3rd Position Encouragement Options

[Artfulzebra]

Hi folks,

My daughter recently started working towards her grade 3 violin exam and is tackling 3rd position. She's finding it really difficult and no amount of encouragement seems to help. ;o( Can anyone suggest any ways I can help her to regain her enjoyment of playing and/or any 3rd position tips?

Thanks

Maz

*edit* sorry, I think this is probably on the wrong forum but I can't work out how to move it to the strings one!

[Minstrel]

Does her teacher teach shifting straight away or is your daughter learning to play in 3rd position first - with easy/familiar tunes to start with, as some posters have suggested?

Different teachers use different methods. For what it's worth, I try to break down the process and get pupils used to the idea and feel of 3rd position first and only introduce the idea of moving between positions when they are playing comfortably in 3rd.

Does your daughter appreciate that her fingers need to be closer together as she goes higher up the violin? This is because the lenth of the string that can vibrate is effectively shorter, rather like on a smaller violin. To make this part of her learning fun, do you still have a smaller violin that she can have a go on to remember what it felt like?

Another fun idea, especially if she likes playing by ear, is to have a go at playing some well known but simple tunes in 3rd position - ones I frequently use in lessons are Ode to Joy, Kum ba Ya, Morning has Broken, but you can easily find ones that your daughter is familiar with. Playing by ear she is less likely to get bogged down by the different fingerings required and can just concentrate on increasing her familiarity with a different part of the violin. Don't forget to try diffent strings!

Just had another thought (but do check with her teacher first). To help my younger ones starting out in 3rd position I put a small sticker (coloured dot - colour chosen by student!) in between the D and A strings where the 1st finger goes in 3rd position. This is not really big enough to use all the time but is a useful reminder and confidence builder.

Not all teachers are sticker fans, but for a nervous positionwork starter it might just do the trick.

[Ellie Rose]

Hi everyone! I'm the daughter that is the subject of this thread, and I've recently joined because my mum thinks this site can be helpful for me. And it is! Thanks for all the helpfulness!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)