finger Patterns:
C: 2-3
G: 2-3
D: 1-2
A: 1-2
Fifth Position:
Shift: On 1st finger to F, then shift again to 1 on A, reaching 5th position. The arpeggio shifts twice in a row in this same sequence. At the top of the arpeggio, add a 4th finger extension to include C.
Finger Patterns:
C: 1-2
G: 1-2
D: Open, reach 1 back for Bb
A: 3-4
For students who are more comfortable with reading Treble clef than reading ledger lines in alto clef, fourth and fifth position are re-written in treble clef in exercises F and G.
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