I hope everyone's had a great holiday! This post features a few more books by Mary Cohen that I happen to have around. There are many more I haven't gotten yet, and urge us all to explore-- collections of pieces, duets and quartets, and even theatrical works suitable for children's concerts. She is prolific, creative, and a brilliant violin pedagogue! 

The first somewhat random book on today's list is Space It!, or "A tuneful introduction to violin second finger spacing." How often students struggle with the mysteries of high 2 vs. low 2! This is a whole book devoted to unravelling the mystique. 

In the publisher's words, Space It! is "a collection of easy well-known pieces for violin. Each tune is presented on a double-page spread in two versions: first in finger pattern one, then, at a different octave, in finger pattern two. Useful hints and fingering charts ease the pupil through each piece and brilliant alien characters are guaranteed to liven up violin lessons." Here on the cover, you can see the ever-helpful aliens, the one with the black cape representing finger pattern 1 (high 2), and the one with the jet pack for finger pattern 2 (low 2). Most of the tunes are presented in either G major or D major, where the lower octave uses finger pattern 1, and the upper octave uses finger pattern 2. In addition, each page features a graphical fingering chart (like the one you will see below in Scaley Monsters) and a performance-enhancing suggestion from the "Sound Effects Files"-- tongue clicks, tremolos, foot stamps, harmonics, col legno-- all designed to further technique and add a little spice to the study. Later in the book, Cohen contrasts major and minor versions of the same tune (along with the necessary finger spacing changes), provides previously learned pieces in new keys to finish by ear (with quiz questions on whether the version was major or minor, and FP 1 or FP 2), and lists seven challenges set by the aliens to get those brain cells in even more motion. As in so many of her books, I love the way Cohen takes simple material (high or low 2?) and adds perfectly achievable layers of complexity and creativity to keep tedium at bay.

Space It! serves as preparatory material to Cohen's scale book, Scaley Monsters. How can you not love something subtitled "Scales without tears for young violinists"? As you can clearly see, this book features a dinosaur motif. Major keys included are A, D, G, C, F, and Bb. G and A major are presented in both one and two-octave versions, while Bb is given only in two octaves. For minor keys, Cohen has separate pages of harmonic minor and melodic minor versions for A, D, and G. On the page following each scale sheet, a familiar tune is provided using that key, along with some blank staff lines for the student to compose his or her own short tune in the key. Pieces are all in first position, and require attention to dynamics and articulation. Some can be rhythmically challenging, such as "Havah Nagilah" in D harmonic minor. The last page of the book is a "List of Little-Known Dinosaurs" (somehow related to student characteristics) and their causes for extinction. The "Altogether-too-Difficultosaurus" died because "it never got around to finding food because it gave up before starting out."

This sample page shows the layout for each scale sheet. The "dinosaur footprint map" shows the finger pattern for the relevant strings (Space It! includes the same charts, but with stars denoting fingers instead of footprints). Each scale is written both ascending and descending, with an accompanying arpeggio. There is also a "Dinosaur rhythm game" for each scale (a little hard to read here) with a rhythm corresponding to the dinosaur's name (sneakily incubating rhythm practice for the future). Either they've discovered a lot more dinosaurs since my day, or Cohen has made some up to fit her rhythms better. Here, the dinosaur is "Albertosaurus," and is linked to a long-short-short-long-long rhythm. Each dinosaur picture is, of course, different, and could be colored if one so desired.

Again, Cohen makes a dry bit of violin study an opportunity for humor, creativity, and better yet, musical expression and understanding. Applying the keys immediately to pieces gives them so much more meaning!

The contents of Nifty Shifts are a little harder to describe. The subtitle here is "Tunes and tips to kick-start position changing," and I think we should just take Cohen's word for it. It is by no means a comprehensive shifting method, and at 16 pages is a bit shorter than most of her other books. What it really comprises are mental concepts concerning position change, rather than pages of drills, and the concepts have pretty far-reaching implications for advancing as a violinist. The preface lists a number of transferable skills that students should already have, and be able to use in the book: glissandi up and down the fingerboard, finding the harmonics halfway along each string, playing in tune in lots of different keys in 1st position, using the 4th finger to replace an open string, and being able to play in tune on a violin that is several sizes too small for you. If a student has played the Superstudies books, they will certainly have all these, other than perhaps the last one. Seven symbols pop up as guides in crucial spots, including a pencil as a reminder to mark in half-steps, an engaged doggie telling you to listen to your playing, a zooming skateboard telling you to shift, and a lightbulb pointing out a bright idea.

The first concept, though she doesn't put it this way, is that if you can play a tune with a certain fingering in one position and key, you can play the same tune with the same fingering but in a different key in another position. The intervals stay the same, though the finger spacing will change as you play in higher positions (and she talks about this as "the incredible shrinking violin"). On this first page, Cohen sets up playing "Frere Jacques" in third position by establishing the fingering in first position in E major and Bb major. On the next page, she writes out the first measure in Ab major on the G string, asking the student to finish it by ear. Only then does she give instructions on how to find D on the A string in 3rd position, and again asks the student to play it by ear. At the bottom of the page, the tune is written out in G major starting in 3rd position on the D string. "Can Can" gets a similar treatment on the next two pages, followed by three pages of tunes presented in 1st and 3rd position (but not always with corresponding fingering). The next few pages offer tunes that shift between positions. The book ends with some exercises. "Fingerobics" is a page of one-octave major scales, starting on Bb on the A string and rising chromatically on the same string to G major in 6th position (with the last 5 using an 8va sign instead of ledger lines). "Glisserobics" focus on shifting from the first three fingers up to the half-string harmonic on A, using harmonic pressure during the shifts. Finally, "Shifty bits and pieces" introduces the idea of a guide finger in the shift, using one-octave D major and D minor scales and arpeggios. It's a novel approach, and one that I think needs more reinforcement than the book provides, but it's a very welcome alternative to learning third position as it's own separate kingdom, geographically isolated from any other.

