Practicing Positions Other Than I and III (yikes!)

This summer, I had my students set goals. Each student has given me verbal confirmation of a skill or piece of music he or she would like to master before the school year starts- and we work on this skill with specificity, even though we may not meet as regularly as during the school year.  To me, this is just fine- summer tends to be not the best time for daily practice, because of vacations and other summer activities, and it’s also a good time to get a different perspective on your instrument. I know first-hand what burnout feels like, and summer’s the optimum time to take a break from school-year obligations- you know, like playing tests and auditions and chair placement and the-concert-is-two-weeks-away-and-I-don’t-know-my-part types of issues. 🙂

I have a few students this summer who’ve chosen to work on one of the more weak spots in the violin and viola pedagogy: position work in II and IV. Strikes fear in the heart, right? Ha!

Seriously, though, as a teacher it warms my heart to hear this expression of a desire to make personal progress here. Many students see these positions like many see broccoli: somewhat distasteful, sometimes mandated, but mostly an annoyance one can skirt around and mostly ignore. But, as I voiced to a student this week who has a penchant for superheroes, this is simply untrue:

Positions unfamiliar to you quickly grow from annoying hindrances to evil super-villains in a matter of seconds. What’s going to happen if you’re asked to sight-read something which has a critical passage unplayable in anything but II position? What about that harmonic on the A string which is preceded and followed by arpeggios in IV position? If the idea makes you sweat, take note: you have found your nemesis. It’s time to do some hard practice.

If this were the superhero movie, we’ve now entered the part where, after some deep self-reflection, our hero starts hardcore training, preparing his body mentally and physically for the great battle we all know is coming in 25-30 minutes. In my head I’m hearing “Eye of the Tiger”. I blame this on attending a High School where, as tigers were the mascot, this song echoed frequently down the halls during passing period. Anyway…. Here are some tips on how you can start some hardcore training in II and IV position:

1. Familiarize yourself.

Become comfortable with playing melodies in that position. Familiarize yourself with what II position feels like when the first finger starts in the “low” position (a half-step away from the first finger in I position), and then in the “high” position (a half-step higher than previously mentioned). Then try IV position, starting on the C or G string.  Play some easy tunes which are familiar to you, and you can easily play by ear. Happy birthday. The Farmer in the Dell. Twinkle. Mary Had a Little Lamb. Eye of the Tiger….. Feel free to get silly here.

2. Commit to a regimen.

There are MANY different method books covering this topic, and most likely there will be many you hate. Pick one you hate the least. (I say this in jest. Kind of…) I would also recommend finding a method a bit more simple than etudes, at this particular step: find a method which will start your fingers walking through the position, and then progressively works the position’s different hand frames (or half-step and whole step variations). For several of my students, the Essential Elements books were used daily during school orchestra (and to those teachers I give hearty thanks!), so they eagerly accepted the curriculum of Sevcik. I was a little puzzled by their eagerness, but I’m hard-pressed to find a more exhaustive resource on the diligent, regimented practice of any given skill. I’m forever grateful for the material Sevcik left to the orchestral world. If you don’t love his practice regimens, though, the E.E. books are some of my favorites. If you have another suggestion as to curriculum here, please- let me know! I’d love to hear what you’ve used and enjoyed.

3. Find opportunity to use it in context.

Now, go find an etude- or an older, familiar concerto, with some second position. If it’s a piece you played a few years ago and managed to scrape by ignoring the II or IV position, revisit it. Highlight (figuratively or physically!) those areas where the position work is noted, and learn it in the position. As you’re learning, though, take mental notes as to the WHY for the change in position: what makes II or IV position advantageous? Is it easier to shift in and out of this position as compared to another? Does the fingering make the string crossing easier- or does it make a phrase playable on just one string? If you know your enemy’s motives, you begin to understand the enemy… and use the knowledge to your advantage. No, I’m not advocating eliminating II or IV position from every piece of music- your goal is to learn it so well you can thumb your nose at it as you flawlessly execute it as you sight-read a piece in orchestra your first (or second) day back.

Here the metaphor reaches its conclusion: if you’ve done the woodshed work, the position will no longer be the thing that renders you powerless when you stumble upon it in a piece this next year. The final battle is when you turn the page and see the marking “IV” over a particularly high passage, and without a second thought you fly through the fingering, impressing stand partner and orchestra director alike. Okay, maybe they didn’t hear you, but chances are you may be one of the few who can sight-read that section.

And that, my friend, makes all that hard work well worthwhile. 🙂