Scales for Strings, Book I: Violin Book

This book cuts through the noise by offering scales in genuinely useful keys and positions for young violinists, rather than abstract collections that sit unused. Applebaum structured the material so that daily work actually reinforces what students encounter in repertoire they're already learning, making the practice feel connected rather than supplemental.

Straightforward and purposeful. These scales sit comfortably under the hand and encourage clean, even intonation without the frustration of awkward keys or excessive position changes. The material feels like it was written by someone who remembers what it actually feels like to learn violin, not by someone designing scales in the abstract.

String class students working through a first or second-year method, or violinists in beginning orchestra programs who need targeted scale study beyond what their main method provides. Private studio teachers will find this book especially useful for students who need to shore up intonation and position work without stopping forward progress in repertoire.

• Work through one scale per day during warm-up rather than racing through multiple scales in a single session; this builds muscle memory for intonation more effectively than volume of repetition.
• Use a drone or tuner to check that each scale maintains consistent pitch at the top of the range, where young violinists most often drift sharp.
• Vary your bow speed and weight within each scale to develop tone control; treat scale practice as an opportunity to refine sound quality, not just accuracy.

Assign it as daily homework material throughout the year, rotating which scale students work on each week so the book naturally distributes over time. The 32-page format lends itself well to structured, incremental use rather than all-at-once cramming, making it ideal for building consistency into a year-long curriculum.

• Major and minor scale fingering patterns across multiple positions
• Intonation accuracy in first and higher positions
• Consistent bow control and tone production across scale passages
• Reading and executing varied rhythmic patterns within scalar motion
• Muscle memory for foundational keys used in orchestra repertoire