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My teacher says I'm ready to start working my way through a beginner's viola book.
Any recommendations? I did a quick check on Amazon and found this:
Suzuki Viola School Viola Part, Volume 1
Is that ok, or is there something better to begin with?
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@New2Viola
I actually like the pieces in that book. They are pretty much the same as the pieces in the violin and cello Suzuki. There is a good variety and they are fun to play. As with all books, they are progressive. After you have done a few, and you progress, you may want to search out additional books to use. But, this is a great start. You also might be able to find free downloads to add to this selection. Book 2 has some nice pieces when you are ready, but don't get it until you are ready.
Since you have an instructor, the fact that the series is designed for the student to use with an instructor, this would be good. It doesn't give much guidance. Your instructor will be able to fill that in, as (s)he feels fit.
I would ask your instructor if (s)he wants you to get a scales or exercise books, also. If (s)he does, I would ask her/him to suggest one to you because there are so many and so many different opinions. I wanted to get a scales book to actually use with my violin lessons because I thought that is what you do. My instructor said she did not like scales or the other exercises, so she did not use them or teach scales, it was odd.
There are quite a few other books with beginner viola selections, but I don't know how far along you are. I have a Pops book for easy viola, etc. I bought that book for cello, viola and violin.
I would get that Suzuki Viola book for now.
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Learn Violin and Fiddle
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Thank you, I appreciate your thoughts. I am very much a beginning beginner. My teacher is not familiar with books in English, since most of her students are German speaking, but she'd said she'd take a look at anything I was considering, so I might ask her to take a look at the Suzuki book and see if it's appropriate.
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She may be able to see samplings and a list of all the songs on the internet.
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Learn Violin and Fiddle
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The Suzuki books are a fine selection of pieces for beginners. As Mouse has already mentioned, they don't contain a lot of explanation, because they assume there's a teacher. (They were designed to allow children to start learning music before they could read language.)
I understand that the Suzuki books for violin, viola, and cello don't really start to differ until Book 3. Before that, they contain the same pieces of music, though some pieces may be in different keys to suit the different instruments.
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