Sample Only. My First Pieces. Cello. Enjoy! Music for Beginning String Players. Everything String. Composed, arranged and compiled by Stephen Chin

Transcription

1 My First Pieces Music or Beginning String Players Cello Composed, arranged and compiled by Welcome to the wonderul world o making music with a bowed string instrument! By working with your teacher, ollowing the instructions careully and practising regularly, you will start a journey that you may continue to ollow in the years to come. The irst ew pages o each book contain details o each instrument s components, how to look ater it and hold it correctly. Careully go over Some Basics o Music Reading pages as these simple acts will help you play your music easily. Important inormation appears throughout the book as you need it. glossary can be ound at the back o the book so you can quickly ind the meaning o the terms you have learned. Piano accompaniments can be downloaded rom the My First Pieces page at This may help you to experience the music in a uller way. Your teacher may also be able to play the accompaniment, which is always lots o un! njoy! verything String

2 2 M Mus, B Mus, ip Mus Comp s a ounding member o the Sydney Youth Orchestra, Stephen's interest and enthusiasm or music lead him to undertake urther studies at Sydney University where ormal training in both violin and composition were completed under ormer leader o the ustralian Chamber Orchestra, John Harding and renowned ustralian composer, Peter Sculthorpe respectively. Since that time, he has been invited to perorm with such groups as The BC Sinonia, The Badinerie Players, The Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, The Queensland Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Pops Orchestra and Corda Spiritus. Stephen holds a Master o Music rom Queensland Conservatorium o Music Griith University specialising in violin perormance and pedagogy. He is also an examiner or the ustralian Music xamination Board (MB). In addition to this, Stephen perorms regularly with a number o proessional chamber ensembles. Stephen publishes a number o string compositions and arrangements which have been used as test pieces or a number o competitions throughout ustralia and are also presented as examination pieces or the MB. Stephen has been invited many times to adjudicate various eisteddods and competitions such as Queensland Festival o Music, The Western ustralian Schools Orchestra Festival, The Hobart isteddod and the Gold Coast isteddod. He is also in demand as a string and orchestral clinician, regularly conducting a number o workshops and estivals both nationally and internationally including the Melbourne Youth Music Summer School, the Sunwater and Stanwell Winter Music School and the ll State Senior Orchestra in New Mexico, US. From 28-23, Stephen was the conductor o the BL aculty Chamber Orchestra at the University o Queensland. Stephen is presently National President o The ustralian Strings ssociation (UST), Principal String Teacher and irector o Orchestras at Brisbane Grammar School and lectures in String Pedagogy and Practicum at the Queensland Conservatorium o Music, Griith University. Copyright 26 verything String, Brisbane, ustralia. ll rights reserved.

3 3 Caring or My Cello Lay your case lat on the loor when taking out both the instrument and bow. I you have a sot case, the bow is the irst thing to come out and the last thing to be packed up. lways make sure the case is closed properly when packing up. lways leave your instrument in a place with a temperature that you yoursel would be comortable in. Tighten the bow just enough or a pencil to go through the space at the middle o the bow between the hair and the wood. Never touch the hair o your bow with your ingers. lways rosin your bow beore playing your teacher will show you how to do this. Regularly use a clean cloth to wipe o any rosin dust on the instrument and bow. Make sure that your bow hairs are loosened beore the bow is placed back in the case.

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6 6 General Posture Sit on the ront part o the chair. Cello is set on its spike an arm length rom your body then rests back on your sternum. The eet are in a V shape and are placed: oot spike oot, in a slight outward curve rom the seat. Keep the let hand ingers relaxed and well rounded.

7 7 The Bow-hold Holding the bow in your let hand, hang the ingers over the stick near the rog. The 2 nd inger is placed over the metal nut on the rog, whilst the 3 rd inger is placed in the middle o the rog. The little inger is bent and is put in the top corner o the rog. The crease near the nail o the index inger is on top o the stick. The thumb is bent, lexible and placed hal on the rog and hal on the stick ll ingers are evenly spaced and relaxed. When bowing, keep the right hand in line with the C bout. Tilt the wood o the bow slightly towards you. LWYS strive to make an even and beautiul tone.

8 8 The Let Hand Careully set up the ingers, 3, 2 & with the thumb opposite the 2 nd inger, keeping the knuckles out at all times. Keep the ingers and thumb relaxed and well rounded. Keep your shoulders low. Your elbows need to be raised a little. Try to hear the note clearly in your head beore placing your ingers. Let the ingers eel the string s vibrations as you play. Remember the string names C G rom the lowest to the highest (or the thickest to the thinnest) this way: Camels Go own sleep

9 Some Basics o Music Reading 9 STFF LINS Bass Cle BR LINS Sta Lines Music is written on lines called a Sta (or stave). Bass Cle tells us that the notes sound at a airly low pitch. The lines rom the bottom are named: G B F The spaces rom the bottom are named: C G Music is divided up into bars which are separated by Bar Lines. The Single bar line is the most commonly used. The other bar lines work as ollows: ouble the end o a section; Repeat play the music again between the signs; Final the end o a piece. Single ouble Repeat Final

10 TIM SIGNTURS Time Signature tells us how many beats there will be in a bar o music. The most commonly used time signatures are: CCINTLS & KY SIGNTURS ccidentals placed beore a note are used to change the pitch. Oten they are placed at the beginning o a sta to save putting them on every note that needs them. This is called a Key Signature. For instance, a sharp placed on the F line or F space means that every F will become F sharp. We use these accidentals in music: Two beats a bar Three beats a bar Four beats a bar Sharp - raises the note a hal a tone rom its letter name note. Flat - lowers the note a hal a tone rom its letter name note. Natural - returns the note to its letter name note ater a sharp or lat has been used.

