Hi, I'm Ailbhe McDonagh. In this video, we are talking about shifting. This is the first of four videos I have created about learning to shift on the cello.
Shifting literally means moving your hand from one position to another. There are four specific types of shifting, and in this first lesson, we look at the easiest one: shifting on the same finger.
Same finger shifting
This occurs when you start on a finger (e.g., 1st finger) and arrive on the same finger in a new position.
- Hearing the pitch: before you move, try to hear the note you are going to in your head. Knowing the destination pitch helps your hand find the right spot.
Physical movement: the puppet string
The movement comes from a combination of the elbow and wrist.
- Imagine a piece of string is tied around your wrist (like a puppet).
- As you shift up, the wrist lifts slightly, pulling the hand with it.
- The motion is smooth: lift up, glide and drop down.
Weight control: the 60% rule
If you keep 100% of your playing weight in the string while shifting, you will get stuck and hear a heavy slide.
- Release: lift about 60% of the weight out of the string as you move.
- Glissando: you should hear a light "ghost" slide (glissando), not a heavy drag.
Speed and timing
Think of shifting like driving a car up to traffic lights.
- Fast start: the big movement happens at the beginning.
- Slow stop: as you approach the note, you slow down for a smooth arrival.