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March 2018

Forked Deer: Free Mini Fiddle Tune Booklet for Violin, Viola, Cello, and String Bass!

10/4/2020

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All of the music was ready. The snacks, the chairs, the stands; we were ready for anything. Myanna and I had spent hours arranging music, making chamber groups out of names (level often unknown), answering emails, cleaning, and so much more. Summer string camp was about to begin!
Harvey String Teaching Summer Chamber Camp
The doorbell rang and the first student came in, always looking a little uncertain. It's hard to be first! But then the deluge would happen and soon our front porch would be covered with violin, viola, cello, and bass cases and no matter how prepared we had planned to be, chaos would reign for that entire first session. ​
Harvey String Teaching Summer Chamber Camp
We have always had students at a range of ages and levels sign up for Summer Chamber Camp, from first year players to high schoolers in advanced string quartets. But by far, the most challenging issue has been finding music for our "Blackberry Blossom" groups: first and second year students in larger groups who want to play with their friends (even if levels aren't compatible) and have fun playing!
The level range inside of these groups has been astonishing. Some students only know a few notes while others can play fluently in first position (but aren't quite ready for the early-intermediate trios and quartets at the next level.)
Problem-solving is pretty much our favorite thing. So Myanna wrote some easy, flexible tune arrangements for these groups. 
First, there's a Regular Exercise and a Basic Exercise that can both be played together at the same time (and with all the instruments.)
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Then, for each tune, there's an Advanced Melody, a Stress-Free Melody, a Basic Harmony, and a Teacher Harmony (plus, a piano accompaniment and full score, available separately.)
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Here's a concert photo of one of our Summer Fiddle groups playing a tune from the Blackberry Blossom Fiddle Books!

Harvey String Teaching Summer Chamber Camp
We weren't able to have a summer camp this year due to Covid. But now, we're using these books both with in-person and remote string classes and lessons. And we're excited about how flexible the books are, both with level and instrumentation. 

And now for the free booklets!

To give you an idea of how the books work, Myanna and I have put together a free set of exercises and tune arrangement of Forked Deer in exactly the same format as the Blackberry Blossom Fiddle Books. 

This is an all-new tune that isn't in the books! Feel free to copy and hand out to students or fellow musicians. 
Forked Deer: A Free Fiddle Tune Booklet for Violin
Forked Deer: A Free Fiddle Tune Booklet for Viola
Forked Deer: A Free Fiddle Tune Booklet for Cello
Forked Deer: A Free Fiddle Tune Booklet for String Bass
Forked Deer: A Free Fiddle Tune Booklet for String Class

Here are Free Play-Along Tracks for Forked Deer:

C. Harvey Publications · Forked Deer First Exercise
C. Harvey Publications · Forked Deer Second Exercise
C. Harvey Publications · Forked Deer Tune

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Free Sousa Duet for Strings to Celebrate the Release of Fiddles on the Bandstand, Book One!

7/2/2020

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Free Liberty Bell March for Violins, Violas, Cellos but Sousa
 So we're a little over halfway through 2020 and it's been quite a year! We hope that all of you are healthy and safe and able to still make music.

About a month ago, just as the weather was turning warmer, Myanna realized we all could all use some light-hearted, earnest, outdoor-belonging, inspiring, beautiful, rhythmic, toe-tapping, nostalgic, FUN music! ​​
As usual, Myanna told me nothing about what she was writing, but as I walked out of the studio to my car one day, I passed Myanna and our mother playing some Sousa on two violins and I just had to stop and listen.

​They kept playing through the book and somehow I couldn't leave. And that's how the Fiddles on the Bandstand books were born!

Fiddles on the Bandstand Duets: Fully Compatible Between Instruments

Fiddles on the Bandstand: Fun Duets for Two Violins
Fiddles on the Bandstand: Fun Duets for Two Violas
Fiddles on the Bandstand: Fun Duets for Two Cellos

Here's What's In the Books:

Fiddles on the Bandstand: Fun Duets for Strings
These are the tunes people hum, the tunes we remember from "somewhere", the tunes we might even want to share with our neighbors in an impromptu outdoor concert!

