Early Start on the Viola

The main focus of Volume 3 lies on duet playing in different metres and keys. The variety of the selected recital pieces is designed to encourage fun in music-making and to develop a feeling for contrasting musical styles. On this basis, the familiar finger patterns and bowing strokes are thoroughly practiced and expanded. Learners also encounter fundamental ornaments (trills, appoggiaturas, upper mordents) and a new rhythmic unit: the triplet. A table on the inside back cover lists page numbers for all the duets contained in this volume and in Volume 3 of the cello tutor “Früher Anfang auf dem Cello” (BA 9693), making it possible to play the pieces with viola and cello. The authors In 1976 Egon Sassmannshaus, one of the most experienced and renowned violin teachers in Germany, published his tutor “Früher Anfang auf der Bratsche”. This standard work for young string players quickly became the most popular and best-selling tutor in the German-speaking countries for beginners on the viola. His son Kurt Sassmannshaus functioned as co-editor of the English-language edition, “Early Start on the Viola” (BA 9686, BA 9687, BA 9688, BA 9689), adapting his father's successful tutor to meet the needs and requirements of English-speaking children. The combined knowledge and experience of both father and son make these four volumes the most thoroughly researched and thought-through viola tutor for beginners all over the world.