Teaching Cello
  • Home
  • Teaching Cello: The Steps
    • Step One: Cello First Position >
      • Methods for Beginning Cello Students
      • Exercises for Beginning Cello Students
      • Etudes for Beginning Cello Students
      • Duets for Beginning Cello Students
      • Repertoire for Beginning Students
      • Lesson Material for Very Young Beginners
    • Step Two: Building Early-Intermediate Cello Skills >
      • Methods and Exercises for Teaching Shifting
      • Etudes for Teaching Shifting
      • Duets for Teaching Shifting
      • Repertoire for Early-Intermediate Students
    • Step Three: Building Late-Intermediate Skills >
      • Methods and Exercises for Intermediate Cello Skills
      • Etudes for Late-Intermediate Cello Skills
      • Duets for Intermediate Cello Skills
      • Repertoire for Late-Intermediate Skills
    • Step Four: Starting Cello Thumb Position >
      • Exercises for Early-Advanced Cello Skills
      • Duets for Early-Advanced Students
      • Repertoire for Early-Advanced Students
    • Cello Sight-reading
    • Cello Alternative Styles
    • A Practical Guide to Bach Cello Suite Editions
  • Planning Cello Lessons
    • Organizing a cello lesson
    • What do Cello Students Need? >
      • What Beginning Cello Students Need
      • What Intermediate Cello Students Need
      • What Advanced Cello Students Need
  • Cello links and resources
    • Cello teaching supplies
  • Contact/Blog
    • Contact
    • Cello Teaching Blog

Duets for Students who are Learning Shifting

Flying Fiddle Duets for Two Cellos

This is the all-time favorite duet book of my students. With a strong rhythmic emphasis and basic fourth position work incorporated in the duets, these duets present essential cello technique in a fun-to-play format. ​
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Flying Fiddle Duets for Two Cellos, Book Two

The second book in this much-loved series is now available! Duets use a little second and third position, in addition to first and fourth positions, and are slightly more complex. 
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Flying Fiddle Duets for Two Cellos, Book Two

Compilations of short cello duets

Shifting Duets by Rentmeister

Lots of shifting in these duets. The music spans a larger time period that some other books, with duets from the 11th and 12th centuries!
Cover tiny file look inside Easy Violoncello Duets Vol. 2 Edited by Rentmeister. Collection. Heinrichshofen Verlag #N4102. Published by Heinrichshofen Verlag (PE.N4102).

Nelson's Technitunes

Easy and fun; these duets can bring some light-hearted moments to the lesson.
Cover tiny file look inside Technitunes Pupil's Book. Composed by Sheila Nelson. Boosey & Hawkes Chamber Music. 12 pages. Published by Boosey & Hawkes (HS.48010235).

Bach for Intermediate Level Cellists

Not as easy as they look; these duets have more complicated combinations of shifting, rhythm, and bowings than other duets, maybe because it's Bach!
Duets For Young Cellists look inside Duets For Young Cellists (From Little Notebook For Anna Magdalena Bach). By Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Edited by Bettina Wolerts. For 2 cellos. Baroque. Difficulty: easy to easy-medium. Easy cello duet book (2 copies required for performance). Duet notation. 16 pages. Published by Heinrichshofen Verlag (PE.N04099)

...more info


Easy Cello Duets Vol 1

Slightly dry material but still helpful; most successful with older students.
Easy Cello Duets Vol. 1 Easy Cello Duets Vol. 1 By Various. Schott. Playing score. 24 pages. Schott Music #ED5276. Published by Schott Music (HL.49005578)

...more info


Doflein's Ample Lesson Material

Tons of material in this book, including duets and little etudes. Never run out of music in a lesson again!
Easy Duets and Solos - Vol. 2 Easy Duets and Solos - Vol. 2 (Cello Duet). By Erich Doflein. Schott. Playing score. 32 pages. Schott Music #ED6704. Published by Schott Music (HL.49006568)

...more info


A Duet by Paul Hindemith

Yes, Hindemith wrote easy duets! Great for the intermediate student who is interested in 20th century music.
Duett Duett (Performance Score). By Paul Hindemith (1895-1963). Schott. Playing score. 8 pages. Schott Music #ED8338. Published by Schott Music (HL.49007927)

...more info


Another fabulous book by Pejtsik

Violoncello Duos for Beginners, Volume 2, might have needed a different title; this book incorporates quite a bit of shifting and is suitable for intermediate cello students as opposed to beginners. There is a tremendous amount of material here, including a Bach Invention and a very beautiful Mozart Divertimento. Although there is a Haydn Andante that uses tenor clef, and a very short section of Kummer that has thumb position, the rest of this book is suitable for early-intermediate cello students.
4985911 look inside Violoncello Duos for Beginners - Volume 2 Composed by Various. Arranged by Arpad Pejtsik. For Cello Duet. EMB. 68 pages. Editio Musica Budapest #Z14201. Published by Editio Musica Budapest (HL.50485093).

