Many of us, violin teachers, were in a situation to search for materials suitable for teaching violin positions and shifting which would be short and efficient, that would cover all aspects of this technical element.
This handbook, Exercises and scales for violin positions combines all the most important technical aspects of learning violin positions, from second to seventh, as well as connecting them through position shifting.
Preparatory exercises
Before starting with the positions, several preparatory exercises can be found at the beginning of the handbook to help students gradually gain movement independence and familiarise themselves with new positions. These exercises are just examples and are certain to yield great results when combined with other individual exercises picked for a student.
Each chapter is focused on one position and it contains short exercises on each string to get to know the new fingering patterns.
Shifting exercises
Exercises for position shifting handle all six types of shifts which are:
- through the open string
- with the same finger
- different fingers (from lower to higher and from higher to lower)
- substitution
- half-change
- different fingers across different strings
The exercises are fully written out for each finger, but only on one string. It is good to practice all exercises on the other three strings and the amount depends on the level of the student’s understanding of methodological elements of positions and position shifting,
Scales
All the scales in the handbook are either one or two-octave scales. The handbook does not contain three-octave scales, but only recommendations of three-octave scales from already known collections for advanced playing. Scales are first played without utilizing shifts to fully adopt the hand to the new position, and then with shifting in order to establish the connection between the positions.
Finger charts
At the very end of the handbook, there is a sheet containing blank finger charts that you can copy and use for scales, etudes, and compositions utilizing new positions and keys. Their goal is to graphically explain finger patterns on each string and make learning easier.
Here is a little gift for you, my blog readers – free printable finger charts! Click on the picture below or here and download.
For more information about the Table of Contents as well as the Amazon links for purchase, visit Violin Positions Book page.
Read also:
7 reasons why you don’t shift smoothly | 7 razloga zašto ti zapinju promjene pozicija
How to practice passages | Kako vježbati pasaže
Slijed violinskih koncerata Dorothy DeLay | Dorothy DeLay’s Violin Concerto Sequence
