Moving up or down the fingerboard with the left hand is considered to be a position shift. Use pitch guides/reference notes as often as necessary before and after reaching notes in new positions. Try humming the target notes before you play them.
There are two types of shift: innerhand shift and overhand shift
Innerhand Shift
This involves moving the left hand only a short distance, within the width of the hand, where one finger replaces another.
For example, place the fourth finger of the left hand on the note Bb on the G-string and strike the string with a right-hand finger (or use the bow).
Play the same Bb successively using left-hand fingers 2, 1, 2, 4.
You will have played the same Bb five times and ended up in the starting position, i.e. your left hand has moved up and down the fingerboard in two
successive semitone shifts in each direction.
You can also do a whole tone shift where the first finger replaces the fourth or vice versa.
Do these innerhand position shift exercises from any position on any string up to and including the notes F# on the G-string, C# on the D-string, G# on the A-string, D# on the E-string, i.e. one semitone below the octave of each string.
Overhand Shift
This involves moving the left hand further than a hand's width.
The smallest overhand position shift is that of a semitone.
For example, place the fourth finger of the left hand on the note Bb on the G-string and strike the string with a right-hand finger (or use the bow).
Then play a B using the first finger of the left hand and go back to Bb using the fourth finger.
You will have played Bb, B, Bb, ending up in the starting position.
For this shift it is important to visualize the shift distance and also to pre-hear each new note.
Practise overhand position shifts from any position on any string, both up and down the fingerboard.
The possibilities are vast and I recommend you experiment. Also use the suggested scale and arpeggio exercises. Remember to use pitch guides/reference notes to check your intonation.
