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Hi I’m Vi Wickam, and this is another Quick Tip!
This tip is especially for violinists and fiddlers.
A lot of times people don’t know when to use their 4th finger and when to not use their 4th finger. So this Quick Tip is the general rules for when you use your 4th finger, and when you should use an open string.
The general rule is use the 4th finger if it makes it easier for you. The times when it makes it easier for you, is when it avoids a string change.
So, if I’m doing […], that’s going to be an easier place to play a 4th finger, than to do […], because it avoids a string change.
Especially if I’m doing […] – that’s a great place to use an open string, because the next note after it is going to be on the E string.
That’s your general rule…is if it keeps you on the same string, then use your 4th finger.
The other time we use our 4th finger, is when it’s just going to make it sound prettier.
When we’re playing a slow, pretty song… And the 4th finger is going to sound prettier and softer than an open string. So, it’s going to give us a different texture. So, with those two general rules said…
The exeption to the first rule is where we’re using an open string to give us an effect. So just like we can use a 4th finger to give us an effect, we can use an open string to give us a similar effect.
When we’re doing a repeated pattern that has open strings in it, or string changes in it, and we get in the groove of that string change, and the groove of that pattern, and it really gives us kind of a fun effect.
So that’s the other reason we would use an open string, even though we’re just playing one note on that open string — on, and doing string changes.
Because it’s kind of part of a “shuffley” kind of pattern, or pattern that’s is a rhythmic pattern, that we use an open string for an effect.
So I hope you learned something, I hope you enjoyed this! Tune in next week for another Quick Tip!
Have a great week!
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