Superstudies for Cello, Book 2: Cello & Piano Book

Legg writes studies that don't feel like studies. Each piece has a distinct character and musical purpose that makes students want to play them, not endure them. The progression from Late Elementary through Intermediate is genuinely thoughtful, introducing technical challenges at exactly the moment students are ready to embrace them without frustration.

The studies feel like a curated playlist of short pieces that happen to be pedagogically strategic. Moving between keys and styles keeps your mind engaged; the jazz-inflected pieces add flavor alongside more traditional tonal studies. Throughout, there's a sense of playfulness that respects the student's growing musicianship.

Cellists in the Late Elementary to Intermediate range (Grades 3-5) who have developed enough technical foundation to handle varied keys and rhythmic patterns without needing constant hand-position guidance. This collection works best for students ready to think about style and expression as central to their practice, not as an afterthought.

• Let the descriptive titles guide your interpretive choices before you play through each study. Read the title as an instruction for tone color and character, not just as a label.
• Work through the piano part early in your preparation. The accompaniment isn't decorative; it anchors the harmonic context and helps you understand where the cello line is headed.
• Record yourself playing through the full study with the piano part, then listen back without the score. You'll hear imbalance and phrasing decisions you can't catch while reading.

Assign one study every week or two as part of regular lesson repertoire, rotating through the book over a semester or year. Many of these pieces are performance-ready for student recitals once polished; they're short enough to program without consuming excessive rehearsal time, yet substantial enough to demonstrate real musical growth. You might pair studies from different sections of the book to create a recital set that showcases range in keys, modes, and styles.

• Playing in multiple keys and modes with secure intonation
• Reading and executing varied rhythmic patterns (including jazz syncopation)
• Matching tone color and articulation to stylistic context
• Building left-hand independence across different positions
• Shaping musical phrases beyond note-for-note accuracy
• Balancing solo line with accompaniment in ensemble playing