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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Witches' Brew: 16 Spooky Pieces to Play and Sing

by Caroline Lumsden

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Publisher
Edition Peters
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About this piece

A collection of 16 short pieces for beginner cellists, with words to sing, by Caroline Lumsden, with jazz-style piano accompaniments by Ben Attwood. The book and CD include teaching points, rhythm training and practice suggestions. Four of its pieces (Casting a Spell; Hubble Bubble, Here Comes Trouble; Trick, Treat or Tango; Wilhelmina's Cocktail Shop) are set for the Trinity College London Initial cello exam. It is the companion to Lumsden's Wizard's Potion.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Early Beginner

Left Hand

  • Basic setup: open strings & 1st-finger in 1st position.
  • No shifting or extensions.
  • No vibrato; harmonics only as open-string effects.

Right Hand

  • Proper bow hold with straight strokes.
  • Basic détaché on open strings.
  • Mid‑bow focus; clean start/stop exercises.
  • Simple adjacent string crossings.

Bow Strokes

  • Détaché.
  • Stopped notes
  • Continuous string contact.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Simple rhythms (quarters, 8ths, repeated patterns).
  • Short pieces in 2/4 or 4/4.
  • Minimal phrasing (1–2 bars).
  • Steady dynamics for clear tone.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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