Contemporary Cello Etudes

Learn the contemporary techniques and practices of the modern cello. These etudes were composed by a dozen of today’s most noteworthy and pioneering cellists, from a variety of styles. It is a vital exploration of 21st-century cello techniques that every contemporary cellist should know when playing music outside of the standard classical repertoire.

By exploring techniques such as chopping, pizzicato, improvisation, chords, ornaments, modes, polyrhythmic playing, and more, you will be prepared to play in a variety of contexts, including folk (bluegrass, Celtic, old-time), rock, funk, jazz (traditional and modern), world music, and accompanying yourself while singing. Each etude is introduced by its composer, with advice on the techniques/style covered, and an audio performance of the composition is available online. The collection is introduced with a foreword by Yo-Yo Ma.

You will learn:

• 28 cello etudes, from beginner to advanced difficulty levels, suitable for both study and performance
• techniques for rhythmic and chordal playing, including the percussive chop
• stylistic ornaments, phrasing, and vocabulary emblematic of folk, rock, funk, and jazz styles
• pizzicato techniques such as strumming, fingerstyle, walking bass, tremolo, and tapping
• contemporary rhythm techniques, such as polyrhythms (2:3, 3:2, 4:3, 3:4, 4:5, 5:4), and stylistic grooves
• strategies for melodic improvisation
• techniques for using electronic looping

Etudes in this volume were compiled and edited by Mike Block, and composed by Ashley Bathgate, Mike Block, Stephan Braun, Rufus Cappadocia, Rushad Eggleston, Erik Friedlander, Eugene Friesen, Natalie Haas, Giovanni Sollima, Mark Summer, Jacob Szekely, Matt Turner, and Jeffrey Zeigler.

Mike Block is a pioneering multi-style cellist, singer, composer, and educator, who tours internationally in the Grammy Award-winning Silk Road Ensemble, as well as his own projects. He graduated from the Julliard School, founded the Mike Block String Camp, and is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music.