The last book I'll discuss is Cohen's Jazz Technique Takes Off! Being a middle-aged, white, classically-trained violinist, I haven't spent a lot of time with this one and admit I feel a little intimidated by it. But in the privacy of my own home, with no one but the dog listening, I've experimented with these etudes and have found, as always, that they are beautifully written in a variety of styles and techniques. Most are solos, some are duets. Rhythms are challenging, with syncopation, mixed meters, and composite meters (3+3+2/8). Fingerings have to accommodate more chromatic writing, and so often use "creepy crawly" changes of position and half position. All but one study stick to 1st-3rd position, and that one rebellious etude goes all the way up to seventh! Styles include blues, ragtime, tango, charleston, jazz waltz and rumba. Where we classical violinists sound least stylistic is in bowing, so these etudes offer an opportunity to try to loosen up and get used to new coordination patterns (oh, there I go again)...er, I mean grooves. I'd place these between the Technique Takes Off! books and Technique Flies High!, as they definitely require dexterity and a new way to look at playing.

I hope these blog posts have encouraged you to open your wallets and buy a few of Mary Cohen's books. Check out her website, http://marysmusiccupboard.epartnershub.com, for ideas and free stuff. You and your students will love this music!

I have long been a fan of Mary Cohen’s pedagogical works. Like the music books of Caroline Lumsden, they make me want to grab some children to teach! If you haven’t yet seen them, let me echo the words an older colleague once said to me about another Brit: “Oh, to be young and have all of Dorothy L. Sayers ahead of you!” I promise that the prolific Ms. Cohen will provide you with marvelous discoveries for some time to come.

Mary Cohen is a British violinist who studied at Royal College of Music (piano and composition in addition to violin) and was a member of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. She also plays viola and cello, and is a passionate advocate of chamber music for students from the earliest possible moment. Ms. Cohen has been deeply involved with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, especially with their Music Medals program. Her books are full of humor—let me repeat that, FULL of humor-- and opportunities for creativity. She incorporates a wide variety of styles, including jazz, ragtime, 20th century compositional techniques, and many dance forms. Half-string harmonics are introduced early on, as are more “sophisticated” rhythms and bowings. Faber Music publishes her books, and her website, Mary’s Music Cupboard (http://marysmusiccupboard.epartnershub.com/Default.aspx#), offers some free materials in addition to purchased music downloads. 

You can get a good idea of the flavor of Mary’s works in this progression chart of her books:    

Cohen dispenses crucial information to students in ways they won’t forget, such as this list from the first edition of Superstart, Vol. 1:

Seven Useful Tips
(to make you one of the worst pupils in the world)

1.     Always arrive at your lesson with filthy, sticky hands and long fingernails which need cutting.

2.     Forget to put your bow/violin in your case after practicing, so you have a good chance of leaving one of them at home.

3.     Leave all the pieces you are working at on your music-stand after practicing so even if you remember your violin/bow, you will probably forget to bring your music.

4.     Lose your practice notebook the second you arrive home—so you don’t have to read it and you can aim for the world record of the pupil who has the most notebooks with only one page of writing.

5.     Never look in your practice book (if you’re being kind to trees and haven’t lost it yet) to remind you what it is that you are supposed to be working at this week.

6.     Always play pieces with as many of the mistakes you made first time round as possible, and definitely don’t try to remember what it was you worked on in your lesson which solved this week’s problems.

7.     Don’t practice until the day before your next lesson and if possible make sure you’ve left either your violin, bow or music with your teacher.

Have you any other great tips to pass on?


Like those in the "Words and Music" blog posts (January and February 2013), Ms. Cohen is another great advocate for using words to teach rhythms, particularly in the earliest levels of development. Bags of Fun, a book for the “absolute beginner,” is a collection of one-line “pieces” where the rhythm reflects the title. Students also get to play col legno, behind the bridge, and accents; do retakes; and even go up for the half-string harmonic. All four strings are used, fingers are limited to 1 and high 2, time signatures are 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4, and combinations of eighth and quarter notes contribute to the fun. Here are a few examples (apologies for the lag time after hitting record):

Energetic elephants down at the gym.

Sometimes words are used to reinforce concepts instead of rhythms, such as in “The good sound guide” on page 13 of Superstart (“If you grip you’ll make a scritchy scratchy sound,” sung to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic). When low second fingers are introduced (page 40 of Superstart), the tune “All mixed up!” has these words:

Oh.. sometimes I feel happy

And.. sometimes I feel sad.

Oh.. sometime I behave so well

And.. sometimes I’m just bad.

I’m.. all mixed up (I’m a mixed up pup) but I want to be quite or-di-na-ry

So today I’ll just feel happy

And.. then we’ll all be glad (Hooray!)

Here is the D string version of the tune, which the book presents in A string and G string versions as well. The accompaniment is from the cd that comes with the book.

Egbert’s Circus Games manages to be an etude book incorporated into a story! The short studies are similar to the targeted technical work in Sally O’Reilly’s Fiddle Magic. There are several pages of excellent Teacher’s Notes at the end to clarify and elaborate on the exercises. The story is a follow-up to The Adventures of Egbert, telling what happened when (spoiler alert) he joined Mr. Bim Bam’s circus. 

Whew! That’s just some of her beginning repertoire. More to come!