Shifting is an extremely important part of playing violin correctly and keeping your notes beautiful and in tune. But it can be very difficult and frustrating for beginners who are still learning how to play violin! Here are 4 of the best simple exercises you can do to keep your shifting tight and in tune at all times without stressing your hand, wrist or elbow.

1. Three Octave Scales. Do 3 octave scales from a scale book, but instead of doing them normally and shifting at a moderate or fast pace, put a metronome to 60 and practice it as slow as possible. This will ingrain the feeling of each shift into your head until shifting becomes as relaxed and natural as breathing.

2. Arpeggios. Arpeggiation can help your brain quickly memorize the feeling of each level on the fingerboard and has much faster shifting than a scale, so it can be a bit more challenging. Try practicing just one octave arpeggios on each string very slowly so that you are forced to shift up and down each time you play, memorizing the position of the shift.

3. Slide the notes. This is a simple exercise that consists of playing a note in first position, then sliding up to play the note just above it so that you can actually hear yourself shift. You can play this very slowly as well and use the open strings to test each note you play and make sure it is exceptionally in tune.

Follow each of those once per day and you should notice an increase in confidence shifting and completing scales and arpeggios on the violin!