Customer Reviews

79CO - All For Strings Book 2: Cello

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As a professional cellist, this book dissapoints because it perpetuates the gulf between elementary teaching and actual professional practice. No professional cellist bends his/her thumb holding the bow, we just don't lock it tight. The fingers of the left hand of virtually all high level professionals are slanted back, not in this book though. Though this book starts you shifting, nothing is said whatsoever about HOW to shift. The techniques for shifting are incredibly important if a student wants to be accurate and it could be said that there are really two jobs of the left hand: play in tune in a single position, shift accurately to new positions to play in tune in. It is books like this that ensnare all but the luckiest students who find their way some how to playing well.

While this series is incredibly light on HOW to do anything, it is great for a student with a good private teacher. Though it gives more attention to learning what Da Capo means than how to shift, for a certain situation it could be fine.

Unfortunately there is no single source for good information on vibrating or shifting or other things one needs to learn at this stage in a text book. So this is as good as any at least.

ALL FOR STRINGS, Book 2, is published for the following instruments: VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, STRING BASS. (A separate book containing 82 piano accompaniments is also recommended for work with this book.)

Excellent material on TUNING, BUILDING CORRECT POSITIONS, DYNAMICS, ACCENT, LEFT-HAND PIZZICATO, DETACHE BOWING, FINGERING CHART/EXTENSIONS/FINGER PATTERN.

I particularly like the BOWING exercises, which may be played in two ways. Also the VIBRATO section is excellent, with exercises to develop finger strength and more exercises to develop correct vibrato motion.

Highly recommended.