Learning the Cello - Shifting

 Left Hand - Intonation - Finger Operation - Extensions - Double Stops - Thumb Position

Shifting is a poor way to describe what is really a glide, rather than an abrupt movement like the word "shift" implies. 

Students usually want to shift faster than is necessary. I usually have to tell them a story (which is true) that one of my students got marked down in an audition for shifting too fast. If you shift too fast for the rhythm that you need, then it interferes with the sound. You may not even notice that the timing is off unless you listen carefully. It's best to just say, "shift more slowly than you think you need to". I tell students, "you have more time than you think".

Beginning to shift

Once you can play Twinkle in D major in first position (or a Twinkle variation) with ease, it is good to then substitute the octave harmonics for the open string notes. Always play the octave harmonics with your ring finger and you will be playing in 5th position. In playing Twinkle this way, you are practicing shifting from first to 5th position and it's an excellent exercise for many reasons. It gets you out of first position, you will find your balance doing this, it's good for the brain and playing harmonics makes bowing on the string easier.  

To understand the different positions, I use Rick Mooney's book called Position Pieces (vol. 1 and then vol. 2). I really like that there are photos of the left hand in relation to first and 4th position. I also like the charts to write in and his creative, useful duets!

You will have to have more 4th position practice than what Rick Mooney gives in his book because there are several new things to practice and his 4th position pieces go from simple to very complex technique. An important thing you have to learn is to get from 4th position back to first.  If you don't teach students how to do a "flip shift", they will try to lift the hand and jump back to first position. Here's a practice sheet for this:

 How to go from 1st to 4th position in the G major scale has got a completely different feel. As you play the D in first position on the A string, let thumb slide a tiny bit leftwards so the elbow can rise. "Elbow Up" is one of my most frequently used phrases! The elbow must rise up before you glide up to 4th position or you will crash. I like to demonstrate crashing into the cello with an elbow that didn't rise because it demonstrates something nasty that the student would like to avoid. I usually say "bunch up your fingers" so that first finger can take over quickly but you don't want to overdo that. Here's a sheet I hand out to practice this:

Below is the most important shifting exercise to practice for many weeks/months in order to get used to shifting from 1st to 4th position and back. In this you can learn how to "prepare the shift" which involves changing the level of your left arm by learning how to move your upper arm before the hand moves. 

Practice "Sailing" on all 4 strings, with and without vibrato. Don't forget to prepare your shifts. You can also sing "sailing up, sailing down" while playing it.

(sailing video) 

When you are ready to learn to play in 5th position (not just the harmonics) I start with an exercise similar to "Sailing". I discovered that starting on the C string will encourage a high elbow which is what you want not only for the lower strings but for playing in 5th position. 

(shifting to 5th video)