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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Cello Stretching: Extended First Position

by Cassia Harvey

Instrumentation
Cello
Publisher
C. Harvey Publications
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Cover of Cello Stretching: Extended First Position
Cover courtesy of C. Harvey Publications

About this piece

Cello Stretching: Extended First Position teaches you how to reach beyond first position to play flats and sharps. ​Starting with extending to 1st finger flats and finishing with extending forward to reach 4th finger sharps, this book covers all of the stretching you could ever need. ​Cello extensions are best studied over a period of time so that the hand can gradually get used to reaching without tension. Cello Stretching provides ample practice material for continued work. Teachers can use this as a supplemental book to other methods and repertoire. ​This book can be studied along with Playing in Keys for Cello, Book One, which focuses on the keys that use these extensions.

Technical overview

This intermediate cello position method teaches extended first position on the cello using graded exercises and short pieces.

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.

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