Technique Takes Off! for Viola: Viola Book

Cohen writes studies that students actually want to play. Rather than dry finger exercises, each of these fourteen pieces has a distinct character and story (Carriage Parade, The Mandolin Player, Swirling Arabesques), which makes the technical work feel purposeful rather than punitive. The progression from elementary to Mazas and Kreutzer level fills a real curriculum gap with music that teaches without sounding like teaching.

Playful and purposeful at once. One moment you're riding through Ride Like The Wind! with boundless energy, the next you're contemplating the quiet introspection of Reflection or savoring the period charm of In Old Vienna. Cohen balances the earnestness of learning with genuine lightness of spirit, so studying technique never feels like punishment.

Viola students in upper elementary to early intermediate years who are ready to move beyond basic method books but not yet equipped for standard conservatory etudes. Teachers looking for studies that develop specific right and left hand skills while maintaining students' engagement through genuine musical interest will find this collection indispensable.

• Listen to how the character of each piece changes your approach to the bowing technique it targets. Ride Like The Wind! demands crisp spicatto, but The Mandolin Player's single-note pizzicato style comes from a completely different mindset.
• Practice the string crossings in isolation before running the full phrase. Cohen often pairs them with lyrical passages rather than fast runs, which requires absolute control of weight distribution.
• In the pieces featuring double stops, start slowly enough that you can hear both notes clearly and adjust intonation as you work up tempo. Romance and Sarabande With Variations reward this patient approach.
• Use Sequenza as a springboard for exploring extended technique without gimmickry. Its modernist character gives permission to experiment with bow placement while maintaining musical intention.

Program individual pieces into student recitals during the year as students complete them in lessons, building toward a full collection performance as a culminating project. Alternatively, these work beautifully as opening or closing numbers for a viola section at a larger concert, allowing younger players to contribute meaningfully to ensemble concerts while showcasing the breadth of viola repertoire beyond orchestral extracts.

• Spicatto bowing with rhythmic precision and light articulation
• String crossings in varied musical contexts (lyrical vs. energetic)
• Moto perpetuo figuration and sustained rhythmic patterns
• Cantabile phrasing across the passaggio
• Elementary double stops in major and minor keys
• Register awareness and tonal balance across the viola's range
• Musical interpretation through character and period style