Hello Cello Series 2

Welcome to Level 2 of the Hello Cello Series!

This course is designed for the early BEGINNER using Suzuki Book 1.

The repertoire in Suzuki Book 1 will teach you many of the foundational skills that all subsequent cello skills are built on. It is in my opinion that significant time and effort should be spent here so that the rest of your journey learning the cello will be joyful versus the very often frustrating. I believe this stage is paramount to your success on the cello.

The beauty of using Suzuki Book 1 is the pieces presented are easy to learn and remember. Many people like to proceed to the next piece once the fingerings and bowing are learned. To me this is just the starting point which is addressed in these videos. In my viewpoint, being able to play the fingerings and bowing simply sets the stage so you can begin to really cultivate your skills on the cello: improving your tone, movements and musical sensitivity. This is what these lessons truly teach you.

Through the 17 pieces in the series you will cultivate strong skills in:

• How to structure your hand to play with and develop good intonation
• How to play with ‘blocked’ fingers (fast finger positioning versus independent)
• How to play with varying bow speeds
• How to play legato, staccato, and detached bow strokes
• How to start on an up bow verses a down bow and when and why you do
• How to play a hooked bow, and different bow distribution concepts when they are useful to employ
• How to create a good tone
• Introduction to dynamics

Hello Cello Series 2 is a cumulative and building approach to developing your skill on the cello. This is so that each year you play, you can truly see and feel progress and move forward easily and effortlessly with each passing year.