Description
See the music Review by Mary Pells, The Consort
Viol Player Book 2 has been written with children in mind, but adults will als o find the step by step approach easy to use. The prime objectives behind the ‘Viol Player Series’, of which five books in total are planned, are to enable the student to develop a good technique, and to always make a beautiful sound.
The collection of pieces in Viol Player Book 2 has been specially selected to allow students to learn a logical sequence of notes and finger patterns. This in turn is linked to understanding different keys. The third and fourth fingers are introduced on the fourth (C) string, to help strengthen fingers and develop left hand position.
In contrast to Viol Player Book 1, Book 2 consists of a collection of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire specific to the viol, along with some medieval music. However, by popular request, some folk music has also been included. Most repertoire is in duet form enabling the student to listen to the teacher’s sound or the CD.
Some repertoire has been adapted to allow progression through the technique covered in the viol syllabus for the National Curriculum of England and Wales which allows pupils who play viols to progress at the same levels as children who play other instruments.
All CD track numbers are at the top left of each piece and the introduction has been marked with a square bracket on the stave itself.
Each track has been recorded at a ‘practice’ and ‘play-along’ speed, with ‘practice’ tracks being slower, and ‘play-along’ tracks faster.
All speeds are indicated with metronome markings at the top of each piece. There is also an Appendix (p.50) that describes bowing in an historical context.
The book is supplied in a variety of formats and comes with either 2 CDs or a download at High Pitch A=440hz or Low Pitch A =415hz please select CD or download on ordering.
A happy customer from USA –
I am not a viol teacher. I am a student who is just beginning who wishes to learn the rudiments of the tenor and bass. I have a teacher but for the most part I am teaching myself the tenor and bass. This makes having good books important.
I have a variety of books on the viol including books by Ms. Feldman, Ms. Crum and Ms. Bishop. Your books, in my humble opinion, are the best books on the market for learning from the ground up. The compact discs are excellent since you can hear what you are supposed to sound like. And the books simply look good which increases marketability. That is why I have bought so many.
In addition, your method of holding the bow is very different from what I have seen, making it a good addition to learning literature
Mary Pells, The Consort, The Journal of the Dolmetsch Foundataion. –
I wish I had had a book like Viol Player Book 2 when I started to play the viol. It is intended for children, but would not be at all unsuitable for adults; in fact, given a knowledge of how to ready music, it would be ideal for an adult beginner. I thoroughly enjoyed playing along with the two CDS that accompany this book. Most of the pieces are written as duets, providing plenty of material all carefully graded, with each new note being systematically introduced. All in all, I thought this book was a delight. It is intelligently planned and shows thorough road testing. Many tutor books for other instruments could be improved by imitating this approach.