The Cellist’s Guide to Scales and Arpeggios

Book excerpt: The Cellist’s Guide to Scales and Arpeggios is intended for cellists of all ages, experience, and ability levels, including teachers, students, amateurs, and professionals. This book offers a thorough, sequential syllabus of cello scales and arpeggios. The authors start with the most basic one-octave scales and work through a variety of systems, including some of the most complex scales a cellist might ever encounter. There are virtually no other publications that provide a complete and sequential guide for cellists. Along with the printed and electronic versions of the book, this 140-page sourcebook includes a unique assortment of drones to help with intonation. In addition, there are 41 instructional videos accessible through QR codes. These demonstrate various cello techniques, including ways to tune, extensions, shifting, coordination exercises, velocity studies, and much more. It’s almost like having two university-level cello teachers with you in your practice room, showing you how to achieve a beautiful tone and precise intonation through scales and arpeggios.