Grade 4 ABRSM violin is where the left hand finally leaves first position. Real 2nd and 3rd position shifting becomes required, melodic minor enters the playing syllabus, more flat/sharp keys (E♭, E, A♭) appear, and the right hand learns spiccato — the controlled bouncing bow. The repertoire moves into early concertos and substantial Baroque sonatas.

Series map: 00 Beginner → 01 Grade 1 → 02 Grade 2 → 03 Grade 3 → 04 Grade 4 (this post) → 05 Grade 5 → … → 08 Grade 8.

Learning Outcome

Play two-octave scales in all keys up to 3 sharps and 3 flats majors.
Play melodic minor in playing form (not just paper).
Shift cleanly to 2nd and 3rd position and back.
Begin spiccato (controlled bouncing bow) on open strings + simple scales.
Identify all interval qualities at sight.
Play 6–8 Grade 4 pieces including one early concerto movement.

Chapter 1 — Position shifting becomes routine

3rd position — the workhorse

3rd position is the second most used position after 1st. Most professional violinists spend 60–70% of playing time in 1st or 3rd.

Finding 3rd position

On the A string:

Play open A.
Slide 1st finger up until it sounds D5 (the same pitch as 3rd finger in 1st position).
Now: 1=D5, 2=E5, 3=F♯5 (in D major), 4=G5.

Other strings analogous:

G string: 1=C, 2=D, 3=E (depending on key), 4=F or F♯.
D string: 1=G, 2=A, 3=B (or B♭), 4=C.
E string: 1=A, 2=B, 3=C♯ (or C), 4=D.

The shift motion

Three components, in this order:

Release finger pressure (don't lift the finger — just release the press).
Thumb and hand travel together up the neck.
Press the new finger at the target.

The finger that leads the shift is called the guide finger. In a 1→3 shift, the guide is whichever finger is currently down — usually 1.

Trick: practise silent shifts. Bow open string, shift the left hand up and down while the bow drones the open string. You should hear no glissando — only the open string ringing. If you hear a "scrape", the guide finger is pressing too hard during the slide.

2nd position

Less common than 3rd. The hand sits halfway between 1st and 3rd. On the A string: 1=C♯/C, 2=D, 3=E, 4=F♯/F.

2nd position is the answer when a phrase sits just above 1st position but doesn't go high enough to need 3rd. Used for awkward fingerings, not new pitches.

First, second and third position on the A string in D major, showing that finger 3 in first position is finger 1 in third position

How to choose position

Reason	Position to use
Reach high notes	Higher position
Stay on same string (tone colour)	Whatever position keeps you there
Avoid awkward string crossing	The position that smooths the line
Score marks it	Composer chose; obey
Difficult fingering pattern	Try 2nd position

Chapter 2 — Melodic minor in playing

Grade 3 introduced melodic minor on paper. Grade 4 requires playing.

D melodic minor (one or two octaves)

Ascending: D E F G A B C♯ D — raise 6 (B) and 7 (C♯).
Descending: D C B♭ A G F E D — back to natural.

Fingering (one octave on D + A):

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Ascending:
D string:  D   1=E   2=F   3=G
A string:  A   1=B(normal pos)   2=C♯   3=D
 
Descending:
A string:  D   2=C   1=B♭(low!)   A
D string:  3=G   2=F   1=E   D

That B♭ on descent / B♮ on ascent on the same string is the tricky part. Same finger (1), different position.

Where I got stuck: my hand could not switch B♮ ↔ B♭ in one scale. Fix: bow only the A string portion (B♭ down, B♮ up) until the finger shape change became automatic. Don't add the rest of the scale until that bar is reliable.

All Grade 4 minors

Minor	Form	Octaves
D minor	Harmonic + Melodic	2
G minor	Harmonic + Melodic	1 (some 2)
A minor	Harmonic + Melodic	2
E minor	Harmonic + Melodic	1 or 2

Six combinations to practise. Allocate one minor per day, rotate.

Chapter 3 — Spiccato: the controlled bounce

Spiccato is the foundation of all advanced bowing. The bow lifts off the string between notes — not because you lifted it, but because the bow's elasticity bounces it.

How spiccato works

The bow is flexible. When dropped onto the string and pulled, the wood + hair vibrate vertically — they want to bounce. Find the "sweet spot" (middle to slightly upper-middle of the bow), drop with just enough weight, draw a short stroke, and the bow rebounds for the next note.

Spiccato practice progression

Drop test. Hold the bow over the A string, let it fall from 1 cm above, watch it bounce. Find the bow position where bounce is most controlled (usually 4–6 inches above the middle, near the balance point).
One bounce per drop. Drop, lift, drop. Slow.
Two bounces per drop without re-lifting. The bow bounces itself.
Continuous bouncing on open string at metronome 60.
Add scale notes. D major scale, spiccato.
Speed up gradually to 100, then 120.

Trick: spiccato fails when you grip the bow. Relax thumb + pinky; let the bow do the work. If your wrist hurts after spiccato practice, you're forcing it. Stop, shake out, restart looser.

Détaché vs spiccato vs staccato — quick distinction

Bowing	Bow contact	Sound
Détaché	On string	Smooth separation
Spiccato	Bounces off	Light, dancing
Staccato	On string, sharp stop	Short, dry
Slurred staccato	On string, multiple stops one direction	Pulsed long line

Chapter 4 — New keys: E major, A♭ major

E major (4 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯)

1
2
3 E string:  E   1=F♯   2=G♯   3=A   4=B
A string:  A(open) → continues up

Fingering: high 2 everywhere (F♯, C♯, G♯), plus a high 3 for G♯ on the D string and D♯ on the A string. Coming after the flat keys, E major feels easy because the fingers sit "high" and two open strings (E and A) are in the key.

