Please can anyone help with a viola problem? I'm a self taught adult learner and have embarked upon grade 3, and have come across something that I don't understand at all. It's a diamond shaped note, with a finger marking above it, looking as if it should be a harmonic, except that the finger is the third one. I have found the octave harmonics on each string with my 4th finger, but where do I put my third finger on the string and which note will I get? I'm starting with a teacher in August, but would like to crack this if I can. Thank you.

Its hard to say without seeing the music in context. You can play open string harmonics with any finger and some sound at different points to the octave (ie you can split the string into thirds or quarters rather than in half with the octave one). Try putting your finger down lightly (like you do for harmonics) on the note shown and bow it and see if you get a sound? If it is a point that divides the string equally into fractions then it should sound.

There are also stopped harmonics. Stop the string with the first finger as you would for wherever the black note is, put your fourth finger down above very lightly for the harmonic (quite a stretch in the low positions) and then use a fast light bow and the harmonic should sound.

Artificial harmonic. It means you put your first finer down very hard where the bottom note is, and gently rest your 3rd/4th finger on the top note (extremely accurately), and then bow quickly. Have fun!

thank you, I'll go home and try this tonight, what with our third son practising his bagpipes and the viola harmonics, it's a noisy house.

Thank you, I spent ages messing about and finding all sorts of harmonics, I just have to fit them into the scale exercises for grade 3 ( trinity).

Yikes, that sounds like a pretty advanced scale exercise! More like grade 7 or 8...

I know, I had looked at the scales, and then realised that another option was the grade 3 , sequenza, but it has harmonics at the end of the A minor sequence. Hence the worry. Hopefully I've worked it out correctly. If anyone there has an opinion on this sequence I'd be glad to hear it.

Isn't that just a natural harmonic for the high A, though?

There are 3 notes which look as though they are harmonics at the end of sequence 7,one is the natural harmonic on the A string , it's the other 2 I've been looking at. I'll have another try tonight. Thanks for your help.