In and Out of Thumb Position
I find it hard sometimes (to know) when to put my thumb up.
Let's play a C major scale...
and think about the thumb coming up.
Can you remember anything about elbow level?
It changes when I'm here because I don't want my wrist to be broken. >>Right.
And I guess when I'm in first position I want to feel the weight of my hand,
so my elbow isn't really high or anything.
I don't want to trap tension here or anything,
so I just grab it and find that natural height, and then I put my hands up.
I like that. You're hanging. You're feeling weight. You're feeling depth.
Now my elbow is too low to get over the hump, right? So is yours.
That needs a level change.
When you go to the A, it should prepare. >>Oh.
Doesn't that feel better? >>Yeah. It wasn't abrupt.
Right, so play fourth finger G.
All right. And come back down.
Right. So look. Going in and out of thumb position feels like a half circle. >>Okay.
This is used to go over the hump, but the other thing it's used for, wherever you are,
it's used to bring your thumb up.
You don't even have to shift. You can just stay there.
Let's say you want to bring your thumb up,
you want to put your thumb down.
Do it down here. Right.
So if you're thumb up, you start from here. >>Okay.
Okay.
So now next question, you're playing a scale.
Do you shift and then bring your thumb up? >>Yeah.
Or do you shift and then bring your thumb up at the same time?
Again, you have to maybe be able to do both because you need both in music.
But let's say if we're eventually going to play the scale faster,
it's probably nice to learn how to bring the thumb up with the shift.
That's right. >>Okay.
And come down.
When you come down, this actually has to start down earlier than you think.
It's going to bring the thumb down, but it begins. >>Okay.
[Katz] When raising or lowering the thumb or going over the side bout of the cello,
try mentally feeling and visualizing your new elbow level before you begin the shift.
Know in your mind and body where you want to go before you begin.
This is equally true on descending shifts as well as ascending shifts.
Watch the lesson.
The motion you see in and out of thumb position will feel like a semicircular motion.
The back and upper arm initiate the motion,
and the entire arm from upper arm to hand should move together in one piece.
Before you leave and after you arrive, the finger should feel balanced and comfortable.
Trust the wisdom of the body.
If you arrive and your new position feels awkward, you have not found your answer.
Check that the wrist stays flat throughout the motion,
that the finger arrives in a position that is the way you feel balanced and comfortable
and that you have not hunched your shoulders or tightened your thumb or hand.