Second position is the useful one nobody bothers with. It sits between the positions on either side of it that everybody knows, and its entire reason for existing is that it removes crossings: a line that forces you across two strings in first position often lies flat on one string here, and one string is always smoother than two.
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 4 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 | B3 | C#4 | D4 | E4 |
| D string | D4 | F#4 | G4 | A4 | B4 |
| A string | A4 | C#5 | D5 | E5 | F#5 |
| E string | E5 | A5 | B5 | C#6 | — |
Across all four strings this position reaches 25 distinct pitches, of which 15 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
The hand moves up by 2 semitones, and the first finger lands where the 2nd-finger note used to be. 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
The one most players skip and then need. It sits between the positions either side of it that everyone knows and solves the awkward crossings both of them create. Check it against a real tune: the tune maps show which positions each one actually needs, and several need fewer than you would expect.