Teaching Even Finger Spacing on the Cello

[chas5131]

Good lesson

Thank you

[chas5131]

To be taken seriously, dress a bit better for the videos

[chainstoking]

2nd & 3rd fingers are more rarely close than wide. A 1 octave D maj scale 0 1 3 4 0 1 3 4 Or a C Maj 4 0 1 2 4 0 1 2. Do you use Strange fingerings for inexperienced students? D flat scale may require a 3 as Tonic & 2 as Leading note but by the time students are playing these difficult scales this should have been sorted. Also if you are playing a 1 octave D Maj Scale, why insist on having the 2nd finger (F nat) close to the 1st when it isnt even heard anyway? Let it follow the 3rd (F#).

[CelloProfessor]

"2nd & 3rd fingers are more rarely close than wide."

I totally disagree.

[OhdangBmanandRobn]

Im not a beginner but spacing is my 2nd biggest issue . Its amazing how fast your advice works. its just really hard to retrain my fingers and get them into the habit of spacing. thanks.

[ludocresh5]

what brand is your cello?

[sibelius27]

I find generally speaking that apart from in a chromatic ascending or descending passage we don't often use the second and the third fingers. In fact never for beginners. I encourage "expressive" intonation which exaggerates the closeness of semi-tones. IE to flatten minor thirds or sharpen leading notes. As a result the only finger patterns would be 1-2-4 or 1-3-4. The 2nd and 3rd fingers can be close in either case.

[CelloProfessor]

"The 2nd and 3rd fingers can be close in either case."

I prefer to nip that in the bud and not have have the student develop that habit. You'll have to break it later.