Now that you feel comfortable(ish) holding the instrument, let's place the left hand on the fingerboard. We'll start by plucking so as to get accustomed to pressing down the string before we add the bow.

Time to add the soul of the instrument! This is where we make the music. It will take some time to get used to holding the bow correctly, so don't worry if it slips and slides a lot in the beginning; just gently remove it, shake out your hand and try, try again!

Although it doesn't seem complicated, this basic musical structure will help develop essential building blocks for our technique on the gamba. Practicing leaving fingers down or picking them in preparation will help us develop the independent yet unified left-hand technique that is necessary for ease in playing as well as creating the best sound possible.

This perennial favorite of beginning string players the world over is a perfect introduction to combining the right and left hands. 

Skill Builders

Musicality: We'll begin with an upbeat, a note just before the first barline. We'll concentrate on expressing the commas in the text

Left Hand: We'll start in first position, our home base, and practice putting down the 4th finger for our high D's

Right Hand: The regular quarter-note rhythm will allow us to concentrate on getting a beautiful flowing sound, with a bow parallel to the bridge

We'll stay in 16th-century England for our next piece, a melancholy 3-part song. 

Skill Builders

Musicality: We'll discover two new rhythms: half-notes and  dotted quarters

Left Hand: We'll learn the half-position on the middle strings

Right Hand: We'll practice re-taking: picking up the bow and placing it down again

Although this immensely popular tune is Italian in origin, it was published throughout Europe and in many different versions.

Skill Builders

Musicality: We'll throw repeated eight-notes into the mix

Left Hand: We'll focus on keeping fingers down

Right Hand: We'll continue to practice re-taking, and discover zig-zag bowing and hooking

We'll see this Golden Oldie several times throughout this course, increasing the technical challenges each time.  We'll repeat the piece in Level II with different fingerings, and then again in Level III as you play the melody line. 

Skill Builders

Musicality: This is our first piece in triple time, a noble 6/4

Left Hand: We'll introduce a new concept, the barré (first finger held down across two strings), as well as learning where to place our 4th finger for an F.

Right Hand: We'll practice a long-short bowing, making sure not to accent the short note.

A light-hearted dance tune, the Honie-Suckle was written by a great lutenist in the age of great lutenists.

Skill Builders

Musicality: We'll mix and match many different rhythms and practice reading a 4/2 meter

Left Hand: We'll continue to learn more notes in the half position, encountering a B flat for the first time

Right Hand: The different rhythms will require a dexterity and lightness in bowing the short notes. We will also continue to work on hooking the bow (two downs in a row)

This beautiful psalm melody by J.S. Bach is our first piece from the High Baroque, the 18th-century. 

Skill Builders

Musicality: Our first piece in E minor, we'll focus on interpreting the text in our phrasing

Left Hand: We'll encounter the choice to be made between a 4th finger and an open string, listening to hear the difference in sound

Right Hand: We'll play a slur for the first time, two eighth-notes in one bow stroke without stopping the bow

We return back to the 16th-century with this sweet French folk song.

Skill Builders

Musicality: This is a longer song than we've seen so far, requiring a different mood in the second half

Left Hand: The fingers will be busy standing still, as the lines indicate holding multiple fingers down until they're next needed

Right Hand: A larger range means more adaptation of arm weight to match the thickness of the string. An open high D to start the second half means a very delicate beginning

One of the most beautiful consort songs of the English Renaissance, we'll get to play this piece twice. This version is shorter and a bit simpler than the complete version we'll look at in Level 2.

Skill Builders

Musicality: This is our first piece where the melody doesn't begin, so you'll have to listen carefully to the bass to know where to start. Despite all the rests, keep making a long line

Left Hand: We'll practice again replacing the open D with a 4th finger. Lots of open strings mean we can't leave fingers down to help with the string crossings

Right Hand: Every phrase starts on a down bow, requiring control to place it down without bouncing

This haunting melody set by Bach in his most famous motet has an uneven phrase structure, setting it apart from more traditional hymns.

Skill Builders

Musicality: Phrase lengths of 6, 6 and 7 bars require longer lines to avoid becoming too choppy.

Left Hand: This piece lies quite low on the instrument so we'll need to build up finger strength for the thicker strings.

Right Hand: Equally, we'll work on getting a good sound on the C and G strings, with a heavier right arm than has been needed so far.

A classic Christmas song from 17th-century Germany, the rhythmic phrasing follows the text perfectly.

Skill Builders

Musicality: We'll work with syncopations (tied-over notes) for the first time, feeling how they carry us through to the end of the phrase

Left Hand: We'll work on feeling more comfortable in half position, with F's and B-flats on the A and E strings.

Right Hand: The syncopations will require awareness of bow division and planning.

This American Revival song from the mid 19th-century has an archaic charm about it, reflecting that the message was more important than the medium.

Skill Builders

Musicality: There are some crunchy dissonances between the two parts, as well as some unexpected harmonies.

Left Hand: The repeated high E at the beginning requires a comfortable barré, and the runs of 8th-notes need a flexibility in the fingers.

Right Hand: Although the rhythms aren't complex, we'll focus on good coordination between the two hands for the 8th-notes.

The infamous Henry VIII, while known for his dubious marital history, was also an amateur composer. Enjoy playing this sweet song about friendship.

Skill Builders

Musicality: Odd phrase lengths are challenging to connect, and the old-fashioned modal tonality sounds archaic

Left Hand: We'll switch between barrés and picking up the first finger.

Right Hand: Lots of rests and unequal rhythms mean paying close attention to avoid unwanted accents