11 NOT VLUS Note Value tells us the length o time a sound lasts or. They are matched with a Note Rest which tells us how long a silence will be. The most common note values and rests are as ollows: Note Value Note Rest Length in Beats Crotchet Minim otted Minim Semibreve 2 Various combinations o the above rests. 3 May also be used or a ull bar rest with any time signature. Quaver /2

12 2 Getting Ready or My First Play! Set up le hand ingers on the cello body - pizzicato - pluck the string with the right index inger. Strings, lowest to highest, remember: Camels Go own sleep

13 . My Open Strings 3? œ œ œ œ C C C C? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ? b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ G G G G 2. My Open Strings the Other Way round G 3. Walking in the Park with Open 's & 's G. Gypsy Open 's and G's 5. Hymn on Open G's, 's and 's œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ G G G G œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ G G G œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ C G œ œ œ œ G C œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ C œ œ œ Œ G G œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ

14 6. Open Strings or Two uet B You need to work out your open string notes beore playing. uet - a piece o music wri en or two separate parts. 7. Crazy Open String Challenge You need to work out your open string notes beore playing. Prac se holding a pencil to get ready or the bow-hold later on. œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ œ Œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ Œ? œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ

15 8. Plucking the Note 5 Set up your le hand ingers 3 2 on. Li all ingers just above the string. Keep knuckles bent and wrist gently out. Set up 3 2 on. Li 3 2, leave on. 9. Plucking the Note œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ

16 6. Plucking the Note F sharp (F#) Set up 3 2 on. Li, leave on F# F# F# F# F# F# F# F# F# F# F# F# Say "Fis" or F sharp Set up 3 2 on. Leave all on.. Plucking the Note G G G G G G G G G G G G G œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ

17 2. Plucking the Note 7 3. Fun with 's & 's œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ?# Set up 3 2 on. Li all just above the string. Set up 3 2 on ; li all but get the st inger ready.. Odyssey in minor? œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ Set up 3 2 on ; li 32, leave on 32. œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ

18 8 5. Fast & Furious First Fingers 6. Stepping Out with, & F# TH ST UP RUL œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ 3 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ?# Set up 3 2 on ; li all but get the st inger ready Set up all your ingers on the string you are to play on then li as ew ingers as possible to play the irst note. 7. ncient choes Set up 3 2 on ; li all but get the st inger ready F# F# F# F# F# œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ 3 F# F#

19 9 B B 8. Three Note Ping Pong uet You need to work out your ingering and note names beore playing. Remember the Set Up Rule. 9. Hot Cross Buns (pizzicato version) You need to work out your ingering and note names beore playing. Remember the Set Up Rule. Traditional arranged œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ œ Œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ œ Œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ p

20 2 2. Mary Had a Little Lamb (pizzicato version) Forte - play loudly p Piano - play so ly Remember the Set Up Rule. You can now prac se holding your bow. Traditional arranged œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ p œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó

21 2. u Claire de la Lune (pizzicato version) Remember the Set Up Rule. 22. The Finger Twister Crescendo - gradually becoming louder. Remember the Set Up Rule. 23. Mirror Magic ecrescendo - gradually becoming so er. Remember the Set Up Rule. Traditional arranged œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó p œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ p œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ p 2

22 22 2. Bowing the Note own-bow - move the bow to the right. Up -bow - move the bow to the le. rco - play using your bow. MB - Play at the middle o the bow. 25. Bowing the Note 26. Bowing the Note F Sharp (F#) Play using the bow rom now on unless the music is marked 27. Bowing the Note G arco œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ?# # MB œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ?# MB MB arco œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ MB œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ

23 # q = 92 q = 92 MB, 28. Bowing the Note Retake - li the bow in a clock-wise circle to play another down-bow. 29. ouble the Fun! Metronome marking - play at a speed o 92 beats per minute. down-bow will ollow an up-bow and an up-bow will ollow a down-bow unless otherwise marked. This is known as "bowing as it comes". MB œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 3. Moving in Minims Minim - hold or two beats. WB - Whole Bow. Be sure to keep the bowhair always at a right angle to the string. WB œ œ œ, œ œ œ, œ œ œ œ œ, œ Œ Œ Œ Œ œ Œ p p œ Œ 23

24 2 3. Hop, Skip and Jump LH - use the lower hal o the bow; UH - use the upper hal o the bow. Using the bow rom LH to the UH is called "dividing the bow". q = 92 ndante q = Norwegian Folk Song WB UH WB LH WB UH œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Be sure to ollow the bowing markings to help you play the dynamics (louds and so s). llegro q = 2 ndante - the speed o an easy walking pace. Traditional arranged WB LH WB LH œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ UH p WB UH œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 33. Boil Them Cabbage own For ssimo - play very loudly. llegro - ast and lively. Traditional North merican arranged MB œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ?# # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ WB

25 Pages 25-6 not included in this sample.