Grade 2 Scales & Arpeggios

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

G majorTwo octaves

Key signature: One sharp — F♯
Position: First position
Sheet: 1 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

G string	G^⁰ A^¹ B^² C^³	high 2nd
D string	D^⁰ E^¹ F♯^² G^³	high 2nd
A string	A^⁰ B^¹ C^² D^³	low 2nd
E string	E^⁰ F♯^¹ G^²	low 2nd

Watch for

Every string uses the same shape: open, 1, 2, 3 — then cross to the next string.
The 2nd finger sits high (close to the 3rd) on the G and D strings, and low (close to the 1st) on the A and E strings.
In the arpeggio the 2nd finger takes B on the G string — a high 2nd, the same spot as in the scale.
Broken chords are written over the lower octave only; take them up the second octave once the shape is secure.

First position, all four strings

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

C majorOne octave

Key signature: No sharps or flats
Position: First position
Sheet: 2 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

G string	C^³	3rd finger only
D string	D^⁰ E^¹ F^² G^³	low 2nd
A string	A^⁰ B^¹ C^²	low 2nd

Watch for

Starts on the 3rd finger, G string — set that C before you draw the first bow.
The 2nd finger is low on both strings here: F sits against the 1st finger, and so does the top C.
The arpeggio uses only 3rd and 1st fingers plus the low 2nd for the top C. No open strings at all.
No accidentals, so the only thing to police is the low 2nd finger on each string.

First position, G to A strings

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

F majorOne octave

Key signature: One flat — B♭
Position: First position
Sheet: 3 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

D string	F^² G^³	low 2nd
A string	A^⁰ B♭^¹ C^² D^³	low 1st, low 2nd
E string	E^⁰ F^¹	low 1st

Watch for

Starts on the 2nd finger, D string — a low 2nd, right beside the 1st.
B♭ is a low 1st finger, pulled back until it almost touches the nut. This is the note that decides whether the scale sounds in tune.
Top F is a low 1st on the E string — the same backward reach as the B♭.
The arpeggio skips the B♭ entirely, so it is the easier of the two to tune. Use it to check the low 1st in the scale.

First position, D to E strings

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

D majorOne octave, third position

Key signature: Two sharps — F♯, C♯
Position: Third position
Sheet: 4 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

A string	D^¹ E^² F♯^³ G^⁴	1 2 3 4 — tone, tone, semitone
E string	A^¹ B^² C♯^³ D^⁴	1 2 3 4 — tone, tone, semitone

Watch for

Shift the whole hand up so the 1st finger lands where the 3rd finger sat in first position — on the A string that note is D.
The hand stays put for the whole scale: 1–2–3–4 on the A string, then the same 1–2–3–4 on the E string.
Notes are closer together up here. Move the fingers less than feels right.
The arpeggio jumps 1 to 3 on each string. Keep the hand frame still and just lift and drop the fingers.

Third position, A and E strings

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger rows left out

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

D harmonic minorOne octave

Key signature: One flat — B♭ — with C raised to C♯
Position: First position
Sheet: 5 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

D string	D^⁰ E^¹ F^² G^³	low 2nd
A string	A^⁰ B♭^¹ C♯^³ D^⁴	low 1st, low 3rd, 4th against the 3rd

Watch for

Harmonic minor raises the 7th note, so C becomes C♯. The key signature does not show it — it is written in as an accidental.
That raising opens a gap of three semitones between B♭ and C♯: the augmented 2nd, the sound that makes this harmonic rather than natural minor.
Cross the gap by skipping a finger: low 1st on B♭, then straight to the 3rd for C♯, with the 4th a semitone above on D.
The arpeggio has no C♯, so the top D goes back to the 3rd finger — not the 4th the scale needs.

First position, D and A strings

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone, A2 augmented 2nd; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

E harmonic minorOne octave

Key signature: One sharp — F♯ — with D raised to D♯
Position: First position
Sheet: 6 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

D string	E^¹ F♯^² G^³	high 2nd
A string	A^⁰ B^¹ C^² D♯^³	low 2nd, 3rd stretched up
E string	E^⁰	open string only

Watch for

Starts on the 1st finger, D string — no open string to lean on, so tune that E against the open A before you start.
The raised 7th is D♯. The augmented 2nd falls between C and D♯ on the A string.
Reach the 3rd finger up a whole tone past C for the D♯, then let the open E ring out on top.
The arpeggio is all 1st and 3rd fingers and the open E — no stretch, so use it to settle the hand before the scale.

First position, D to E strings

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone, A2 augmented 2nd; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.

Trinity · Grade 2 · Violin

D majorTwo octaves — looking ahead

Key signature: Two sharps — F♯, C♯
Position: First, then third position
Sheet: 7 / 7

ScaleTwo beats a note

ArpeggioTonic triad

Broken chordTriad in threes, one octave

Hand shape, string by string

D string	D^⁰ E^¹ F♯^² G^³	high 2nd
A string	A^⁰ B^¹ C♯^² D^³	high 2nd
E string, 1st pos.	E^⁰ F♯^¹ G^²	first position, 0 1 2
E string, 3rd pos.	A^¹ B^² C♯^³ D^⁴	1 2 3 4 — tone, tone, semitone

Watch for

This is sheet 1's first-position shape joined to sheet 4's third position, which is why those two are worth learning together.
Play the first eleven notes in first position exactly as usual, up to G on the E string.
Then shift: the hand moves up the E string so the 1st finger takes A, and the last four notes are 1–2–3–4.
Come down through the same route and shift back on the way from A to G. Practise that one join on its own.

First position

Third position

nut open string, above the nut scale note sharp or flat ringed — in the arpeggio 1finger rows left out

Lesson notes

Finger numbers above each stave, string below it. Steps between the notes: T tone, S semitone; on the arpeggio m3 minor 3rd, M3 major 3rd, P4 perfect 4th. Scales and arpeggios ascend here — come down through the same notes with the same fingering reversed.