Strictly Strings, Book 3: Conductor Comb Bound Book

Book 3 functions as the advanced orchestral musician's desk reference, offering a conductor the concrete tools to address technique, intonation, and musicianship without interrupting ensemble flow. The lay-flat binding and 260-page layout make it genuinely usable during rehearsal, not just stored on a shelf. Over forty authentic musical excerpts grounded in real repertoire give students context for the fingerings and bowings they're learning, creating a bridge between isolated technical work and the orchestral literature they're performing.

Opening this book feels like having a master clinician in the room. The practical clarity of suggested bowings and fingerings is grounded in actual orchestral writing, so every exercise connects to music that matters. The comb binding invites you to mark it, dog-ear pages, and make it your own.

This conductor's score serves advanced middle school and high school orchestras seeking a comprehensive reference that bridges technique and repertoire without requiring a separate method system. Directors working with mixed-ability sections will find the excerpts and fingering suggestions particularly valuable for sectional coaching and independent practice.

• Use the suggested fingerings as starting points rather than prescriptions. Encourage students to experiment with alternatives and discover which options serve their individual hand size and technical development.
• Direct ensembles to study the excerpts in advance of full rehearsal, allowing small sectionals to troubleshoot specific passages before bringing refined approaches back to the orchestra.
• Cross-reference the bowings and techniques during full section seating, so upper and lower strings working on the same passage build unified articulation and tone production.
• Assign excerpts strategically throughout the year, pairing them with pieces you're performing so students see immediate application of what the book teaches.

Integrate Book 3 into your curriculum as students reach the advanced middle school or early high school years, using it alongside repertoire you're already rehearsing. The excerpts work particularly well during sectionals or as weekly technical assignments, and the lay-flat format makes it ideal for students to prop open during independent practice at home.

• Reading and executing specific bowings and articulations in context
• Applying suggested fingerings to advanced technical passages
• Analyzing musical excerpts from standard orchestral literature
• Developing consistent intonation across chord changes and position shifts
• Building independence through self-directed technical study