Longer Duets and Sonatas

I especially love the Kummer, Dotzauer, and Hook Duets, and my students do, too! Unfortunately, International has republished the Kummer Six Duets Op. 156 with smaller notes and the new font size makes it far less enjoyable to read. I suggest using the Hook Duets as an alternative.

Hook: Easy to read, fun to play!

5871585 look inside 6 Easy Duets, Op. 58 Composed by James Hook (1746-1827). For Cello Duet. Schott. Playing score. 35 pages. Schott Music #ED7945. Published by Schott Music (HL.49007662).

Kummer: Less easy to read, more helpful for older students

19724924 look inside Six Duets, Opus 156 - Volume I Composed by Friedrich August Kummer (1797-1879). Edited by Jeffrey Solow. For 2 cellos. Published by International Music Company (IM.3655).

Fabulous Schonebeck

The Schonebeck Duos, published by Grancino Editions are really wonderful; energetic, cheerful, and not too difficult. Try here: ​www.bems.com_ 

Beautiful Duet Sonatas

These Rococo Sonatas are perfect for early-intermediate cello students. The book contains duets by Boismortier, Corette, and Dupuits, all using easy shifting through the first four positions.
Rococo Sonatas Rococo Sonatas (Performance Score). By Various. Schott. Playing score. 24 pages. Schott Music #ED8785. Published by Schott Music (HL.49008160)

...more info


More Cello Duets by Kummer

Three Duets, Op. 22 look inside Three Duets, Op. 22 By Friedrich August Kummer (1797-1879). Edited by Julius Klengel. For 2 cellos. Published by International Music Company (IM.768)

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Great Cello Duets by Lee

Cover tiny file look inside Three Duets, Opus 36 Composed by Sebastian Lee (1805-1887). Published by International Music Company (IM.1762).

Cello Duets by Offenbach

Zwei Duette fur Violoncelli op. 52/2+3 look inside Zwei Duette fur Violoncelli op. 52/2+3 By Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880). Edited by Klaus Storck. For 2 cellos. Violoncello. Level 4. Performance score. Opus 52/2+3. Published by Baerenreiter Verlag (BA.BA6972)

...more info


Corrette for Two Cellos and Piano

Cover tiny file look inside Le Phenix Composed by Michel Corrette (1707-1795). Edited by Werner Thomas-Mifune. Sheet Music. Published by Edition Kunzelmann (PE.GM1286).

Teaching Cello

Repertoire and advice for cello teachers.



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  • Home
  • Teaching Cello: The Steps
    • Step One: Cello First Position >
      • Methods for Beginning Cello Students
      • Exercises for Beginning Cello Students
      • Etudes for Beginning Cello Students
      • Duets for Beginning Cello Students
      • Repertoire for Beginning Students
      • Lesson Material for Very Young Beginners
    • Step Two: Building Early-Intermediate Cello Skills >
      • Methods and Exercises for Teaching Shifting
      • Etudes for Teaching Shifting
      • Duets for Teaching Shifting
      • Repertoire for Early-Intermediate Students
    • Step Three: Building Late-Intermediate Skills >
      • Methods and Exercises for Intermediate Cello Skills
      • Etudes for Late-Intermediate Cello Skills
      • Duets for Intermediate Cello Skills
      • Repertoire for Late-Intermediate Skills
    • Step Four: Starting Cello Thumb Position >
      • Exercises for Early-Advanced Cello Skills
      • Duets for Early-Advanced Students
      • Repertoire for Early-Advanced Students
    • Cello Sight-reading
    • Cello Alternative Styles
    • A Practical Guide to Bach Cello Suite Editions
  • Planning Cello Lessons
    • Organizing a cello lesson
    • What do Cello Students Need? >
      • What Beginning Cello Students Need
      • What Intermediate Cello Students Need
      • What Advanced Cello Students Need
  • Cello links and resources
    • Cello teaching supplies
  • Contact/Blog
    • Contact
    • Cello Teaching Blog