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How To Train Your Pinky to Play Violin and Viola (left and right pinky) [Pinky Training Program]

Zlata Brouwer

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Published: January 2, 2014 at 5:58 PM [UTC]

Do you have difficulties with playing the fourth finger? (your left pinky)
Do you have difficulties with smooth bowing, because your pinky is to weak to do the work? (your right pinky)

Ok, let's get those pinkies into my Pinky Training Program!

In this video I share exercises to train the strength and flexibility of your pinkies:

1) Play piano in the table (until you can crush a sugar cube)
2) Always use your right pinky actively in bowing: your bowing will be more smooth and controlled
3) Don't avoid the 4th finger (this pinky will not get trained and it will be even more scary in the future)
4) Place your fingers confident, attack the strings
5) Practice bowing movements with a pencil

Is this video useful to you? Please let me know in the comments!

Love,

Zlata

PS: Do you have questions for me on violin or viola playing? Post a comment below or send an e-mail to info@violinlounge.com


From 24.45.88.121
Posted on January 3, 2014 at 5:05 AM
Thank you for the tips! My pinky on both hands are weak and I am always looking for ways to improve their strength, so thank you!
From Bernard Reilly
Posted on January 3, 2014 at 2:16 PM
I can use my pinky pretty confidently, but I often have to avoid it on longer notes because I sometimes have trouble getting a pretty vibrato sound from it. It's odd, sometimes I can get a vibrato and other times it just sounds dead.

Any tips on how to work on this? It seems so much more difficult with the pinky because theres not much finger to use to begin with.

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