Looking at my old teaching resources, I just realised I wrote these exercises 10 years ago! The idea came from the realisation of how beneficial was for me to do Schradieck and Ševčík in my student years and how unlikely was that my pupils nowadays would go for it... so I decided to create what I like to call The Left Hand Fingers Workout which basically is a more child-friendly version of Schradieck & Co.
I organised the exercises in 4 categories, depending on the kind of finger movement required:
- Vertical motion: to focus on the dropping & raising movement of the fingers
- Horizontal motion, with two subcategories:
- Direct chromatic movement where the fingers slide
- Indirect chromatic movement where the fingers hop
- Lateral motion: fingers walking across the strings, always one foot on the ground!
- Ideas for higher positions / Make up your own!
I added different bow strokes, slurring, key signatures and more to use as you see fit. Rhythm variations not added but very recommended. You can see some previews below and download it free here: Left Hand Workout.pdf
I also created a simpler one for younger students: bigger print, shorter exercises and starting with the 4th finger to help build the left-hand frame. Left Hand Fingers Workout for little ones.pdf
And yes, viola teachers, I did the same for you! :)
Left Hand Fingers Workout for little ones viola.pdf
