The Advancing Cellist's Handbook
A Guide to Practicing and Playing the Cello
by
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The purpose of this book is to improve cellists’ ability to practice well. This book is primarily designed for intermediate cellists, which usually means ages 14 to 20, but which could be any age from 6 to 80. This is the book for you if:
· You want to learn how to improve rapidly as a cellist.
· You don’t feel that you know how to practice.
· You want to get a faster rate of advancement out of your available practice time.
The following minimum playing knowledge is required to use this book to full effect:
· Ability to read music, including the ability to at least decipher the pitches of tenor and treble clefs.
· Extensions
· Shifting
· Rudimentary understanding of bowing techniques
Required in order to use the entire book, but not necessary at first, is knowledge of:
· Vibrato
· Double stops
· Thumb position
Since this book is designed for intermediate level players, you’ll find that it has very little that addresses beginning-level or advanced-level techniques. The bibliography at the back of the book contains many useful references for other related sources of information on many different topics, including beginning and advanced playing.
This book will be useful to you whether or not you have a cello teacher. If you do have a teacher, be sure to inform him that you have this book and would like to use it. Every teacher needs to know as much as possible about his students’ musical endeavors, especially those that relate to practicing. If you do not have a cello teacher, you can still advance on your own if you are diligent and careful. I strongly recommend that you make every effort to take cello lessons, even if only occasionally. There is simply no substitute for the one-on-one, customized advice and guidance that a cello teacher can give you.
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About the Book
“How I wish I could have read this book years ago! It would have saved many hours of practicing which often have had disappointing results for the time invested.”
—Phyllis Young, Playing the String Game and The String Play
The Advancing Cellists Handbook is a concise but thorough treatise on virtually every aspect of practicing and learning to play the cello. This book is primarily designed for intermediate cellists, which usually means ages 14 to 20, but which could be any age from 6 to 80. The purpose of this book is to provide you with much of the basic information that you need in order to become good at practicing the cello. This is the book for you if:
· You want to learn how to improve rapidly as a cellist.
· You don’t feel that you know how to practice.
· You want to get a faster rate of advancement out of your available practice time.
Table of Contents:
Part I — Introduction
Chapter 1 –Why You Need This Book
Chapter 2 – The Psychology of Practicing
Chapter 3 – Organizing Your Practice Time
Part II — The Content of Practicing
Chapter 4 – Helpful Practice Tools
Chapter 5 – Daily Warm-up Routine
Chapter 6 – Practice Techniques and Exercises
Chapter 7 – Improving Intonation
Chapter 8 – Marking Your Music
Chapter 9 – Practicing Without Your Instrument
Chapter 10 – Sample Practice Session
Part
Chapter 11 – Fingerings and Bowings
Chapter 12 – Bowing Styles
Chapter 13 – Musical Styles
Chapter 14 – Playing Musically
Part IV — Practical Applications
Chapter 15 – Examples from the Literature
Chapter 16 – Troubleshooting
Chapter 17 – Postlude
Appendix 1 – The Cello Repertoire
Appendix 2 – The Science of Intonation
Benjamin Whitcomb is Associate Professor of Cello and Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Benjamin performs frequently in solo and chamber music recitals. He performs regularly on the “Live from the Chazen” concert series broadcast statewide on Wisconsin Public Radio. He is a member of the Madison-based An expert in the area of string pedagogy, Benjamin Whitcomb is known for his work in teaching both technique and musicianship. He has presented papers at several national conferences, including those of the American String Teachers Association and the Society for Music Theory. He is also an articles reviewer and the editor of the Cello Forum of the American String Teacher journal. Benjamin Whitcomb attended Oklahoma State University (BM, cello performance), Boston University, and the University of Texas at Austin (MM, cello performance; PhD, music theory), and he has studied with About the Author