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3rd Grade Beginning Strings Packet: CELLO & BASSFor Student & Parent Use

You will find:

how to care for your instrument & instrument parts practice tips instrument parts study guide posture & bow grip checklist posture picture bow grip picture bowing note practice 1 (Two copies: photo copy/keep one,

complete other when assigned.) note practice 2 (Two copies: photo copy/keep one,

complete other when assigned.) note practice 3 (Two copies: photo copy/keep one,

complete other when assigned.)

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How to care for your instrument:

1. Always store instrument in a safe place. Never leave in a car/outside in cold or heat. Plan to store instrument only in environments that you would be happy staying in (I know I wouldn’t want to be in a closet or under a bed).

2. Only open case in a safe place. Not on tables, chairs, beds, or your lap. The floor is a place where the case and instrument will not fall. But, be sure to place it where it will not be stepped on or tripped over. Put away instrument in its case whenever not in use.

3. Take sponge/shoulder rest off before putting in case. Do not force your case closed!

4. Tighten your bow each time you take out your instrument, and loosen your bow each time your put it away with the screw at the bottom of your bow. (Righty tighty-lefty loosey). Do NOT over tighten bow. Bow hair and stick should only be about as far apart as these two lines: | |

5. Rosin your bow each time you take your instrument. 5-10 strokes of rosin should be enough; be sure to “scrub” hard! If your instrument makes no sound with the bow, rosin much more. Do not touch your bow hair! It makes the hair greasy and greasy hair won’t make a sound on an instrument.

6. Label your case and rosin with your name, school, grade and teacher so if lost it can be returned.

7. Take instrument to music store if broken; do not try to fix at home! Don’t bring to school broken just to show us; the music store will handle this easily and repairs are usually covered under your rental contract.

8. Clean off strings and instrument when white rosin dust accumulates regularly with the cloth included in your case (or any soft cloth).

9. Only hold your instrument in rest position or playing position. Holding the violin by its strings, or other positions could cause damage.

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15 Easy Practice Tips

1. Practice in a quiet place away from distractions. 2. Set a goal for each practice session. “I will be able to play the notes to #13 correctly.”3. Practice slowly; you’ll play better. 4. Practice standing and sitting to have better posture. 5. Speak the note names and the finger numbers to each song. 6. Pluck and bow the song. 7. Don’t always play the whole song though; playing chunks can fix tricky spots.8. Circle or mark your mistakes in you music so you know which chunks you should focus on.9. Make sure you play the song more than once; you’ll get the hang of it better. 10. Know your weaknesses and practice them; your practice will be more effective. 11. Play for others; family, friends, pets, and so on. 12. Practice anything that you remember doing in your last lesson just like you did it in the lesson. 13. Know a friend playing a string instrument? Practice together for fun!14. Play this game: to move onto the next song, you must play the song you’re working on without a

mistake three times in a row. 15. At the end of your practice session play some songs you like just for FUN!

Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Crummy Reasons Not to Practice

“But I played in school!” That’s not practicing, and it’s not enough to help you really improve.

“I play better than anyone else in school.” You need to be the best you can be; the point is not to compare yourself to others. If you goof off, you may not be the best anymore.

“I already learned the assignment.” Be absolutely positive that you truly DO know the assignment. Chances are, you still have work you could do. Do you pause often? Is your posture/bow grip correct? If you really have mastered it, give yourself a new assignment!

“I don’t have time.”Really? Are you sure? You can’t find 10-15 minutes a day for some fun making music? If you truly are too busy, be sure to make it up next week.

“I don’t know how it goes.” Ask a parent, sibling, friend, or use the internet to find a recording. If that doesn’t work, give it your best try and ask your teacher for help at your next lesson.

“It’s boring.” Sounds like a better attitude is in order. Learning is fun, music is tons of fun, and being good at something is really cool.

You should be practicing 15 minutes a day. We ask that this happens at least 5 out of 7 days of the week.

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Instrument Parts Study GuideYou need to know these parts….

Instrument:

1. Tuning Pegs2. Strings3. Body4. Bridge5. Neck6. Scroll7. Chin rest

(Violin/Cello/Bass only)8. End Pin (Cello/bass only)

Bow:

1. Frog2. Stick3. Hair4. Tip5. Screw

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Also See Pg. 2 of your Essential Elements book.

Posture & Bow Grip Checklist

CHECK BOX ONLY IF STUDENT IS PERFORMING THE TASK.

Posture Checklist

1 2 3 4 TASKSitting Forward on Edge of Chair (Cello) Standing up (Bass)Feet Flat on FloorHips, Back, and Head StraightEndpin properly adjusted (Cello, points in line with knees) (Bass, nut in line with eyes)Cello Resting on Chest/Bass resting against Left leg/sideInstrument Elbow Out to the Side (NOT Resting on Instrument)“Coke Can Hand”Fingers Curved like umbrella over fingerboardBowing/Plucking Elbow raised and flat (not against side)Plucking with Pointer FingerPlucking Thumb against fingerboard/bow in between bridge & fingerboardInstrument Thumb in between fingers 1 & 3 (On fuzzy marker/sticker)

/12 /12 /12 /12 TOTAL NUMBER OF TASKS COMPLETED OUT OF 12

Bow Grip Checklist

1 2 3 4 TASKThumb in “nook” on stickThumb bentTip of thumb usedMiddle finger in line with silver part on frogRing finger just behind Middle finger on frogPinky finger just Behind middle finger on frogSmall space between fingersPointer finger curved over grip, extended slightlyHand “Open” not squeezed or fist like

/9 /9 /9 /9 TOTAL NUMBER OF TASKS COMPLETED OUT OF 9

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Bow Grip: This is important: If you hold your pencil wrong, your writing will be sloppy. If you hold your bow incorrectly, your bowing and sound will also be poor.

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Bowing:

The bow should be drawn straight across the string parallel to the bridge and halfway between the bridge and fingerboard. This playing area is called the “Runway.”

See pictures below for examples of correct and incorrect bowing.

Bowing incorrectly is caused by the arm/shoulder. Remember that the shoulder does nothing; the elbow opens and closes like a hinge to keep the bow going straight. See below.

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Cello/Bass NOTE PRACTICE #1: D E F# G ADIRECTIONS: FILL IN THE BLANKS above each note with the note’s name. Remember, this is only for practice. Use your book if you’re having

trouble. REMEMBER TO USE “F#”!

1. PUT A BOX AROUND THE BASS CLEF.

2. CIRCLE THE TIME SIGNATURE.

3. HOW MANY FINGERS DO YOU USE TO PLAY THE NOTE “F#”? .

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Cello/Bass NOTE PRACTICE #2: A B C# High DDIRECTIONS: Label each note’s name above the staff. Remember, this is only for practice. Use your book if you’re having trouble.

REMEMBER TO USE “C#”!

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3. HOW MANY FINGERS DO YOU USE TO PLAY THE NOTE “B”? .



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Cello/Bass NOTE PRACTICE #3: D E F# G A B C# High DDIRECTIONS: Label each note’s name above the staff. Remember, this is only for practice. Use your book if you’re having trouble.

REMEMBER TO USE “F# & C#”!

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1. CIRCLE THE KEY SIGNATURE.

2. DRAW A “DOWN BOW” SIGN.

3. DRAW A “UP BOW” SIGN.



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