2.1. Finger Placement and Accurac’ It is vital that one adopt a strong lef-hnnd “stance” and place the fingers in a position which allows for maximum reach and flexibility, [As you cau see fiom the illustration below, the fingers ef the left hand are uot all pluced oa the centre of | ‘he fingertips. Rather. an advantageous position for the left hand is as follows: ‘The first linger (1) plays on the left side of ats tip. The second finger (2) plays just tothe Ia ofits tp. ‘The thud finger (3) plays sost to the sight of its tp. The forth finger ($) makes contact on the right side oft tip. ‘This position brings the larger muscles on either side of the limd into play, not necessarily to support fingers 1 and 4 (although this is a benefit), but to balance the whole hand and give it a stronger. more sect stance, It also allows for greater finger dexterity. Notice the opice between the middle joint of cach linger. They're act touching! Not only are they not touching, but there is an mtentional amcuat of extra space. This allows the fingers to spread apart and. reach with greater opeed whea aecescary. Never allow these joints to touch, Thio actually take more muscular effort than Keeping them apart, and the buzzword of this book is “economy”: economy of effort, economy of encrgy, economy af motion. As for the thumb, Keep it just under the second finger. This helps to distribute the pressure evenly benwveen the fingers and mm, creating a sort of vice‘A descending stur, or pull-off, has the same sort of a “snap” to it, with only a few extra components, In the (wo following illustrations, you can see what a secure pull-off looks like, and what an all too common but insecure pull-off looks like.EF [Eis crucial thatthe fingers be able ro manoeuvre independently alone snather. Te folowing exercises are designed to increase both vertical and horizontal dexterity, Some ae also incorporated into the Daily Warm-up Routme on page 48 of this book. uy Poe irGy 2.5.1. Exercise #1 Put doun or “fix” the fingers indicated on the third sting. Play the notes indicated with the fre finger Iralways helps me to think of the fixed fingers as being outed fo the vary back of the neck and the free ‘ager 26 being as Light asa feather [also prefx practicing these im the fit position, where the ets awe closer together and the horizontal reac is easier and therefore less fatiguing over an extended period of sume,“To climb steep bills requires slow pace at first.” ‘+ William Shakespeare # “CRS