​Some years ago, Myanna and I ran a youth orchestra and when they were asked to play outside after a parade, we quickly realized that there is an entire genre of lighthearted music that is perfect for that situation. Some of the tunes that inspired us back then have made an appearance in this book. 

In the past week, as the books have arrived from the printer, I have started to play the duets in outdoor lessons with my students. And I can say that there's nothing quite like the beauty of these cello duets gently floating out in the breeze. 

To Celebrate the New Books,
Here's a Brand New Arrangement of
​Sousa's Liberty Bell March!

John Philip Sousa
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Did you know that Sousa began his career playing violin?
Sample Pages from the Free March:
(Full March Available Through the Contact Form Below.)
Free Liberty Bell March for Violins, Violas, Cellos but Sousa
  • The violin duet is mainly in first position with a small amount of third position. 
  • The viola duet is in first and third positions. 
  • The cello part is in first through fourth positions and is all in bass clef.
  • The duets are compatible between instruments.

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    ​Sousa Liberty Bell duet!

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Learning Three-Octave Arpeggios - Free Preparatory Studies!

11/1/2019

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Figuring Out How to Teach Cello Arpeggios

As long as I have been studying or teaching cello, learning arpeggios consisted of seeing an arpeggio and trying to play it. This was fine; even workable, but as I came to discover, not the best way to learn or teach cello arpeggios that would be consistently in tune.
Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies
Some students struggled mightily with the larger spaces. Other students didn't understand the concepts behind the fingerings. All in all, even the most talented and advanced students only played a perfect arpeggio about 1/3 of the time, which wasn't great for auditions!
I became acutely aware of the lack of an actual cello method for teaching arpeggios when Theresa Villani (a wonderful cellist and teacher) reached out to ask if I had one. Since I had no idea where to start, I did quite a bit of brain-storming... and wrote a scale method instead!
Learning Three-Octave Scales on the Cello
After Learning Three-Octave Scales on the Cello was published at the end of August 2019, I still didn't quite know which arpeggio fingerings to pick for the book but at least I had a blueprint for how to teach notes and spaces.
I finally settled on three distinct fingerings for Learning Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello. The first fingering, used in the Galamian Scale System for Cello (among other books) is a little like a staircase; you go up the C string, then over to the G, then up the G, then over to the D, then up the D, then over to the A. 
​
Learning Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello
The second fingering is very straightforward: you go across to the A string and shift up the A string.
Learning Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello
The third fingering, used in Klengel Technical Studies for Cello, Volume One, shifts up to the thumb on the D string and then has you play the top octave of the arpeggio in thumb position. ​
Learning Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello
Each of these three fingerings has something to teach cellists. A study of all three fingerings will give you a comprehensive knowledge of fingerboard geography and larger shifts on the cello. 
Learning Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello

Free Cello Arpeggio Preparatory Studies!

To celebrate the release of this new book, we are offering free preparatory studies for Three Octave Arpeggios on the Cello. Click on each picture to see the image enlarged. If you would like the file as a free PDF, fill out the form below and your download will be on the next page.

Cello Arpeggios
Shifting Study

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Fifth Position Study

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Spacing Across Strings

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory StudiesPicture

Fingering No. 1
Putting the Arpeggio Together

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Note Spaces
​for Fingering No. 2

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Playing Across Strings
​for Fingering No. 2

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Putting the Notes Together for Fingering No. 2

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Shifting to the Thumb for Fingering No. 3

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies

Cello Arpeggios
Learning More Thumb Position Notes for Fingering No. 3

Three-Octave Arpeggios on the Cello: Preparatory Studies
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Learn Cello Scale Spaces - Free Sheet Music!

9/2/2019

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One of the best ways to map the fingerboard for your mind and fingers is by learning scales. Three-octave scales, in particular, can be used to teach nearly all of the notes on the cello.
Learn Cello Scale Spaces - Free Sheet Music!
As I watched over the years while some of my students struggled with knowing how far to shift in three-octave scales, I knew that there had to be a solution. 

Surprisingly, the answer came while I was writing a scale book for the violin! 