A♭ major (4 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭)

The hardest playable key at Grade 4. Two "low" fingers on most strings; A♭ itself (instead of open A) creates an unusual hand position.

Most editions require A♭ for one octave only at Grade 4. Two-octave A♭ is Grade 5+.

Trick: don't memorise A♭ note-by-note. Memorise it as a modified D major shape, with low 1 on the D string and a low everywhere else. Pattern recognition over note recall.

Chapter 5 — All four cadences (theory)

Grade 4 paper requires recognition of all four cadences:

Cadence	Chords	Sound	Example
Perfect (Authentic)	V → I	"Full stop"	End of Twinkle
Plagal ("Amen")	IV → I	"Settled, churchy"	"Amen" at hymn end
Imperfect (Half)	any → V	"Hanging question"	Mid-phrase pause
Interrupted	V → vi (instead of I)	"Surprise"	Romantic deception

Identify by ear in aural: play tonic chord + the cadence chord. Listen to the resolution.

Trick: sing "Happy Birthday" — the last two chords are V → I, perfect. Sing the church "Amen" at the end of any hymn — that's IV → I, plagal. Pre-load these references; any cadence question becomes "which of my references does this match?".

Chapter 6 — Suggested Practice Pieces

Suzuki Vol. 4 staples

Piece	Composer	Why
Concerto in A minor, 1st movement	Vivaldi	The Suzuki 4 capstone; first real concerto
Concerto No. 2 in G, 3rd movement	Vivaldi	Companion concerto, brighter mood
Bourrée (from Lute Suite)	Bach	Compound rhythm + cross-string slurs
Perpetual Motion	Bohm	Speed étude
Largo	Vivaldi	Slow movement; vibrato preparation

ABRSM Grade 4 alternatives

Piece	Composer	Why
Sonata in G	Telemann	Baroque sonata structure
Tambourin	Gossec	Famous staccato show piece
Andante	Mozart	Singing Classical line
Hungarian Dance No. 5	Brahms (arr.)	Folk fire; rubato test

Vivaldi Concerto in A minor: a deeper note

The first movement is the first concerto every Suzuki violinist plays. It includes:

Energetic 16th-note passages
A cadenza-like solo break
Sequences (repeating patterns at different pitches)
Multiple shifts to 3rd position
A sense of dialogue between soloist and orchestra

Practise this slowly: 4 weeks at half tempo before any attempt at performance speed.

Chapter 7 — Aural / Listening Skills

Grade 4 adds:

Sing back a 4-bar phrase with one or two leaps.
Identify cadences (perfect, plagal, imperfect, interrupted).
Identify features in a passage (modulation? change of texture?).
Sight-sing a simple 4-bar phrase (Grade 4+ feature).

Sight-singing strategy

Look at the time signature + key signature.
Hum the tonic note (the examiner gives it).
Trace the contour with your finger silently.
Sing slowly with the rhythm correct.
Don't worry about perfect pitch — relative shape matters more than absolute tuning at Grade 4.

Chapter 8 — Common Grade 4 Pitfalls

Pitfall	Fix
Shift sounds like a glissando	Lighter thumb; silent practice
Spiccato sounds scratchy	Relax grip; find the right bow spot
Melodic minor uses harmonic form descending	Mark "natural here ↓" in score for first month
A♭ major scale fingers slip	Pattern memorise (low/normal map) rather than note-name
Vivaldi tempo too fast too soon	Half tempo for 2 weeks, ¾ for 1 week, full only week 4
Bow arm exhausted by spiccato	Spiccato is wrist + finger, not arm. Drop arm tension
Position guess wrong	Pencil-mark "III" or "II" above first note of every shifted passage

Useful Shortcut

Cheat-sheet

What	How
3rd position 1st finger	Plays what 3rd-finger plays in 1st pos
Shift mechanics	Release pressure → travel → press new finger
Melodic minor	Up: raise 6+7. Down: natural
Spiccato sweet spot	Middle to slightly upper-middle of bow
E major	"Easy" — high fingers; open E and A are in the key
A♭ major	Hardest Grade 4 key; pattern recognition
Perfect cadence	V → I — "full stop"
Plagal cadence	IV → I — "Amen"
Imperfect cadence	... → V — "question"
Interrupted cadence	V → vi — "surprise"

Daily routine (60 min)

Block	Time	Content
Tune	2 min	Tuner + 5ths
Bow warm-up	7 min	Long bows + spiccato drill on open A
Scales	15 min	2 major + 2 minor (har + mel) two-octave
Shifting drill	5 min	Silent shift 1↔3 on each string
Études	8 min	Wohlfahrt or Kayser study
Sight-read	5 min	New piece
Repertoire	16 min	Vivaldi concerto or current piece
Cool-down	2 min	Slow open string, listen to tone

Suggested listening (context)

Piece	Performer	Why
Vivaldi A minor Concerto	Anne-Sophie Mutter or Itzhak Perlman	The piece you're learning, played pro
Bach Double Concerto in D minor	Hahn + Lara St. John	Future repertoire (Grade 5–6)
Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G	Anne-Sophie Mutter	Standard concerto life-goal
Sarasate — Zigeunerweisen	Sarah Chang	Spiccato showcase + Romantic fire
Paganini — Caprice No. 24	Salvatore Accardo	Pinnacle of bow technique; aspirational