Reply To: Hyphen in string fingering
According to my cellist colleagues, these are shifts (they all say it's unusual notation, but I've seen it a lot in early cello and violin music).
The fingerings in parentheses below the music are advanced alternate fingering. You'll have to do in-accords for these. Include a TN about that, and then you can also omit the parentheses, including that info in the TN.
The x with the 4 is an extension. The finger stretches a whole step instead of a half step. I've always put the X as a word-sign expression before the note and then include the usual 4th finger after the note. Also include this info in a TN.
hope that helps!
Kathleen