Play open string, then 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fingers. Okay, on your violin fingerboard, start on the G string and let’s build our way up to third position. You can play this universal finger pattern pretty much anywhere on the violin (just don’t start on the E string) and you’ll get a scale. There will be a whole step between the first and second fingers, a whole step between the second and third fingers, and a half step between the third and fourth fingers. Now if you know the universal scale finger pattern that I talk about in my violin third position course, this makes so much more sense! Basically, the universal finger pattern involves two strings with the same finger pattern on both strings. Easy One Octave Third Position Violin Scales C Major Scale in Third Position on the Violinįirst off, let’s learn the C major scale in third position. Let’s start off with the easiest one octave scales in third position. Master Third Position Basics for the Violin My Online Violin Studio has several courses that will help you “speak the language” like a native speaker! Courses That Will Help You Learn Third PositionĬreative Scales for the Experimental Violinist And if you don’t understand how to “speak the language” then learning advanced concepts like third position will always be a challenge. Many people find third position difficult to learn, and I think that’s because they don’t truly understand the language of the violin. It will make the violin instantly make more sense! I talk about this in depth in my Creative Scales Course for the Experimental Violinist (part of my online studio). By the way, every violinist should know the half step patterns in scales. Don’t worry, if you need to brush up on how scales work, watch the following video for a quick overview. Now if you’re not familiar with scale theory, learning third position scales might be pretty tricky. Since first position favors most of the same key signatures, it makes sense to learn third position next. This is one reason why we generally teach third position on the violin after first position. With third position scales on the violin, C major, G major, and D major feel very comfortable. In second position, the keys of B and F major seem to fit well. For instance, with first position scales on the violin, the keys of G, D, and A major make a lot of sense. You’ll notice certain key signatures make more sense in certain positions.

If you are starting to learn third position then it’s time to start practicing third position scales on the violin.

B flat major scale violin 4 octave