Find third position first
In third position, your first finger takes the place occupied by your third finger in first position. On the A string, that gives you a D an octave above the open D. Use the resonance to check it. Get used to playing all four fingers in the position before adding shifts, then try scales and a simple tune.
One finger, with an audible glide
Shift on the first finger from first to third position, slowly, and let the glide be heard: it tells your ear and your hand the distance. Play it on all four strings, as Ševčík does in his book of shifts (op. 8), then on the second and third fingers (Hřímalý).
- Lighten the finger during the shift: it slides on the string, it does not press
- The thumb goes with the hand, not after it
- The bow keeps moving, a little lighter during the glide
Make the slide less audible
Once the distance feels familiar, make the shift quicker and the slide less audible. Keep checking the target note: a quieter shift should still land in tune.
Changing finger during the shift
When shifting from first finger in first position to second or third finger in third position, move the hand with the starting finger before placing the new one. Practise with an audible guide note first, then shorten it until you only imagine it:
- Intermediate note played: the old finger slides to where it would be in the new position, then the new finger drops
- Imagine the guide note: keep the same movement without sounding the intermediate pitch
- Same note, other finger: play a note with the first finger, then the same note with the second, the hand moving up (Hřímalý no. 9)
With a string crossing, then in a scale
Then shift while changing string, arriving on the higher string, then on the lower one; shift in a scale on one string (Hřímalý); and chain shifts on a figure moved up step by step (Ševčík op. 8).
What to listen for
- Overshooting: the pitch goes past the note, then comes back. Slow down and stop the finger earlier
- Arriving flat: the hand stops too early. Check the arrival against an open string
- A late arrival: the arrival note starts after the beat. Leave earlier: the shift takes its time from the end of the note before
- Too much glide: it is heard on purpose while learning, then should become less audible
Avilo draws the pitch curve of each shift: you see the glide, how far it overshoots and how long it takes to settle.
