Playing Mattachins by ear in 3rd position

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Reading notes in 3rd position can be confusing at first, so it can be helpful to start by playing a short piece by ear. You may already be familiar with this short melody from book 1 and from chapter 3 of book 2. For sheet music, piano accompaniments, CD performance tracks, and many more exercises and pieces, order a copy of Violinworks Book 2 here.

How to practise this exercise:

  1. Learn to play it from memory starting on an open A string (listen to the demonstration in the video below).
  2. Learn to play it by ear starting on different 1st-finger notes in 1st position.
  3. Play it in 3rd position starting on 1st-finger D on the A string, 1st-finger G on the D string, 1st-finger C on the G string, and 1st-finger A on the E string.
  4. Work out the note names and write out the four 3rd-position versions on a piece of manuscript paper.

Demonstration video:

 

Backing tracks (there is a two-bar count-in before each track starts): 

Mattachins in G major (in 3rd-position, starting on 1st finger G on the D string)

 

Mattachins in D major (in 3rd-position, starting on 1st finger D on the A string)

 

Mattachins in A major (in 3rd-position, starting on 1st finger A on the E string)

 

Mattachins in C major (in 3rd-position, starting on 1st finger C on the G string)