TN Musician Vol. 71 No. 2

FINGERS, RELAXED AND CURVED, ABOVE THE STRINGS.
When they don’t insist, they make the future shift
much more difficult! Youthful players often express four
objections or difficulties in shifting:
1. the thumb seems jammed into the neck,
2. a feeling of sticky fingers on the fingerboard,
3. a heaviness in the arm and hand,
4. which can be remedied early, is the fact that the
floor does not support the violin and viola as it
does with cello and string bass.
THE ROLLAND SHUTTLE
The upper strings might be aided in the exercises below
by bracing the scroll against a wall, being careful to place
a cloth, pad or sponge between the scroll and the wall.
The solutions for successful shifting are both mental
and physical.
A. THE ROLLAND SHUTTLE IS AN EARLY SHIFTING EXERCISE, but also an
integral, efficacious exercise for every string class. Place
the fourt fingers on a middle string in low position and tap
four times; slide the whole hand up, including the thumb,
to a middle position and tap four times; slide the whole
hand up to a higher position, tap four times. Repeat as desired.
Paul Rolland 1 and Loretta McNulty 2 and others recommend
the use of the 8va harmonic – a positive variant!
The “Shuttle” exercise can be effectively used in warmup
beginning with the first days of instruction through the
most advanced orchestra program.
B. PLACE A SMALL PIECE OF TOILET PAPER, tissue or small cloth between
the finger and the fingerboard then simply slide up
and down on a middle string. Youthful students somehow
find this exercise entertaining, yet, like the “Shuttle,” this
movement shapes the left hand, correctly places the elbow,
moves the hand as a unit, and frees the “sticky” feeling.
C. LEFT HAND THUMB GAMES ARE ALWAYS IN ORDER. A small piece
of sponge placed between the thumb and neck can help
younger students get the idea of a “soft thumb.” Tapping
and rub- bing the side of the neck are early exercises
quickly done, often overlooked, yet essential to future de-
34 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2019 | Volume 71, No. 2