Because violinists typically play with four fingers in each position (1-2-3-4), instead of three (1-2-4 or 1-3-4), I was able to write exercises that used notes they already knew to teach notes in the next position. 
When I saw how well the exercises worked, I just knew that I had to find a way to use that same concept to teach cello scales.

​I started writing studies for a three-octave G major cello scale and tried them with several students who had never played a three-octave scale before.
I wasn't surprised when they figured out the exercises; it was a pretty easy concept. But I was absolutely shocked when, at the end of playing the 4 pages of G scale exercises, those same students were able to play the scale straight through, without stopping, and in tune!
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New Release!
Before this, I had wheedled and cajoled and talked my students through their initial 3-octave scales. And, after they finally learned the scales, some of them played scales in tune but some just didn't.

​This book was a game-changer for me and my students, cutting out months and years of frustration, and helping them master entire three-octave scales in all of the major and minor keys.
Cello whole step
Cello whole step
Cello half step
If we take time to think about the steps in scales and teach them to our fingers, it is possible to truly learn scales, play more in tune, and play in tune more consistently.
Cello D Major Scale
To celebrate the release of Learning Three-Octave Scales on the Cello, this post gives you the major scales written out with all of the whole and half steps so you can think about and remember each space. 

And if this whets your appetite for scale mastery, check out the new cello scale book!

​​Tips for Playing Cello Three-Octave Scale Steps

  • Play these exercises slowly. 
  • Think about each space as you play it.
  • As your mind sees the words "half step" or "whole step", try to remember how that space feels in your fingers.
  • Roman numerals refer to strings, not positions.
       I = A string
       II = D string
       III = G string
​       IV = C string
  • If you have trouble playing scales in tune, or just want to improve your scale intonation, study the scale exercises in Learning Three-Octave Scales on the Cello.

C Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

D-flat Major
Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

D Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

E-flat Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

E Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

F Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

F-sharp Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

G Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

A-flat Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

A Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

B-flat Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

B Major
​Cello Scale Spaces

Three-Octave Cello Scale Spaces

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Cello Positions: Free Cello Note Charts and Shifting Exercises

2/28/2019

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Starting to play in positions on the cello can be daunting!

However, after you have played in first position for awhile, the other notes on the cello are begging to be learned! So many great cello repertoire pieces use positions and learning shifting can help you reach more notes, make playing across strings easier, and even avoid open strings if you want to. 

1. Learn Cello Fourth Position 

This method was written for adult learners and includes pictures and diagrams that help explain where fourth position is. Exercises and short pieces on each page work together to teach a skill. This book is available as a PDF ebook on www.learnstrings.com and as a print book on www.amazon.com.
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2. Learn Cello Positions in Depth

A great way to learn cello positions is by studying each position. Here are a few position method books: 

Are your shifting books too hard?

​Try the Preparatory Study Books

​
(great for fearful shifters)​

These books have very easy studies that can make shifting an easier, more gradual process. Each study focuses on a single shift and the exercises progress slowly to allow you to get comfortable with shifting. 

3. Free Preparatory Exercises for Pattern Shifting and Serial Shifting for the Cello

Half and Whole Steps

Free Cello Note Chart: Half and Whole Steps

Free Note Chart:
​Cello Positions
​on the A String

Free Note Chart: ​Cello Positions ​on the A String

Free Cello Position Exercises
​on the
​A String

Free Cello Position Exercises ​on the ​A String

Free Note Chart: 
​Cello Positions
​on the D String

Free Note Chart:  ​Cello Positions ​on the D String

Free Cello Position Exercises
​on the
​D String

Free Cello Position Exercises ​on the ​D String

Free Note Chart: 
​Cello Positions
​on the G String

Free Note Chart:  ​Cello Positions ​on the G String

Free Cello Position Exercises
​on the
​G String

Free Cello Position Exercises ​on the ​A String

Free Note Chart: 
​Cello Positions
​on the C String

Free Note Chart:  ​Cello Positions ​on the C String

Free Cello Position Exercises
​on the
​C String

Free Cello Position Exercises ​on the ​C String

Free Cello Position Exercise
for Muscle Memory

Free Cello Position Exercise for Muscle Memory

Free Cello Position Exercise
for Muscle Memory

Free Cello Position Exercise for Muscle Memory

Free Cello Position Exercise: Cello Positions Across Strings

Free Cello Position Exercise: Cello Positions Across Strings


4. Study the Position Exercise Books

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Ever-so-slightly easier than Serial Shifting, Pattern Shifting for Cello has exercises in rows and patterns. The exercises progress more slowly than those in Serial Shifting and this book could be studied along with other position methods. 

