georg's cello method

Georg's Little Music Library

Georg's Cello Method Volume 1b Part 1

(first position)

Step by step Cello Method

* carefully measured step by step * every position explained in detail

* beautiful cello duos * suitable for self teaching

* Tuition Videos of all pieces (in process - see

https://www.patreon.com/georgcello)

handwritten by Georg Mertens

Georg's Cello Method All pieces will be recorded on video with accompaniment & instructions (starting July 2020) - https://www.patreon.com/georgcello

Volume 1b A Tips for how to use the Cello Method - B How to Practice - some useful tips 28 Scale in C major 29 Study in C major (G.M.) 30 Oh When the Saints (Trad.) 31 Nimble Fingers (G.M.) 32 The Hippopotamus (G.M.) 33 Maytime (Neidhardt) 34 Scarborough Fair 35 Sakura, Sakura 36 Hatikvoh 37 The Ashgrove 38 Study in C (Sor) 39 Early one Morning No 40 - 50 are in Revision 40 Staccato Exercise 41 Double Stop Exercises 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Double-Double Stops for 2 cellos (G.M.)

Copyright by Georg Mertens, Katoomba Australia 2020

copying, publishing and sending this music without permission per email is against the law.

Performing welcome.

© Georg Mertens, Katoomba, Australia 2020 - videos: https://www.patreon.com/georgcello

A - TIPS on how to use the Cello Method 1) Play every piece - or number - at least once through

2) Once a piece has no mistake, it can be crossed out (through the number) and doesn't need to be played again.

Of course any piece can be kept to play, but it doesn't need to be played. That means no time is wasted, the progress is faster.

3) If after playing a piece through you really dislike it, you can cross it out (and never play it again).

Each section in the method has several pieces addressing the same musical or technical issues. Not every single piece needs to practiced.

We learn more and faster by playing what we like and cutting to a minimum, what we don't like.

4) At least one piece in each section should be completed, but best two. The sections can be seen as a group in the index

6) Mark favourite pieces (with a heart or sticker). I suggest having a separate book with just favourites.

7) I recommend to start every practice during a term with a "warm up piece" of choice and keep it for the term. This should be one of the favourite pieces.

I learned musically and technically most on pieces I could play anyway without mistake and by memory.

Once we know a piece very well, we can focus on tiny details, which we discover only after we can take for granted playing the notes correctly


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B - How to Practice - Some useful Tips 1) Returning home after the lesson, I recommend strongly to unpack the cello straight away, ready to play on a stand, in a corner or on the ground, bow ready next to it.

Also the music on a stand or accessible, open on the page to start.

2) If possible I recommend playing after the lesson everything what is new or includes new information once through at home.

We have two mind sets: the one is the home mind set, the old way of playing. The other is the teachers or lesson place set.

The way to introduce the new way of playing to our home is playing everything new at home on the same day. - One day later 50% is lost and the old way creeps in. Some students write information down after the lesson or record part of the lesson.

3) Starting every practice with a slow scale (any), 3 or 4 beats per note. This scale warms us up, including sitting correctly, spike length ideal, tuned well, bow hold, bow control, bow level and direction good, sound and intonation good. This one scale saves us from being shocked by our first piece, which after not warming up may sound dreadful.

4) Following should be our warm up piece of choice, a favourite we keep for about a term. This piece we play until everything is predictably good, no mistake, good sound, good intonation - best also by memory.

5) Now starts our variable practice program.

6) I find it important that every practice has some little goal: after this practice I want to play this bar / this section safely or much better. This daily practice goal setting is particularly good if we have very little time (because of maybe children or work pressure). In 5-10 minutes we can achieve something.

7) It is better to slow down the beat of a piece drastically, play strictly in rhythm than skipping through irregularly from one hard passage to the other. By slowing down the whole piece our mind learns to prepare accordingly to the flow of music. Also, we can express already in a slower speed. But we can't without the rhythm.

8) If it just doesn't sound right on a day, we might put the cello on the ground, walk a circle through the room and sit down again to play: it will sound differently!

9) If anything hurts - stop and take a break, mention it to your teacher.

28 Scale in C major * Play the C string heavy and slow, the A string light. * Create with every note a rich, round sound, from soft to strong to soft. * Keep the bow on the string, rest on the string at bow change, don't lift.

Accompaniment to Scale in C major (teacher)


29 Study in C major moderato G.M.

29 a Accompaniment to “Study in C major”


30 Oh, When the Saints ... plus accompaniment * Always count the beat in before you start 1 2 3 4 , 1 2 3 * The accompaniment is all pizzicato (plucking)

* the 4 (2) - - - 4 (2) dotted lines indicate to leave 4 down semibreve, 4/4 rest minim, 1/2 rest

not fast, solid beat Traditional


31 Nimble Fingers

G.M.

