Playing beautiful cello combines the harmonious interplay of cello, bow, and body. Elizabeth Kalfayan’s handbooks CELLO /PLAY SMART FROM THE START: A Handbook for Advancing Virtuosity, I Beginner and II Intermediate to Advanced, offer a specially-designed sequence of lessons that thoroughly and simply explain the components of each new cello skill in preparation for its introduction. Demonstration videos clarify in detail the desired cello motions required to develop great artistry.
Based on more than 20 years of teaching and performance, the CELLO / Play Smart from the Start handbooks introduce original exercises, developed by Elizabeth Kalfayan, which are designed to prevent and eliminate the bad habits and the resulting tensions that stop many from improving and being able to play joyfully. This innovative method teaches students how to greatly improve dexterity, speed, and ease of motion.
The CELLO / PLAY SMART FROM THE START handbook, I Beginner features:
Successful foundational techniques in original, skill-building exercises that provide detailed, step-by-step instruction that’s easy to follow.
Accompanying instructional demonstration videos that clarify exercises and techniques
Lessons on how to substitute the grasping or squeezing that builds tension with natural forces, such as leaning, pulling, dropping, hanging, resting on, sinking in, rotating, and bending flexible joints with proper alignment.
Instruction on how students can release tension in the thumbs and other fingers, and in the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
100 original recommendations for building technique and musicality.
CELLO / PLAY SMART FROM THE START: A HANDBOOK FOR ADVANCING VIRTUOSITY, I BEGINNER: Forward/ Chapter I A Closer Look at the Cello: The Cello with the Names of Each Part: The Bow with the Names of Each Part; Cello Open String Pitches as They Relate to the Piano Keyboard; The Range on Each String; How to Tune the Cello; Helpful Hints; How to Sit and Hold the Cello Chapter II Off to a Good Start: Left Hand: Hand and Finger Exercises; Shape of the Left Hand and Fingers; Left-Arm Preparatory Exercises; Left-Arm and Hand Alignment for Playing on the Cello Fingerboard; How to Sink Down on a String with the Correct Angle of the Hand; Left-Hand Playing with Transferring Weight from Finger to Finger; Left-Hand Finger Placement in First Position with Whole-Step and Half-Step Measurements; Left-Hand Finger Placement in Half Position with Whole-Step and Half-Step Measurements Chapter III Off to a Good Start: Right Hand: Helpful Hints for the Bow; Preliminary Bow Hold and Playing Short Notes at the Middle of the Bow; Learning to Pull the Whole Bow with the Correct Sequence of Motion; Perfecting the Bow Stroke; Preparatory Exercises for the Regular Bow Hold; Regular Bow Hold; Practice and Review Sheet for the Bow; Exercise with the Regular Bow Hold Chapter IV Reading Notes and Music Symbols: Learning to Read Notes; The Staff; The Three Clefs; Counting the Beats; Music Symbols; Bowing Symbols; Dynamic Markings; The Modes; Building Scales Chapter V I Advancing Technique and Musicality: Advancing Left-Hand Technique and Musicality; Advancing Right-Hand Technique and Musicality; More Tools for Building Musicality; Suggested Books, Studies, and Pieces.
