Violin Music With Left Hand Pizzicato Easy

Now that you've learned about Open Strings, it's time to start putting fingers down.

In violin sheet music, each finger on your left hand is given a number (1 through 4) with 1 being your index finger and 4 being your pinky (little) finger. A 0 means "no fingers," in other words play an open string.

When you see a number written above a note on violin sheet music, it means use the corresponding finger to play that note.

D Major Scale. Start on open D and then put down the corresponding fingers for each note. Once you get to the second measure, switch to open A and then continue putting down fingers on the A string.

It is common for sheet music not to include fingerings, as more advanced players (and their teachers) like to make up their own fingerings based upon their own preferences (you will discover later that different fingers can be used to play the same note, but shifting is a lesson for later).

That is one reason why it is often helpful to specifically buy beginner violin sheet music that already has the fingerings written in above the notes.

Suggestions for How to Practice Fingerings

When you first sit down to practice, decide on one or two things you want to focus on improving. If you do this consistently at your practice sessions, you will learn much faster than your peers. Here is a good goal to set for your first lesson:

• Learn the notes on the D string.
  • Memorize which finger corresponds to which note. Try playing them out of order to test how quickly you can recognize each note.
  • Play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star starting on open D. Repeat multiple times, getting faster as you improve.
  • Play a one octave scale starting on D.
  • Play Mary Had a Little Lamb in the D string range.
  • Find other songs you know with a limited note range that will let you focus on the notes on just one string (this week it's D). There are some good beginner booksthat select some well known pieces for you.

After a while, recognizing D string notes will become second nature. This is where you want to be.

After you're pretty comfortable (automatic or semi-automatic) associating sheet music notes with their associated fingerings on your instrument, go through the same process on the G string. After you've mastered that, try the A string, then the E string.

Pizzicato in Sheet Music

If neitherpizz. norarco are explicitly stated in your sheet music, then you should assume the music is meant to be playedarco (with the bow).

Some beginner violin books have you start playing exclusively pizzicato at the very start (regardless of what is indicated in the sheet music), as learning violin bow technique is a whole additional process.

How to Develop Faster Pizzicato

Some pieces call for fast pizzicato, which can be a challenge! A good strategy for both faster pizzicato and helping prevent blisters is to alternate between your first and second finger on your right hand. By using two fingers, you can often double the speed at which you can perform a series of pizzicato notes.

Also find out the best strategy for you: you can bend your fingers to pluck the strings, or you can also keep your finger straight and and move your wrist or your hand to put your finger in contact with the string. Try a variety of techniques. You may find that you like one better than the others, or that it is convenient to switch between them as your fingers get tired, or for different parts of the piece.

Developing Calluses

Check out our article about building calluses for tips about hardening the skin on your fingers to help reduce finger pain. The tips there are for the left hand, but the same principles apply for the right hand when using pizzicato.

Bartók Pizzicato

Bartók Pizzicato

Bartók Pizzicato, also called "Snap Pizzicato," is a special kind of pizzicato indicated by a small circle with a line through it above a note. This is an extra strong type of pizzicato that is performed by using two fingers to lift the string upwards and then let go so that it snaps back into the finger board, producing a slapping sound in addition to the note pitch. You will usually not see the Bartók Pizz in beginner violin sheet music as it is reserved for more advanced pieces of music. It was used extensively by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók.

Source: http://www.beginnerviolintips.com/pizzicato/#.UmXNBJShMVk

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Source: https://sites.google.com/a/esmonline.org/team-orchestra/posture/note-fingers-in-sheet-music

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