Shifting & Ear Training

Learning Concepts Increases your familiarity and comfort in all positions. Develops confidence and accuracy in all positions. Develops understanding of what to listen for while shifting. Improves your ear training and overall intonation.

(based on the Yost System)

*Intonation Training CD-Track 8, G

 

Exercise 1 - One Finger Scales

= about 40 (each note . . . very, very slow!)

Fingering could also be 0-1-2-2-2 etc. or 0-1-2-3-3 etc. or 0-1-2-3-4-4-4 etc

Instructions:

1. Relax fingers, hand and wrist.
2. Move arm first from the biceps to the new position dragging the hand and the finger, gliding on top of the string, never pushing forward with the fingers.
3. Push finger down in tune pressing as little as possible. You should not have to push the finger all the way to the fingerboard. If you missed the shift, "You either didn't get your arm to the right position or your finger was not thrown in the right spot" (Dorothy Delay). Try again until you can hit it 5 times in a row!
4. Know what position you're in at all times... say it out loud before you go (14 positions total)
5. Get to know what each position feels like with the arm motion or angle of the elbow joint, with the palm of the hand, and with the thumb.
6. Use all fingering possibilities.
7. Get to the next position quickly and then tune very slowly. Try not to overshoot the shift.

 

 

Exercise 2 - Two Fingered Scales

= about 40 (each note . . . very, very slow!)

Fingering could also be 0-1-2-3-2-3-2-3 etc. or 0-1-2-3-4-3-4-3-4 etc.

Instructions: (same as Exercise 1)

 

 

Exercise 3 - One Finger Arpeggios

= about 40 (each note . . . very, very slow!)

Fingering could also be 0-2-2-2 etc. or 0-1-3-3-3 etc. or 0-2-4-4-4 etc.

Instructions: (same as Exercise 1)