How to Loosen up your Left Hand Fingers and Move them Independently | Violin Lounge TV #233

May 19, 2016, 1:39 AM · This episode of Violin Lounge TV gives you a good warm up exercise that loosens up your left hand fingers and trains you to move them independently. This is an important exercise that will help you develop a good left hand technique.

These exercises are useful for beginners to professionals and everything in between. You just need your violin. You can put away your bow.

Your finger frame:

Place your first finger on the A flat on the G string, your second finger on the F on the D string, your third finger on the D on the A string and your fourth finger on the B on the E string. It's important to put down all fingers and check if they are all in tune. This can be quite a stretch. Watch the video to see how this looks like.

Exercise 1:

As you are in the prepared position (see above), lift one finger while leaving the others firmly on the string and put this finger down again firmly. Do this a couple of times with all the fingers. If your fingers start to hurt, stop here and build it up another time.

Exercise 2:

Lift your first finger, put it down, and then your third finger. Go back and forth a couple of times: first, third, first, third, etc.

Exercise 3:

Lift your second finger, put it down, and then your fourth finger. Go back and forth a couple of times: second, fourth, second, fourth, etc.

Exercise 4:

Lift your first and third finger at the same time and put them down again. Repeat this. Hold your second and fourth finger firmly on the string.

Exercise 5:

Lift your second and fourth finger at the same time and put them down again. Repeat this. Hold your first and third finger firmly on the string.

Exercise 6:

Lift your first and third finger and while putting them down lift your second and fourth finger. Do this back and forth a couple of times.

Exercise 7:

Lift your first and fourth finger and put them both down again.

Exercise 8:

Lift your second and third finger and put them both down again.

Exercise 9:

Lift first and fourth finger and while putting them down lift your second and third finger. Do this back and forth a couple of times.

Also make up your own exercises to train the independent movement of your fingers!

Check yourself:

Don't lift fingers that your shouldn't lift

Put the fingers down firmly

Play in tune, check if you have your fingers on the right spots on the string

Second finger frame

If you want to make a variation on this exercise and perhaps make it a little more difficult, try all the exercises with this finger frame:

Put your first finger on the F on the E string, your second finger on the C on the A string, your third finger on the G on the D string and your fourth finger on the D on the G string. Your fingers are all apart, not close to each other.

I hope this is a good warm up exercise for you and a good way to train the independence of your left hand fingers. It's a good motor skill exercise for violin playing.

Please share your experience with these exercises in the comments below!

Love,

Zlata

PS: Do you have questions or struggles on violin or viola playing? Post a comment below or send an e-mail to info@violinlounge.com and I might dedicate a Violin Lounge TV episode to answering your question!