Recommended Books

Ever wanted to start learning violin, viola, or cello, but never had any idea of where to start? Or perhaps, have you been playing for a few years but aren't satisfied with your progress? Not to fear! After years of research and experimentation, here's a list of books that I've found to be wonderfully helpful for beginner & intermediate students.

I'm a huge fan of the String Basics books. Not only do they help you to set up the instrument properly & begin to learn how to read music, but they do so in a logical, step-by-step manner with plenty of visuals to aid your understanding. While I only use the first Strings Basics book with my students, there are multiple books in the series, as well as sister series by the same authors that aid in developing sight-reading and vibrato.

1. String Basics Violin Book 1

2. String Basics Viola Book 1 

3. String Basics Cello Book 1

I absolutely adore the Elementary/Intermediate Scales & Bowings books. Each page of the book features a finger chart diagram, explaining where your fingers should go to play the notes in each key & guiding you through different bowing exercises. While this book series has been around since the late 80s, I didn't learn of it until this year! I wish I'd discovered it sooner.

1. Elementary Scales & Bowings for Violin

2. Intermediate Scales & Bowings for Violin 

3. Elementary Scales & Bowings for Viola 

4. Intermediate Scales & Bowings for Viola 

5. Elementary Scales & Bowings for Cello

6. Intermediate Scales & Bowings for Cello 

The Introducing the Positions books are by the same authors as the Elementary/Intermediate Scales & Bowings books. They logically and methodically work through exercises in various positions, showing where half-steps occur & guiding students to develop an inherent understanding of stepwise motion.

1. Introducing the Positions for Violin: Volume 1

2. Introducing the Positions for Violin: Volume 2

3. Introducing the Positions for Viola: Volume 1

4. Introducing the Positions for Viola: Volume 2

5. Introducing the Positions for Cello: Volume 1

6. Introducing the Positions for Cello: Volume 2 

For anyone interested in fiddle, there's nothing better than the Foinn Seisún book series -- although the session.org is a phenomenal resource, as well. The Foinn Seisún books (created by Comhaltas) are set up such that each page of the book includes tunes that work well together in a set. It's a no-frills book series that includes basic notation of common Irish session tunes in treble clef, and is the go-to for Irish folk musicians worldwide.

1. Foinn Seisiún Book 1 

2. Foinn Seisiún Book 2

3. Foinn Seisiún Book 3

4. Foinn Seisiún Book 4

While I'm not a Suzuki-certified instructor, I do use the Suzuki book series with my beginner strings students. The Suzuki books provide beginner-friendly repertoire (aka, songs) that grow increasingly difficult as students progress through each song. These songs draw upon various cultural influences, and have enough repetition to aid students in developing pattern recognition.

1. Suzuki Violin Book 1

2. Suzuki Viola Book 1

3. Suzuki Cello Book 1

I hope these books help you on your learning journey! Best of luck :)