The first half of the book has studies in 1st through 4th positions while the second half of the book has studies in 1st through 8th positions.

All of the exercises are in C major to allow you to fully learn the basic cello positions and spacing.  

Pattern Shifting for the Cello is available as a PDF ebook on www.learnstrings.com.
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A little bit more difficult than Pattern Shifting, Serial Shifting for the Cello has similar exercises in rows and patterns. The exercises progress more quickly than those in Pattern Shifting and having a prior knowledge of positions is advised.

The first half of the book has studies in 1st through 4th positions while the second half of the book has studies in 1st through 8th positions.

All of the exercises are in C major to allow you to fully learn the basic cello positions and spacing.  

Serial Shifting for the Cello is available as a print book here on www.charveypublications.com and on Amazon.com and Sheet Music Plus.

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Prepare to play the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A minor!

2/20/2019

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Preparing for Saint-Saens

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The Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor is a work for cello and orchestra (or piano), written at an advanced level. Studying this Concerto often takes a year or more; it's a major work!
While there are no clearly marked or numbered movements, the Concerto does have three fairly distinct sections that might correlate with our idea of typical concerto movements. 
Some techniques used in the first two movements are octave shifts, fast shifting (sometimes called "runs") into the high positions, double stop fifths and sixths, spiccato, and thumb position. 

Free Saint-Saens Preparatory Exercises

These free preparatory exercises can help you get ready to start studying the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto. They work on some of the basic techniques needed to play the first few pages of the Concerto: bowing, octave shifts, chromatic scales, and more. 

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Bowing I

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Bowing II

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Scale Shifting Exercise

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Rhythm & Staccato

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study
Note: These free e​xercises are not a substitute for a full study of the Concerto like the one in The Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1 Study Book. Instead, they help prepare you for the study book and show exercises can make learning more efficient. 
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Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Rhythm I

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Rhythm II

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Octave Shifts I

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Octave Shifts II

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Chromatic Scale

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Free Preparatory Cello Exercise: Shifting and Bowing Study

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Preparatory Study

Books to study in preparation

The Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto is much easier to learn if you have acquired a solid grasp intermediate and advanced cello technique. You should be able to read bass,  tenor, and treble clef and play in thumb position. You should have learned three-octave scales and it would be helpful if you have also studied octave shifts, double stop sixths, and double stop octaves. 
Tenor Clef for the Cello
Octave Shifts for the Cello, Book One
Three-Octave Scales for the Cello, Book One: The Basics
Sixths for the Cello, Book One
Thumb Position School for Cello
Octaves for the Cello, Book One

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Like these exercises? Now, you can learn the rest of the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto using a Study Book!

We are very excited to present this new release:
The Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 Study Book for Cello, Volume One!
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Live outside the US? All of our books are on Amazon around the world and many of our books are available as PDF downloads on Learnstrings: 
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Improve Your Cello Bowing: Free Mini Open String Workouts

2/14/2019

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Free Cello Bowing Workouts
This past year Theresa Villani, a wonderful cellist and cello teacher, wrote and asked if I had any exercises for bowing on open strings for one of her students. I had a few pages of an incomplete book, which I was happy to share. She wrote right back and said "Please make a book out of these!" (Incidentally, that's how a lot of books get started; share your ideas on this page.)
​Over the next few months, in between writing The Romberg Sonata in C Major Study Book and The Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1 Study Book for Cello, I got to work on the open string book. ​
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After I had written about half of the book, I sat down play through it, rather reluctantly. It seemed almost a waste of time to sit and play through so many pages of just plain open strings.

