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How to Shift Cleanly

Taught by noted concert artist and pedagogue Julian Schwarz.

Learn fundamental right-hand technique for bowing. Understand all the common bow strokes — and improve your ability to adjust the tone and color of all the music you make.

Take your execution of shifting to the next level.

Ever wanted to gain mastery of shifting — arguably one of the most difficult tasks facing any cellist — and play in a cleaner, crisper way?

Now it's possible. Prizewinning cellist and educator Julian Schwarz explores clean shifting in detail, giving you a whole palette of approaches for every musical situation you can imagine. You'll learn all the key left-hand and right-hand methods for handling the most daunting melodic jumps across the fingerboard, with little or no extraneous sound.

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    Learn several approaches for clean shifting such as adjusting bow pressure and reducing speed.
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    See the role left-hand rotation and the use of adjacent fingers can play in exceptional shifting.
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    Learn to deal with shifting in small intervals.
Julian Schwarz
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Julian Schwarz

Internationally-acclaimed cellist Julian Schwarz is known for the power and nuance of his artistry, evident from a young age and praised throughout the world of cello world. Born to a musical family, Schwarz debuted (under the baton of his father, Gerard Schwarz) with the Seattle Symphony at the age of 11. He then went on to win first prize at the very first Schoenfeld International String Competition in 2013. He has performed with many renowned orchestras as a soloist, and has won awards in concert with pianist Marika Bournaki as a chamber musician. Schwarz is also a dedicated instructor of cello, holding faculty positions at Shenandoah Conservatory and NYU Steinhardt, as well as a summer teaching position at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC.

Julian Schwarz
explore our courses

Join tonebase today to unlock this course plus 100s more!

Preview our curated selection of courses below. With lessons covering fundamentals, technical training, style and interpretation, you won't find a more thorough and enriching learning experience anywhere else.

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Playing The Cello

with Richard Aaron

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Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 (Bach)

with Mischa Maisky

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The Ten Cello Commandments

with Amit Peled

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Playing Without Tension

with Jan Vogler

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Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129 (Schumann)

with Pablo Ferrández

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How to Shift Cleanly

with Julian Schwarz

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Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 (Bach)

with Matt Haimovitz

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The Art of the Bow

with Astrid Schween

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The Ultimate Cello Warm-Up Routine

with Daniel Lelchuk

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Variations On A Rococo Theme

with Johannes Moser

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Essentials of Cello Playing

with Sara Sant’Ambrogio

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Concerto No. 1 in C Major (Haydn)

with Santiago Cañón-Valencia

Real reviews from real customers.

Our members rate us at 4.8/5 stars. Here’s how a few of them transformed their cello skills since joining tonebase.

“Instead of scouring the internet for hours for performance tips and tricks, I now have access to a wealth of high-quality content from renowned artists at my fingertips!“

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joined Sep. 2022

“Sincerely speaking, a few months with tonebase help me solve many issues I have had with my fingers for years if not decades.“

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joined Mar. 2021

“We [in the community] all give each other wonderful, positive feedback. The teachers also give incredibly detailed ways that we can improve our playing."

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joined Apr. 2020

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