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