Mazas Left-Hand Exercises: Shifts (Copy)

IN THIS LESSON

This set of exercises will train your hands for several tricky moments. Let’s break them down:

A) Shifting to the D String Harmonic from Each Finger

Bonus: Practice landing back on 3rd finger in third position after playing the harmonic!

B) Scales in Thirds

You'll be shifting between first and third positions for this exercise, so it's essential to know your C major hand frames in both positions throughout.

C) Scale in Thirds, accelerated rhythm

This rhythm is like double-time of exercise B, with a pause between each pair of notes. At measure 15, watch for the bowing change: down, up, up, up / down, down, down, up.

D) Transitioning from First to Third Position

Two different shifts to the third position hand frame. At measure 21, switch to the full C major one-string scale with a 4th finger extension, which you should now be fluent in.

E) Moving from First to Third to Fifth Position

Start by moving from first to third to fifth position in measure 23. Measure 24 uses a 1-2 hand frame along with a 4th finger extension to add the note C. In measure 25, practice the 4th finger extension.
Note that the final note in measure 25 is the D string harmonic, meaning you cross strings on 3rd finger instead of shifting down!
Measures 26-28 repeat the sequence but are written in treble clef to help you practice reading treble clef.

Sevcik’s Opus 8 book is a tremendous resource for developing shifting technique.