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Playing in Keys for Cello, Book One: C, G, and F major

by Cassia Harvey

Instrumentation
Cello
Publisher
C. Harvey Publications
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Cover of Playing in Keys for Cello, Book One: C, G, and F major
Cover courtesy of C. Harvey Publications

About this piece

Do you struggle to remember sharps and flats while you are playing? Do you wish you had better muscle memory for finger positions? This book can help! By focusing on the finger positions in each key that are hard to remember (for instance, knowing whether to play 2nd or 3rd finger on each string), this book gives you a deep knowledge of how to play in each key. Sharps and flats are presented as vocabulary in the language of music that you are learning along with your instrument. With carefully graded exercises and short pieces, this book is a valuable addition to the first position cello repertoire, giving teachers and students a much-needed tool for teaching and learning to play in key signatures. Playing in Keys for Cello, Book One is appropriate for late-beginning and early-intermediate cello students, as well as adult learners. This book works well along with The Triplet Book for Cello, Part One and can be followed by Cello Stretching: Extended First Position.

Technical overview

This cello note-reading method teaches you the notes, spaces, sharps, and flats in C, G, and F major and helps with cello sight-reading.

Level rubric

Early Intermediate

Left Hand

  • Regular shifting among 1st–4th positions.
  • Frequent shifts with target notes & prepared approaches.
  • Introduce ornamentation (grace notes, slow trills, turns).
  • Begin basic double stops (often with one open note).
  • Combine extensions with shifting.
  • Consistent vibrato on sustained notes with speed variations.

Right Hand

  • Bow arm gains finesse and speed.
  • Introduce controlled spiccato.
  • Sautillé appears in rapid passages.
  • Expand legato into longer, sustained lines.
  • Practice advanced articulations (martelé, refined string crossings).
  • Add complex strokes for double stops/chords.

Bow Strokes

  • Use context‑appropriate strokes: legato, spiccato, martelé.
  • Subtle bow changes during string crossings.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Increased challenges: sixteenths, dotted rhythms, syncopation, contrasting subdivisions.
  • Emphasize expression with crescendos/decrescendos & vibrato.
  • Balance technical precision with emotional delivery.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.