I Can Read Music: For Cello, Volume I Spiral-bound – January 1, 1999

My daughter’s teacher wanted us to buy this. It’s been helpful for her lessons.

I love that this book is large print, which makes it easier to read and does play the cello. I like that it has note practice on the left-hand side and on the right page it has rhythm so it’s working on half notes and quarter notes etc. I had already taught myself how to read music by the time I purchase this book, but it has been extremely helpful in practicing the notes correctly and slowly and working on perfecting my rhythm and timing. I like that this book is spiral-bound also so I can fold back the pages if needed, or I can have it open on my music stand and go from one page to the next very easily.

Volumes 1 and 2 have been very helpful to me. Please read my review of both volumes in my Volume 2 review. I'm a late starter cello student (at age 70). After I shared these books with my cello teacher, she starter using these two volumes with some of her other students. She also assigns some sections to me now. I independently use parts of these two volumes every practice session between lessons, along with the new pieces I'm learning. My cello teacher says that I am way ahead of where she expected me to be. I give the credit to these two volumes, my teacher, and my hard work practicing between lessons.

I like how this book slowly introduces the notes that are being learned and that it is easy for a student who has been using suzuki method to quickly follow along with the knowledge they already have. I imagine it would also be useful for a child 10+ who is just beginning to play cello as well.

Needs to come with noise cancelling headphones for those rough first few months of scratchy string sounds.

Since I can already read music in treble clef, and merely want practice reading bass clef on with my "chin cello" (octave violin), I returned Vol 1 and ordered Vol 2 instead.

My 9-year old daughter is working her way through this book, and it is going well. She is able to complete one lesson a day in about ten minutes. The lessons are very gradual and do not overwhelm her. She has been working in this book for 2 months and is already able to easily read notes on the D and G string as well as half, quarter, eight, and sixteenth notes. Great book.

My 9 year old is using this in conjunction with the Suzuki Cello book 1. Very easy pacing with a combination of notes and rhythm taught, gentle and effective way to add extra practice with note reading.