Posted on June 20, 2008 by Jamie Fiste in Set-up/Form (Left Hand) - Left Hand/Arm
Cello teachers are familiar with the common problems with left hand finger spacing on the cello. When a beginning cellist places his or her hand in first position, the 2nd and 3rd fingers are often too close with large gaps resulting between 1-2 and 3-4. Similarly, 1-3 tends to be too close as does 2-4. To say it another way, with the exception of 2-3, the half steps tend to be too far and the whole steps too close. To help with this problem, I use some simple drills to even out the finger spacing.
First, I begin practicing with the student half steps or adjacent fingers. I use little sayings to help the student remember.
1 and 2, "Right Next to You!" (closer)
2 and 3, "A Stretch There Must Be!" (further)
3 and 4, "Right Next Door!" (closer)
Next I practice whole steps with the student.
1 and 3, "A Stretch There Must Be" (further)
2 and 4, "Stretch a Little More" (further)
Thirdly, I practice three finger patterns and continually remind the student of the sayings mentioned above.
0-1-2-4-4-2-1-0
0-1-3-4-4-3-1-0
I am also of the opinion that a slight slant or pronation in the hand makes it easier to even out finger spacing, especially between 2 and 3 (see video). It is very difficult, especially for beginners, to create enough space between 2 and 3 with a square or boxed hand position.
Thank you for reading. I find these exercises helpful in evening out finger spacing. I hope you find them helpful too. For more information please see How to Teach Even Finger Spacing to Beginning Cellists at CelloProfessor.com