Third position is the first shift worth learning properly. The hand moves up until the first finger holds what the third finger used to, which is why it feels immediately orientating rather than disorientating — the note you land on is one you already know the sound of.
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 5 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 | C#4 | D4 | E4 | — |
| D string | D4 | G4 | A4 | B4 | — |
| A string | A4 | D5 | E5 | F#5 | G5 |
| E string | E5 | A5 | B5 | C#6 | D6 |
Across all four strings this position reaches 25 distinct pitches, of which 14 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 3 semitones, and the first finger lands where the 3rd-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 first shift worth making. The first finger takes what the third finger used to, and the top of the range opens up without crossing to a higher 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.