But then I made some discoveries and found myself really excited about open strings!
​
1. Playing open strings really well is hard! They look easy (at least at the beginning of the book) but this is deceptive. Because the sound is so exposed, I found myself getting super picky with the sound I was producing. This in turn led me to work on ​fluidity in bow changes, relaxed wrist and fingers, and getting the string vibrating with the least possible motion from my hand. ​

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 1

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 1

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 2

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 2

2. Playing open string bow studies is a great way to isolate the bow, especially when you are struggling with note-reading. I have a student who started lessons a few months ago and was unable to adapt to note-reading. We started playing Open-String Bow Workouts and just a month later, he was reading all of his music much more easily. 

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 3

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 3

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 4

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 4

3. Playing open string bow studies can help cellists at every level. I've used this book with a student who had just started playing a few months earlier and also with some of my intermediate and very advanced students. It helped them all, in different ways.

​The beginning students used the book to discover what the bow can do. The intermediate students used it to listen more and improve their tone. And the advanced students played the slow exercises very slow and the fast exercises very fast to expand the range of their bow technique. 

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 5

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 5

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 6

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 6
4. Playing so many open string studies gave me an incredibly smooth bow motion! I mean, wow. I was surprised and rather rueful; it was humbling to realize how much my bow can still use work. ​

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 7

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 7

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 8

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 8

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 9

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 9

Free Mini Cello Bowing Workout No. 10

Free Cello Bowing Workout No. 10
To celebrate the release of the new book of Open String Bow Workouts, we are offering the above mini set of (all-new) cello open string studies for free!
When you play these, focus on correct form and how you're holding the bow. Keep the bow arm shoulder, wrist, and fingers as loose and relaxed as possible. The thumb should be gently balanced on the bow; never squeezing. 
Listen for the smoothest, most even sound during each note and keep the bow moving at the same speed while you change bows so there is no variation in sound.
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​​If you want even more help for your bow, check out the book that started it all!

Interested in Developing Better Tone?

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Live outside the US? All of our books are on Amazon around the world and many of our books are available as PDF downloads on Learnstrings: ​
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Developing Strong, Curved Fingers for Better Cello Tone

1/30/2019

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Strong, curved left-hand fingers are essential for good cello technique and for developing a beautiful tone. 
By curving your fingers and playing on the very tips of the fingers, you can stop the string completely, which in turn allows the string to vibrate fully when you play it. ​
Some of the cello exercises in  Finger Exercises for the Cello, Book One were written specifically to help cellists develop well-curved fingers through double stops. 
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Exercise No. 14 is the first study in the book that works on developing curved fingers. Here's an excerpt:
Finger Exercises for the Cello, Book One Page 14 Excerpt
Although my cello students have almost universally decried these studies as "evil", the Finger Exercises have done SO much to help them play clearly and in tune!
Here is an excerpt from Exercise No. 20:​
Finger Exercises for the Cello, Book One Page 20 Excerpt
I have also found that some students benefit from preparatory studies that allow them to focus on the fingers with easier notes.
​Check out these free preparatory finger exercises that help you curve your fingers, stop the string completely, and get ready to play the essential cello double stop studies in Finger Exercises for the Cello, Book One.

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 1

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 1

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 2

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 2

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 3

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 4

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 3
Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 4

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 5

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 6

Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 5
Free Cello Finger Exercise No. 6

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Mastering a Romberg Cello Sonata -Free Preparatory Exercises!

12/11/2018

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I fell in love with the Romberg Cello Sonatas when I started using them regularly as teaching pieces. It took me awhile to fully the understand the breadth of cello technique that Romberg teaches in his Sonatas but when I did, I was entranced. 

From shifting and positions to rhythm patterns and bowing challenges, the Sonatas gave my students a music experience that prepared them for much of what is to come in cello study.

Students would finish studying a Romberg Sonata and be playing at an entire level or two above their original level when they started the Sonata. They would be much more competent than when they had started, easily playing exercises, etudes, and pieces that would have given them pause before Romberg. 

