Tips and strategies for shifting

[gfury]

I've reviewed this thread on shifting vs position playing. It references the Sierra Hull video which shows a simple shifting technique.

I'm looking for additional strategies and exercises for practicing shifts. This is a significant gap in my skill-set. I get lost fairly quickly when I shift.

[Josh Levine]

One way to work on shifting positions is to connect a scale at the octave and go up from there. For example if you are playing in G and play a G scale starting at the open G, you would eventually hit the octave on the 5th fret of the D string. If you can slide your index finger up to that G note on the 5th fret of the D string you have shifted positions and are playing out of the closed scale position.

I also use slides all of the time to shift between different double stop positions. So if I am playing out of the G chop position and my fingers are on the 5th fret of the D and 2nd fret of the A strings, I may slide up to the 9th fret of the D and the 5th fret of the A. I am still working out of the G chord but have transitioned out of the G chop shape. Additionally, if I am playing in G and change to C I may start by playing the 2nd or 5th fret of the D and 3rd fret on the A but then slide up to the chop position for C which would be 10th fret D and 7th Fret A. And I may slide back down to resolve. Same goes for D.

Hope this isn’t too confusing to visualize. Maybe I will make a video if I find some time.

[Josh Levine]

[gfury]

Thank you.

I've been working on some of that double-stop shifting. It's a great tool for filling out breaks.

After viewing this I realize that the part I'm really struggling with is shifting down. Practice makes perfect .....

[gfury]

duplicate post deleted

[WJF]

I'd recommend grabbing one or more of the violin books that cover shifting in depth.

My favorite is the Yost book. It's 20 pages worth of work and skips etudes in favor of exercises that get right to the point - getting the right finger to the right place when moving from one position to another.

The Whistler books are also a great introduction. Volume 1 covers 1st, 3rd, and 5th positions, Volume 2 looks at 2nd, 4th, 6th & 7th. They are clear and well laid out, with exercises, etudes, and pieces. Don't skip learning 2nd and 4th positions. They are important.

After that, Sevcik op.8 explores every conceivable combination of positions in excruciating detail. If it ain't in there, you'll never, ever need it.

Hope this helps!

[mandocello8]

unasked question: why shift? (a) to avoid string crossings (for many reasons), (b) to play "cannot get from here to there" tunes, examples:
- Exploding Bow reel (Bm), jump from middle B to high D. https://thesession.org/tunes/16070 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-TQ1dYWmk
- Anne Lacey's reel (Gm), easy stretch G to Bf on mandolin, becomes a shift on the octave. https://thesession.org/tunes/9593 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVj1yWJhbS4

[WJF]

unasked question: why shift? (a) to avoid string crossings (for many reasons), (b) to play "cannot get from here to there" tunes, examples:
- Exploding Bow reel (Bm), jump from middle B to high D. https://thesession.org/tunes/16070 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-TQ1dYWmk
- Anne Lacey's reel (Gm), easy stretch G to Bf on mandolin, becomes a shift on the octave. https://thesession.org/tunes/9593 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVj1yWJhbS4

To expand on your point about avoiding string crossings and why someone might want to do that ... two primary reasons come immediately to mind:
a) The phrase might become easier to play and / or ...
b) By avoiding a string crossing and playing a phrase on one string instead, you're better able to maintain consistent tone across a group of notes