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 G major scale that begins and ends on the note G. 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.)
G Major One Position Scales
First Position:
Finger Patterns:
C: 3-4
G: 2-3
D: 2-3
A: 1-2
Second Position:
Shift: Begin on the D string, shifting to E with the first finger to reach second position. In the arpeggio, immediately shift to 3 on the G string.
Finger Patterns:
C: 2-3
G: 1-2
D: 1-2
A: Open, reach 1 back for C natural
Third Position:
Shift: Move the first finger to F# on the D string, placing us in third position. In the arpeggio, shift to G on the G string.
Finger Patterns:
C: 1-2
G: Open, reach 1 back for C natural
D: 3-4
A: 3-4
Fourth Position:
Shift: Shift the first finger to G on the C string to reach fourth position.
Finger Patterns:
C: 3-4
G: 3-4
D: 2-3
A: 2-3
Fifth Position:
Shift: Begin on F# and then shift to 1 on A, bringing us to fifth position. In the arpeggio, shift twice: first to 2 on G, then to 2 on B.
Finger Patterns:
C: 2-3
G: 2-3
D: 1-2
A: 1-2
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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If you need a metronome or tuner, my favorite app is called Tonal Energy.