Other teaching pieces didn't give cellists that same skills that Romberg's Sonatas did. As I saw the effect that playing Romberg's music had on my students, I came to deeply respect this music that so wonderfully transformed my students.​
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Two of Romberg's Sonatas became my favorites: the Sonata in E Minor and the Sonata in C Major. I use the Sonata in E minor as the first Sonata after a student has started shifting and has learned fourth position (plus a little second and third positions). I might use one or two other pieces after that, depending on the student, and then we are ready to start the Sonata in C Major. 

Over the past 20+ years, I've taught a lot of Romberg to students. It's gotten to the point where I can predict mistakes before they make them. It was getting boring hearing the same mistakes over and over. I really wanted to expand the influence of Romberg on my students and teach all of the skills that he required in his Sonatas.

So I wrote The Romberg Sonata in C Major Study Book for Cello and now, teaching that Sonata is much more exciting! Where I used to sit and drone corrections over and over, I can now have my students play the exercises and improve in front of me. We can spend the lessons working on phrasing and expression instead of rhythm, shifting, and bowing.

I love hearing them play the Sonata excerpts after they've played the exercises. Where students used to stop or struggle, my exercise-powered students sail through. They play confidently and they enjoy the music they're making instead of wallowing in frustration. 

Here are some pages of free cello exercises; Preparatory Studies that have a few bits of technique that you will use in the Romberg Sonata in C Major:​

Free Romberg Cello Prep
Shifting and Positions

Romberg Cello Sonata Preparatory Studies by Cassia Harvey page 1

Free Romberg Cello Prep
Cello Bowing

Romberg Cello Sonata Preparatory Studies by Cassia Harvey page 2

Free Romberg Cello Prep
Faster Fingers

Romberg Cello Sonata Preparatory Studies by Cassia Harvey page 3

Free Romberg Cello Prep
String Crossing

Romberg Cello Sonata Preparatory Studies by Cassia Harvey page 4

Free Romberg Cello Prep
Little Scales and Arpeggios

Romberg Cello Sonata Preparatory Studies by Cassia Harvey page 5
And when you've tried those studies, move on to the much more comprehensive Romberg Study Book available in print here and as a download here.

Why play an entire book devoted to a Romberg Sonata? Because teaching students to be both solid and creative musicians is fun! Because playing well brings joy. And because mastering this wonderful Sonata might be the most satisfying thing you've done all year!
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Devil's Dream Lesson: Free Exercises for Cello

12/6/2018

2 Comments

 
So, Devil's Dream has some tricky string crossings! Both the bow and the fingers have to change strings with efficient, agile movements in order to play this piece at a fast "fiddle" tempo.  

Here's the version of Devil's Dream that we'll work on:
Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise

Devil's Dream for Cello

Here's a Warm-Up Exercise for String Crossings:

Devil's Dream: Warm-Up Exercise for Cello

Devil's Dream - Free Cello Exercise No. 1 Harvey
Focusing on just the bow can help you identify underlying string crossing issues. Here are the open strings that your bow is playing under the actual fiddle tune:

Devil's Dream: Open String Exercise for Cello

Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise
Now, one of the main difficulties with this piece is crossing strings with the left hand. Here is an exercise to work on crossing strings with the fingers:

Devil's Dream: Left Hand String Crossing for Cello

Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise
And another exercise for the left hand:

Devil's Dream: Faster Left Hand String Crossing for Cello

Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise
And finally, three exercises for speed. Start slow and when you've learned them, play them as fast as possible. Keep your bow smooth and close to the strings. "Bar" your first finger across the strings in measures 3&4 and 11&12 to help make your motions as efficient as possible. 

Devil's Dream: Speed and Agility Study No. 1 for Cello

Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise

Devil's Dream: Speed and Agility Study No. 2 for Cello

Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise

Devil's Dream: Speed and Agility Study No. 3 for Cello

Devil's Dream  - Free Cello Exercise
Happy cello fiddling!

Other String Crossing Books

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    Cassia Harvey can't ever find or play enough exercises. She searches for rare and out-of-print studies and etudes in her free time. If you know of any, please let her know. Seriously; it's an obsession.

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