Cello Positions
Material for Getting Practice in Various Positions
Learning the positions on the cello is usually a big job. Getting introduced in an ideal manner helps ease the tension created by just the thought of the new skill. Teachers that seem to have just what it takes to read a student, but more importantly, how to get the student to think in a logical sequence of motions will go a long way toward developing a solid system of shifting.
Shifting is the manner in which we get from one position to another. While one may initially think that it can't be all the complicated, "Just move your hand/arm, right?". That is not really the case, since form and posture play a significant role in getting around.
Beyond the posture of the right arm and hand, it is more a matter of getting to know which notes constitutes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, position and so on. There are some excellent books out there that get you thinking more concretely about the positions.
The exercises range from the dry to the musical and everything in between. I am going to name and provide links to several in this post. If you are currently finding it difficult to know when to choose to shift into an different position or don't realize the distances between notes/positions these two books are particularly useful.
1. Position Pieces, by: Rick Mooney (Vols. 1 & 2)
- Volume 1 is for positions up to 4th, including ½ position.
- Volume 2 targets 5th through 7th positions.
(- Both of these volumes start each position with certain "Target Exercises" that are excellent for focusing the student on finding the each position from both below and above.)
Position Pieces Vol. 1 https://amzn.to/3zsbuHn
Position Pieces Vol. 2
2. Harvey Whistler's Introducing the Positions for Cello, Volume 1
- This is a very technically oriented work. One will become very familiar with every note of the position and how to think about the approach to shifting.
- For any student that has not yet thought about the notes in a thorough and clear manner this will start the process.
Harvey Whistler's Introducing the Positions for Cello, Volume 1
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