First position is where the instrument was designed to be played and where practically every traditional tune sits. The first finger takes a whole step above each open string, the fourth finger reaches the pitch of the next string up, and every open string stays available underneath as a drone or a check on your intonation.
The frame, string by string
Every pitch below is computed from the instrument's real open-string tuning plus the one thing this position declares — that its first finger sits 2 semitones above the open string. The four fingers then span a perfect fourth (5 semitones) without the hand moving:
| String | Open | 1st finger | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G string | G3 | A3 | B3 | C#4 | D4 |
| D string | D4 | E4 | F#4 | G4 | A4 |
| A string | A4 | B4 | C#5 | D5 | E5 |
| E string | E5 | F#5 | G5 | A5 | B5 |
Across all four strings this position reaches 25 distinct pitches, of which 16 belong to D major. A dash means the scale simply has no note under that finger here — which is information, not an omission: it is exactly where a different key would put one.
Getting here from first position
This is first position — there is no shift to make. That last fact is what makes a shift learnable: you are not aiming at an unmarked distance, you are aiming at a pitch you already know.
Practise the move on one string with the bow sounding continuously, so you hear the slide rather than hiding it. Then do it silently, then do it fast. The daily drills hold the frame still first, which is the prerequisite.
When to use it
Home. Almost every traditional tune lives here, and the first finger sits a whole step above the open string. Check it against a real tune: the tune maps show which positions each one actually needs, and several need fewer than you would expect.