1st position

Main principles

Use the weight of the fingers, hand and the arm to move the string down to the fingerboard
When the finger is not playing, it should be resting
Remind yourself to relax the thumb
If the 2nd finger plays, the 1st one rests on the string. If the 3rd finger plays, 2nd and 1st rests on the string, etc.

D major scale

Here is a video of how D major scale (1 octave) should be executed in the 1st position. Firstly play the scale 1 note per bow, then increase to 2, 4 and 8 notes per bow. Don't hesitate to play along!

Here is the sheet music of D major scale.

G major scale

The same ideas are applied also in the scale of G major (1 octave). The left hand finger pattern stays the same, only we play everything one string lower. Join me!

Here is the sheet music of G major scale.

C major scale (2 octaves!)

Let's step it up and add one octave to our scale. We play 2 octaves of C major scale. Notice how the finger pattern changes dependent on which string you play - on the lower strings C and G follow the finger pattern 0, 1, 3, 4. On the D string play the pattern 0, 1, 2, 4 until you reach the 2nd finger on A string. Take a listen how it sounds.

Here is the sheet music of C major scale (2 octaves).

Take some time to practice these scales with the help of the given scores and videos. When you feel confident about the 1st position, it is time to explore the 4th position (yes, we jump right to the 4th!)

4th position

If you wish to jump to some other topic, just click the button

If you are looking for an experienced cello teacher in The Hague, don't hesitate to contact me.

Cello lessons

Liutauras Žilaitis

Cellist & Cello teacher

liutauras.zilaitis@gmail.com

1st position

Main principles

Use the weight of the fingers, hand and the arm to move the string down to the fingerboard

When the finger is not playing, it should be resting

Remind yourself to relax the thumb

If the 2nd finger plays, the 1st one rests on the string. If the 3rd finger plays, 2nd and 1st rests on the string, etc.