IN THIS LESSON

FLUENCY IN 1ST, 3RD, AND 5TH POSITION IS KEY.

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.