A string player’s left hand manages pitch and intonation. As most of us know, these are not the same thing! Shifting and vibrato are both basic aspects of pitch and are essential tools for any continuing string student. Playing with good intonation is more than a possibility; it is expected (and with no tape on your fingerboard!) Which finger plays which pitch on which string is frequently the cause of much confusion and disagreement, even among good string players and teachers. You could possibly play a pitch over sixteen different ways given four strings and four fingers. What is the right or best finger to use and why? What is the difference between wrist vibrato and arm vibrato? How does kinesthetic memory and basic ear training affect what the left hand should be doing? Basic exercises for beginning or continuing shifting and vibrato will be provided. Bring an instrument, you’ll want to try these exercises out for yourself and take them back to your students.
Target Audience
Teachers of String students
Additional Notes
Clinician Info
Stephen Moore
Santa Clara Unified School District
String pedagogue, violist, conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Stephen Moore teaches in the Santa Clara Unified School District.
Mr. Moore’s extensive experience includes serving as Orchestra Director at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA), Orchestra Director at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Orchestra Representative of CMEA Bay Section, and Secretary and Membership Chair for CALASTA. He has worked with ensembles throughout the Bay Area and conducted the Mt. Diablo Unified School District High School Honor Orchestra, Marin County Honor Orchestra, and San Francisco Unified School District All-City Middle School Orchestra.
A dedicated teacher and violist, orchestras and ensembles under his direction have received numerous unanimous superiors, gold medals, and command performances at local and state festival adjudications. Mr. Moore regularly performs with many Bay Area ensembles including the Santa Cruz Symphony, Opera San Jose, and West Bay Opera.