2nd Edition

RGP Shifting Method No Sharps or Flats

2nd Position (Low Form)

GDA E

1st Position

2nd Position
F C G Low Form

B
3rd Position
C G D A

Shifting is when you move your whole left

hand up or down the fingerboard in order to D A E B

change notes. F C

E B
In Book 1 every piece only used the 1st
position. In Book 2 you will learn how play in
2nd and 3rd position.
The RGP technique helps you to move
between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd position.

Release the finger pressure from the string

TEMPLATE
(F♯)

Glide
the whole hand (thumb included) along the neck/ GDA E
fingerboard of the violin. The shifting finger will ‘ghost’ its way A♭ E♭ B♭ F
1st Position
A E B F♯
up the string as it lightly touches the string while shifting.
B♭ F C G

Press the finger down once it has arrived on the new note.
B F♯ C♯ A♭
3rd Position
C G D A

C♯ A♭ E♭ B♭

D A E B

1st finger shifting with 1 sharp E♭ B♭ F C

st-3rd Position Shifting Exercise (1 sharp) 1-1 E

F
B

C
F♯ C♯

G D

Exercise 1: 1st-3rd Position shifting in G major

[Unnamed (treble staff)] F♯ C♯ A♭ E♭

Diagram 1
Use the Diagram 1 on the right to help you with seeing how far your Diagram 1

hand should shift to reach the 3rd position notes. GDA E

#4
1 1 1 1 1 E B 1st Position

& 4˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙
1 1

3rd Position
G D

Ghost between the shifts and listen to the pitch

#
5 1 1 1 1 1

˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙
& ˙ ˙
Diagram 4

GDA E

G major scale - 1st-3rd position 1st Position

Scale and Arpeggio of G major Finger chart 1

C

[Unnamed (treble staff)] 3rd Position

1 Sharp
Use Finger Chart 1 to help you determine where the semitones and tones are when playing No Sharps or Flats
3rd Position
(F♯)2
3rd Position
with 1 sharp (which are the keys of G major or E minor), in 3rd position!
œœœ œœœ
E
GDA E GDA E
#4 œ œ œ
œ œœœœœ
0 1 2

& 4 œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ˙
œœœœ
1st Position 1st Position

Diagram 7

C G D A 3rd Position
CG G
D DA AE 3rd Position

5
# œ œ
œ œ
1 0
2

œ œ
1 4 1 3 0
3 3
& œ
1st Position
D A E B D A E B

œ œ œ œ œ w
F C C

E B E B F♯
3 3 G 3rd Position
F C G D C G D

F♯ 3

B♭
2
3 Flats 1 Flat
(B♭ E♭ A♭) (B♭)
 Kayaking down
the Tarwin
Try playing Kayaking down the Tarwin while

Kayaking Down the Tarwin

reading the music.
Then, when you feel extra confident, close the
book and try playing it from memory!

[Unnamed (treble staff)] Playing from memory is a great skill to develop,

and makes any performance even more special
Nicole
for the player and Billimoria
the audience!
Andante q = 116

# 4 ≥ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙™
1 1 1 1 1 1

& 4œ œ
5
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
˙ œ
2 4 2 1 1

& œ œ w
# ≥
9
j
& Ϫ
1 2

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ w

# ˙™
13

œ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ
1 3 1 1 1 1 1

& œ œ
17
#œ œ œ
œ E melodic
œ and
œ ˙ harmonic
œ œ minor
œ œ
2 4 2 1 1

& w
[UnnamedMark
(treble staff)]
in the semitones of
poco rall
the scale with your pencil to
help you remember whether

Scale and Arpeggio of E melodic and harmonic minor

your fingers should be a tone
apart or a semitone apart!

#4 œ œ
& 4 œ œ œ œ œ#œ#œ nœnœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
#
5
3
œ œ œ
& œ œ œ w
3

Points for Parents

Purpose Tips Teacher Checklist Theory
• To practise shifting from 1st to 3rd • Listen carefully to the ‘ghost’ note • Can shift using the RGP technique. • Poco rall . . . stands for poco
position with the 1st finger, using when shifting (the sound the finger • Listens to the ‘ghost’ note while rallentando which means gradually
the Release, Glide, and Press (RGP) makes when lightly gliding between gliding the finger up or down the becoming a little slower.
technique as shown in Diagram 1. 1st and 3rd position) and only press string. • A dot preceding a note lengthens
• To learn the note names in 3rd down on the string when you can it by half of its value. i.e. a dotted
• Student shifts using the whole
hear the correct pitch of the new
position, remembering that there is
note.
Copyright © 2013
hand, and the thumb always minim lasts for a minim plus a
an F#. remains opposite the pointer finger. crotchet (3 crotchet beats in total).
• To practise sight-reading in 1st and • Without using the bow, hold the
3rd position. violin and place the fingers on
the fingerboard while saying the
note names aloud in 3rd position.
Finger Chart 1 can help you identify
whether fingers are a tone or a
semitone apart.
3
 D A E B

