Paddy's Return

Part B, Phrase 2

Tablature, Paddy's Return, Part B, Phrase 2

Bowing:

The first four notes are down, up, down, up--all played just above the mid-point. I get the emphasis on the second note in the phrase by digging in and speeding up the bow just a tiny bit, and only for a micro-second. The additional bow length used on the second note is so slight that you can't really see it.
The first slur cover three notes, and requires you to slur across two strings. You need a fair amount of bow length, so you end up well below the mid-point.
The note following the first slur has the value of three 8th notes; plus, it gets quite a bit of emphasis early in the note. This means you need to speed the bow up some, especially early in the stroke, so you'll use even more bow length than you did on the slur. You should end up toward the top of your stick.
The last slur needs about the same bow length that you used on the first slur. You should end up around the mid-point, or just a little below it.
Saw Stroke: Begin and end this phrase with an up bow.

Fingering:

Once you bring your 1st finger down to play the three 8th notes, leave it down while you place your 3rd finger on the A string. If you do that, and you have developed a feel for the spread between the 1st and 3rd fingers, you'll find that you hit the 3rd finger note right on the money. Once the 3rd finger on the A string sounds right, lift up the 1st finger to play the open E string.
In the Key of D, the G note is natural. It is played on the high E string right up next to where the 1st finger normally goes. On the other three strings, though, the 2nd finger plays up against where the 3rd finger normally goes.
- So, when you see the "SL" indicated in the tablature, this means you play the 2nd finger lower than you usually do.
- If all this is news to you, be sure to go over the lesson on fingering, and especially the part that deals with finger placement, before you go too much further here.