Habits of a Successful Young String Musician - Book 1

Habits of a Successful Young String Musician is a field-tested and musical collection of 220 sequenced exercises for the beginning string student. The companion website (www.habitsstrings.com) features supplemental resources including accompaniment tracks, start-up clinic videos, and full performance videos for each exercise in the book. These cutting-edge online components are on MusicFirst (PracticeFirst) and MakeMusic Cloud (SmartMusic).

What makes Habits of a Successful Young String Musician unique?

Tone is at the heart of this method.

• Students begin using the bow earlier than other resources.
• The familiar melodies enable students to use their ears to develop good pitch and tone.
• Online videos allow students to see and hear professional string players modeling goodtone and technique for each exercise.

Tonal Literacy is a key focus of this book.

• All four open strings are introduced early.
• New notes are introduced with clear fingerboard diagrams and pictures next to the staff.
• New keys are taught by highlighting notes affected by the new key signature.

Online resources (www.habitsstrings.com) include instructional videos by professional string coaches to reinforce instrument position, left-hand set-up, bow hand technique, hooked bows, slurs, developing good tone, as well as shifting and positions in the lower strings.