F C

E B

2nd finger shifting

with naturals

A melodic and harmonic minor

Scale and arpeggio of A harmonic and melodic minor
TEMPLATE
(F♯)

[Unnamed (treble staff)] GDA E

A♭ E♭ B♭ F
Notice the figure 3 inside a bracket over the notes of line 3? This is called a triplet A E B F♯
1st Position

configuration. This means that 3 crotchet beats are played in the space of 2! B♭ F C G

œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ
B F♯ C♯ A♭

4 œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ
3rd Position

œ
C G D A

&4 œ œ #œ œ œ œœœ
C♯ A♭ E♭ B♭

œ œ œ œ œ˙
D A E B

E♭ B♭ F C

E B F♯ C♯

5
œ#œ #œ œ nœ nœ œ œ
F C G D

œ œœ œ œ œ œnœ
F♯ C♯ A♭ E♭

& œ#œ#œ nœ œ œ œ œ
œœœœ ˙
Diagram 1

GDA E
9
œ œ œ
œ œ œ
3 3 1st Position

œ
E B

&
œ œ œ œ œ w
1 1

3rd Position
G D
3 3

Diagram 4
Exercise 8: 1st-3rd position shifting in C major Diagram 4

1-3 position
This exercise shifts betweenshifting
a C to an E as shownex in 4.CNotice
in Diagram major 2-2
how the B and C
GDA E

begin close together and then spread apart once in 3rd position. 1st Position

[Unnamed (treble staff)] C

3rd Position

œ ˙ œ œ œ
& 42 œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙
2 2 2 2 2 2 E

Diagram 7

C major - 3rd position GDA E

Finger chart 4
Scale and arpeggio of C major
1st Position

[Unnamed (treble staff)]

No Sharps or Flats

œœœ œœœ
3rd Position
3rd GPosition

4 œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœ
G 3D A E

œ œ
1

&4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ˙ B♭ 1st Position

5
œ œ œ
œ œ œ 3
3 3 1
1

œ
1 4 2 4 4 2 4 3 1
3 C G D10 A 3rd Position

& œ œ œ œ œ w
Diagram

GDA E
D A E B
F
3 3 F 1C 1st Position

E B G 2nd Position
Low Form
F C G D

3 Flats
(B♭ E♭ A♭)
3rd Position
12 GDA E
 Sea Biscuit

Sea Biscuit The term ‘swing’ is used to describe a unique feel

to playing music, commonly used in jazz styles.
It loosens the rhythm of quavers.
A triplet occurs when 3 notes are played in the
space of 2. This rhythm can be said as ‘tri-o-la’.
Nicole Billimoria
Syncopation is when there is an interruption to
the regular flow of the rhythm.

≥ œ≤ œ œ
Swing q = 120
≥ œ ˙
1
2 œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
2

œ ‰J
2 0 2

&4
œœœœ ˙
mp
9
≥ œ ˙ 2
œ œ. œ. œ œ
œ
2 1 4 2

& œ œ ˙
≤
œ≥ œ≤ œ. œ œ œ j œ œ
17
œ œ œœ œ œ ˙
2 2 4 4

& J J œ J œ.
25
≥œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ
& J J
≤ ≤
31 3 3

& œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ #œ ˙ >œ Œ

œ œ œ œ

≥œ œ ˙ ≥ œ≤ œ œ œ œ œ
39
œ
2

‰J œ œ œ œ œ ˙
2 0 2

& œ
mf
47
≥ œ ˙ 2
œœœœ ˙ œ œ. œ. œ œ
œ
2 2

& œ œ ˙

Points for Parents

Purpose Tips Teacher Checklist Theory
• To practise shifting from 1st to 3rd • Practise saying the rhythm in time • Can play all the notes in tune and in • Let's find out the key signature!
position using the 2nd finger as with the metronome on the bars, time with the metronome. It has no sharps or flats, so it must be
shown in Diagram 4 on the previous which use syncopation and triplets. • Uses the RGP shifting technique. in either A minor or C major.
page. • Learn where the semitones lie in 3rd • Understands where the semitones However, since it ends on an A and has
• To revise playing in a swing style. position by studying finger chart 4 lie in 1st and 3rd position in the key many G#s throughout the piece it is in
• To learn playing with triplets (3 (page 12) of C major and/or A minor. the key of A minor (G# is the 7th scale
quaver beats in the space of 2). degree of A minor and is often raised
by a semitone in minor keys to change
the colour of the melody).

13