I really ought to know this, but I don't - can you use any fingering you like for AB Grade exam scales as long as you play the right notes and use the specified bowings?

I ask this because I have four pupils currently working towards grade 4 who are all utterly fed up with all the scales, and I've had the idea of letting them use just one fingering for nearly all of the major and minor scales: ie start with 1st finger. I'd make an exception with the D 2-octave scale and arpeggio as they're fine with it, and I think it's good for them to change to 3rd postion on the A string - it sets a good precedent.

Violinia

Hi Violinia

I don't think it matters, actually, as long as the notes are right. I learned grade 8 scales with 2 teachers, about 6 years apart, and their fingerings were completely different!

Benj

The official line for all exams is that the examiner will mark what they hear not how it is achieved (this is one of the reasons given for having non-specialist examiners). In piano certainly any fingering for scales will do under this argument; I would suggest the same would apply to violin given they're marking what they hear. Hopefully though someone who has done it on violin will confirm this for you so that you can be absolutely certain .

Yes you can use any fingering you like. Indeed for some people with small hands they may want to change fingerings, you may prefer to shift sooner (and stay up) rather than later. Whatever feels right for you.

Starting all scales on the first finger and using the same pattern is a good idea, it gets you used to all positions (even 2nd which is often neglected but V useful for stuff in

That is stuff in B....but the smiley is sort of nice so I left it in!

Absolutely. I learned with a high-level teacher who insisted that all two octave scales started on first finger and all three octave ones on second finger. It certainly made them easy to learn though these days I think I'd prefer to do the three octave ones another way.

Liz

C major, 3 octaves. I simply cannot play this starting in second position because of my small hands; the fourth finger stretch for the E on the G string is too far (across the rapidly widening fingerboard!) and pulls my hand out of position so that the F on the D string is always sharp. Therefore I've had to play C major starting with the 1st finger in 3rd position.

I use unorthadox fingerings...for any 3 octave scales I do:

Upwards
G string: 2 3 4
D string: 1 2 3 4
A string: 1 2 3 4
E string: 1 2 UP 1 2 UP 1 2 3 UP 1 2 3 STRETCH 3

Downwards
E string: 3 3 2 1 DOWN 2 1 DOWN 2 1 DOWN 3 2 1
A string: 4 3 2 1
D string: 4 3 2 1
G string: 4 3 2

Which is really weird but sounds fine and is easy for me.

Not at all weird. People with hands large enough to stick with the well trodden 'regular patterns', have no idea how difficult those 'regular patterns' can be for small-handed people.

I know that for piano they don't mark the fingering used as long as it sounds correct. I imagine this would apply to violin too.

Out of interest, what fingering do other violinists do for 3 octave Gsharp minor?

My current teacher makes me do:

G 1 2 2 3 4
D 1 (big stretch) 2 3 4
A 1 2 1 2 3 4
E 1 2 1 2 3 4 (stretch) 4 ... and same back down.

Which I found a bit odd. Still do, actually. I'd rather do something like G 1 2 1 2 ...

I all the while thought I have small hands, but playing C major 3 octaves starting on 2nd position is no problem for me. So, now I can imagine how people with small hands encounter problem in playing scales with the given fingerings in the scale book! Things that are normal to certain people might not be normal to others!

Myself and bohemian have very small hands; in fact, tiny, might be be the best description.

Exactly the same as for A minor - change up on every octave

Liz

Well, firstly I try never to play it. It's my worst scale - it's the reason I missed 2 marks in my grade 8 on scales And I prefer to think of it as A flat minor. But hey. Fingering....let me think...
Nope sorry, I'll go try it out in 20 minutes and report back tomorrow.

Hehe, likewise I avoid it where possible! Sounds like you did better than me - I lost 3 marks for scales at grade 8... and examiner didn't even ask for Gsharp minor!

I do:

UPWARDS
G string: 1 2 3 4
D string: 1 2 3 4
A string: 1 2 3 4
E string: 0 2 3 UP 1 2 3 UP 1 2 3 STRETCH 3 (can't reach the 4th finger comfortably)

DOWNWARDS
E string: 3 3 2 1 DOWN 3 2 1 DOWN 3 2 0
A string: 4 3 2 1
D string: 4 3 2 1
G string: 4 3 2 1

Lazy me, open strings I had to do G maj 3 octaves for my grade 8 and used all open strings because I assumed they wouldn't ask it as it's so easy. My bad.

Hehe. Well, it must have worked!

Interesting, that fingering is COMPLETELY different to mine. I might give your version a try, actually (though I'd use 3 4 at top!)...

Thanks!

Cool! I'll try out yours in a minute. I know already I wont be able to do it exactly as you can with the 4-4 at the top. One thing: you say your teacher "makes" you do that fingering. Do you not prefer to find one which suits you? My teacher dislikes my current fingering patterns for...well all of my scales but it's better to use memorable and easy ones than standard ones. Otherwise I would be in BIG trouble!

Right, 7 more minutes online and back to violin...