When you learn a scale, you are learning finger patterns and the names of each pitch. These are essential skills you'll need in order to sightread music. They also help you to begin to understand melody and harmony.
For decades I've been searching for a good cello scale book for my students and have finally found one by Wendy Bissenger called Sequenced Scale Studies for Cello. Thank you Wendy Bissenger, for your work in creating this wonderful book! This scale book is fabulous for so many reasons. I love it because:
- There are charts for the student to fill in when learning a new scale
- The beginning scales are written out with a repeat of the tonic note whenever the scale goes from ascending to descending or starts a new octave. This helps 2 things: Visually, it blocks out 8 notes (2 measures per octave) and musically, it helps the student sense which degree of the scale they are on.
- Each page is laid out well - just the right amount of information on each page, clearly presented.
- The scales are presented in a logical sequence. Students can start using this book when they are somewhere in the second half of Suzuki volume one.
- There is a teacher's harmony (a drone with simple harmonic changes). This helps the student to stabilize pitch.
- The book is spiral bound. I love this because it lays flat and will last a long time.
- There is a piano chart in the appendix for students who have no knowledge of a keyboard.
- d, g and c minor (with all the variants) are presented after the student has learned 2 octave major scales up to 3 sharps and 3 flats. Then the book continues with 4 One String/One Octave Minor Scales (a, d, g, c). This is fabulous because the interval between each degree of the scale becomes more obvious for the student. The student also gets lots of shifting practice and a clearer understanding of note names in 5th position without tenor clef (still in bass clef)
- Then 2 octave major scales "with no open strings". She sneaks in E major and Ab major at this point which is brilliant because they are not so hard once the student has learned the previously learned scales "with no open strings".
- The second half of the book has sections on relative major/minor (she cleverly calls relatives "families") and parallel major/minor, 3 octave major and minor scales, 3 octaves with no open strings and chromatic scales. These more advanced scales are still laid out beautifully on the page and tenor and treble clefs are used.
- Students will use this book for at least 3-4 years.
- If you are a cello teacher, buy it now!
Cassia Harvey has a scale book called "The Two Octave Scale Book". It's a helpful review of previously learned scales. It has a variety of rhythms to master as well as arpeggios and broken thirds which are important in developing sight reading skills. Your sight-reading will improve if you practice everything in this book! It includes all major and minor keys up to 6 sharps and 6 flats plus Chromatic scales.