31 a Accompaniment to “Nimble Fingers”


32 The Hippopotamus

Flats [b]

Flats [b] are in a way the opposite to sharps [#] E.g. the note E on the C string is 3rd finger. But if a 'b' is written before, it becomes 2nd finger, one semitone (half a tone) lower and is called E flat.

This is the opposite as we had before when the 2nd finger on D string is F and with a '#' in front it turns into F# (F sharp) and becomes 3rd finger. Both indications if written within a piece count to the end of the bar/ measure. If written at the beginning of the piece and all lines, it counts for the whole piece unless a natural [n] cancels either 'b' or '#' as below in line 3, bar / measure 3.

slow and heavy (solo) - like a hippopotamus G.M.

The next 2 numbers have flats in the accompaniment because they are not in the key of C major (but D minor). © Georg Mertens, Katoomba, Australia 2020 - videos: https://www.patreon.com/georgcello

33 Maytime (Maienzeit) Neidhard von Reuenthal (1180-1240)

33 a Accompaniment to “Maytime” G.M.


34 Scarborough Fair English Traditional

34 a Accompaniment to “Scarborough Fair” Recommended that all students play this accompaniment. Also recommended 33 a & 35 a G.M.

35 Sakura, Sakura Very slow Japanese Traditional

* Count last line, be patient, don’t rush. * Last line: bar 1: to the tip, quavers at the tip, whole bow for

35 a Accompaniment to “Sakura, Sakura” G.M.


* Two advanced pieces with F# - in E minor and G major

36 Hatikvoh (with F#)

B. Smetana

36 a Accompaniment to “Hatikvoh” G.M.


37 The Ash Grove Traditional English © Georg Mertens, Katoomba, Australia 2020 - videos: https://www.patreon.com/georgcello

37 a Acc. to "The Ash Grove" re. Double stops (more than one note at once): Students best play always the lowest note or as indicated, teachers may play the full chord for a fuller sound. G.M. © Georg Mertens, Katoomba, Australia 2020 - videos: https://www.patreon.com/georgcello

38 Study in C major * Every bar / measure starts with down bow: Moderato Fernando Sor © Georg Mertens, Katoomba, Australia 2020 - videos: https://www.patreon.com/georgcello

38 a Acc. to F. Sor's Study in C major


39 Early one Morning For all slurs and minims (1/2 notes) use plenty of bow. For all separate crotchets (1/4 notes) use little bows.

Traditional

39 a Acc. to “Early one Morning” G.M.

Georg's Little Music Library - here a selection

Cello solo - (1-10 indication of difficulty) G. Mertens - 5 Preludes for the Love of the Lower Strings [4-7] G. Mertens - Variations on Sakura, Sakura [6-7] J. Dowland - Melancholy Galliard [7] V. Sojo - Cantico from 5 Pieces from Venezuela [7] J. Massenet - Meditation [8] G. Mertens - Variations on Maienzeit [8] G. Mertens - Blue Mountains Rainforest Sonata [8-9] M. Marais-Mertens: Variations on La Folia {9} G. Mertens - Jenolan Cathedral Ciaconna [9] G. Mertens - Spanish Romance [9] G. Mertens - Cadenza to Haydn Cello Concerto C maj 1st mov. [9] I. Albeniz - Asturias [9] G. Mertens - Tango Celloguitar [10]

2 Cellos J.S.Bach - 8 Chorals [1-4] Traditional Shakers - Simple Gifts [3] F. Cutting 1580 - Greensleeves Variations [3] 8 Beautiful Renaissance Dances [3-7] E. Satie - Gymnopedie 1 (1 or 2 cellos) * [4] J.S.Bach - Lute Suite No 1 ( [5-8] Saint-Saens The Swan with Bach Prelude I [6] G. Sanz - Pavanas & Canarios [7] M. Giuliani - Variations on La Folia [7-8] E. Granados - Intermezzo from Goyescas [8-9]

Cello & Guitar G.F. Handel - Aria "Lascia Ch'io Pianga (2 cellos / cello & guitar) D. Scarlatti - Sonata K32 (cello or shakuhachi & guitar/cello) [4] L.v. Beethoven - Sonatina (cello & guitar or 2 guitars) [5] A.Vivaldi - Sonata no 5 E minor [5-6] J.S.Bach - Arioso (cellos & guitar, 2nd cello) [5-6] G. Caccini - Ave Maria [5-6] The 3 cello pieces from the Royal Wedding [6-7] N. Paganini - Cantabile [8]

Violin & Guitar El Condor Pasa - cello (or violin / flute) & guitar [5] La Cumparsita - (violin or cello & guitar) [5-6] The Old Gypsy - (violin or cello & guitar) # [5-6]

See also Georg's Cello Method, including over 80 Cello Duos! www.georgcello.com/sheetmusic.htm

georg's cello method

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