Skip to content
Cello Repertoire Initiative

Three-Octave Scales for the Cello, Book Three: More Variations

by Cassia Harvey

Instrumentation
Cello
Publisher
C. Harvey Publications
More by this composer

Purchase or download

Cover of Three-Octave Scales for the Cello, Book Three: More Variations
Cover courtesy of C. Harvey Publications

About this piece

Three-Octave Scales for the Cello, Book Three presents a new set of cello scale variations for daily practice. From staccato and spiccato to accent studies and syncopation, bowings and rhythms are explored in hundreds of variations that will keep practice sessions both interesting and efficient. The companion book to Three-Octave Scales for the Cello, Book Two, this volume is a highly varied compendium of cello scale technique.

Technical overview

This advanced cello scale book gives you daily exercises for working on bowing and rhythm using three-octave scales.

Level rubric

Advanced

Left Hand

  • Unrestricted fingerboard operation.
  • Effortless high‑register passages with thumb position.
  • Execute large leaps, rapid shifts & fast runs with precise intonation.
  • Render double stops with clarity and even vibrato.
  • Crisp, stylistically appropriate ornamentation (trills, turns, mordents).
  • Instinctive micro‑adjustments in intonation for expressiveness.
  • False harmonics in low positions

Right Hand

  • Complete command of all bow strokes at any tempo/dynamic.
  • Comfortable execution of virtuoso passages (sautillé, intricate ricochet).
  • Tone projection from whisper‑quiet to fortissimo.
  • Integrate advanced bow patterns with expressive phrasing.
  • Demonstrate technical precision with a broad dynamic range.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Interpret large‑scale structures with nuanced pacing and rhythmic freedom.
  • Highly refined phrasing with subtle note grouping & expressive rubato.
  • Convey emotional depth and stylistic authenticity.
  • Incorporate personal interpretive choices while meeting stylistic demands.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

Music

Recently AddedThe newest additions

About

Our MissionResource CatalogContributeContact Us