A lifetime journey of learning: the cellist’s guide to scales and arpeggios

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Musicians know about the importance of practising scales and arpeggios. These are the most basic building blocks for learning technique, and for the composition of music itself. Our work on scales and arpeggios is an on-going process, almost a life-long meditation. At first, we learn the fundamentals in order to create a firm foundation of knowledge and technique. Then we gradually layer new information and skills, building from ’simple’ one-octave scales and arpeggios to two, three and four octaves. Each new octave presents different issues for the right hand, including changes in contact point, weight and bow speed. And of course each octave presents different spacing and intonation issues for the left hand. Then we need to increase the challenges with sixths, thirds and octaves, as well as alternate rhythms in the Galamian system and different arpeggios in the Krastev system. Not to mention chromatic scales, octatonic scales and whole tone scales. 

It is a lifetime journey of learning. However, for cellists there is no single book that takes a musician from the first steps through all these various systems in a logical and progressive sequence. Until now. Theodore Buchholz and I have just published a book entitled The Cellist’s Guide to Scales and Arpeggios: A Comprehensive, Systematic, Sequential Approach. 

Most technique books that include scales present only one or two scale systems. Louis R. Feuillard’s Daily Exercises (1919), our ’cello bible,’ contains multiple possibilities of scale systems. But even Feuillard does not present a progressive order of these different systems.

Our book guides a cellist through a logical and sequential progression of cello scale systems from the beginning stages through advanced levels. In doing so, we slowly add complexity, along with a deep understanding of various important principles for playing the cello. Concepts such as finger spacing, expressive intonation, or the ’Mary System’ must be learnt slowly over time, and these concepts must be absorbed before moving on to more sophisticated topics such as harmonic versus melodic intonation, thumb position, or tetrachords. Moving too fast from one concept to the next could be problematic for a student if the ideas are not thoroughly understood and ingrained. 

Throughout the journey, we recommend some basic principles for practising:

● Engage the mind as well as the body.

● Always listen to the tone quality, ensuring a healthy depth to the sound.

● Listen carefully to the intonation at all times.

● Know the notes that you are playing, sometimes saying them out loud while playing.

● Know the key signatures of the scale you are playing.

● Use a metronome to solidify good rhythmical habits, steady tempo, and a sense of pulse.

● Memorise the fingerings/positions immediately when learning a new key or a new system; memorisation ensures that the patterns become internalised.

● Be aware of the sequence of intervals in the scale or arpeggio.

● Notice patterns in the different scale and arpeggio systems: music is filled with patterns, and the more you recognise these patterns the easier it is to learn.

● Use drones to improve intonation by understanding the intervals that are created between the drone and the note you play.

● Check intonation by relating notes to open strings.

● Use a tuner occasionally to heighten your awareness of pitch accuracy.

● In general, start scale practice without vibrato to maximise intonation accuracy; vibrato can be added later as the intonation becomes more secure.

● Be aware of expressive intonation and later, just intonation, and how these intonation adjustments should be applied to a scale.

● Always monitor your body, making sure there is no excess tension

One of the special features of the book is that along with the printed and electronic versions, we provide a unique assortment of chordal drones to help with intonation. A drone is a sustained pitch that provides a foundation for a melody, or in this case, a scale or arpeggio. It is useful to practise with drones in order to hear the interval between the sustained note and each degree of the scale we are playing. This can help with intonation, because the interval will sound wrong if the note in the scale is sharp or flat. Our drones are not just electronic – they were created using samples of real string instruments, to offer the most appealing, symphonic sound possible. It includes natural resonance and a small amount of vibrato to help beautify the sound. 

We offer tonic drones in all twelve keys. These can be used with any scale system. The one-octave scales also include drones with the Suzuki rhythms. We also have chordal drones for two octave scales and arpeggios, as well as for three-octave major, harmonic minor and melodic minor scales. In addition we have chordal drones for thumb position scales, and there is even a jazz version for each of these systems. The video version of these drones is available on line through QR codes and links from the book. The audio version of these drones is available for downloading. 

Our book also features instructional videos that demonstrate various technical issues with demonstrations about ways to practice all the scale systems. These videos are also available by QR codes and links from both the electronic and hard copies of the book.  

We have put this book together based on our combined teaching experience of some 70 years working with pre-college and college students, young professionals, and amateur cellists. And we use these scales and arpeggios in our own daily practice. We hope that all cellists will find useful material in this book.

For more information, please visit our website at: http://www.thecellistsguide.com. The Cellist’s Guide to Scales and Arpeggios: A Comprehensive, Systematic, Sequential Approach is available now.