Can anyone, (esp someone who teaches viola), please recommend first level tuition book or two? I'm using Essential Elements for Strings book 1, but my teacher doesn't like it, esp as she says it teaches too high level stuff too early, such as 4th finger before you've got all strings into play (she mentioned that you don't really need 4th finger until G2 level stuff) and so on. I wouldn't mind a change too and I only got that one as it was meant to be a relatively adult book.

Is 'Tune a Day' any good? Any others that aren't too kiddy-ish?

Sorry, I'm going to be no real help at all on your actual question but I do find it interesting how different teachers approaches vary. When my son started violin the teacher had him plucking notes with all 4 fingers on the D, A and E strings in the first lesson and added the G string with all 4 fingers in the 3rd lesson. Her view was that it was important to start building strength in the fingers and getting used to the position of fingers and pitch of notes

One series of tuition books which are quite adult looking, without pictures are the String Builder books. My son had them alongside first Stepping Stones then Fiddle Time Joggers/Runners (which all do have children's pictures). Of course given what I have said above they may have exactly the same problems for your teacher as the book you are using.

Edit: I'm aware that your teacher is more experienced as a violin teacher - can't she tell you what she would recommend if it was violin you were learning. So many violin methods have equivalent viola books which would follow the same approach - surely that's the place to start.

Hi earplugs!

Actually, I was looking thorugh my book last night and, although it does intro some quite tricky stuff fairly soon, (there's staccato and hooked bowing before it finishes as well! That looks hard.....), I'm not sure that that's a real problem and I agree about getting the 4th finger working as soon as poss. It needs a while to adjust, esp for an adult, I suppose. The other stuff I suppose there's no harm in having an intro to, then shelving for a little while. I think I might want to look at other 2nd level books though. Being viola, there isn't a great deal to look at in the shop as we violists seem to be a rare breed, (even if there are a few on here!!!)

Your idea of looking for the equivalent viola book to the violin one shes likes is a good one and one she suggested too in the first instance, but sadly she likes Eta Cohen who only does violin.

Does anyone have any more thoughts? I know that there are viola books in the series you mentioned as I've looked at the 'Viola Time Joggers'. I'll call in at my local shop on the way into work this afti. To be honest, I think Teach ought to have looked into this herself when she first took me on - professionalism and all, but there's not much I can do about that now!

I've quite enjoyed the David & Kathy Blackwell Fiddle Time series, and I know they do Viola and Cello as well.

Lots of material with fun backing tracks (and I don't mind jolly illustrations). Also duets (including the one ElizabethRB and I will be doing at Leeds....)


My niece learns violin with Kathy Blackwell, and not surprisingly uses these books, so she and I have a ball playing the duets from the Fiddle Time books (with her telling me off for mistakes ).

Think I'm gonna have a fun shopping session on Friday and look for these books.

Trouble at the mo is that I don't feel like practising, can't seem to work up any enthusiam. Still, probably has less to do with my viola learning and more to do with general mood at the mo.