Cello Power Book 1

Description

Cello 1, Cello 2 — The James Hook duets were originally written for two baroquerecorders. I knew the pieces from having played them on therecorder in my youth. They are charming baroque pieces whichstay within a limited range of notes on the instrument. This ledme to try to arrange them for cello. We cellists need this type ofmaterial, for there is very little material of this nature for the thumbposition. I wrote them out using treble and tenor clef becausemuch of the thumb position repertoire work is in either one ofthese clefs. The intermediate level cellist must become adept atreading and recognizing where in thumb position this materialis played. The first cello part is on the A- and D-strings. This is aplacement that enables familiarity with the most common area ofperformance in thumb position. The second cello part is writtenfor performance on the D- and G-strings, which is less commonbut frequently used for notes in the lower range of the instrument.I would hope that the teacher, using this material, will expect thestudent to know the note names and to be able to “ghost play”(i.e. finger) the notes in their proper place on the cello beforeplaying them through with the bow. Also, because they are duos,it is a good way to continue to develop good intonation and anawareness of the intervallic relationship of sounds between thetwo instruments. The first in a series of books designed to expand the cello student's technical facility, Cello Power: Book 1 - Thumb Position Duets for Two Cellos focuses on strengthening the difficult skill set surrounding thumb position in the left hand. World renowned cellist and pedagogue, Marion Feldman, has arranged these classic duets by James Hook with this goal in mind. Each duet features two parts of equal difficulty written in treble and tenor clef, allowing students to switch parts, accompany each other, or play with their teacher. This book is an excellent transitional tool between the initial introduction of thumb position technique and the more advanced studies by Popper, Grutzmacher, and Piatti.