Früher Anfang auf dem Kontrabass 2 / Early Start 2

The long awaited Sassmannshaus method Early Start on the Double Bass is now here. At last students of the largest instrument in the string family can make use of this tried and tested method for beginners,developed by Egon Sassmannshaus for the other string instruments and applied here to the double bass by Holger Sassmannshaus and J. Peter Close. This method will meet the needs of the growing number of young bass students.

“Early Start on the Double Bass” encompasses everything that one would expect from a Sassmannshaus method: an easy start, progression at a suitable rate, many cross-references to the other string instruments,songsand scales in different positions from early on, as well as many duets. Lively and colourful illustrations by Charlotte Panowsky complete the edition.

For more than three decades “The SassmannshausTradition” has been the household name for excellence in beginner string methods in German-speaking countries. The English editions for violin, viola and violoncello, which were introduced to the international market in2008, have proven to be very successful, particularly in the United States.

Kids to the Bass!
While children learning other string instruments can start as early as the age of four, the appropriate age to begin thedouble bass is approximately eight (possibly even six); this allows for a faster progression than on the other string instruments, and the method consists of only three volumes. The first volume will be published separately in anEnglish and a German edition; the following two volumes will have German and English text in each book. Original compositions by Boguslaw Furtok enrich the volumes.

• Based on the tried-and-tested Sassmannshaus methodsfor violin, viola and cello
• Volume 1: Separate editions in German and English
• Volumes 2 and 3: Bilingual, German/English editions
• Moderate increase in difficulty
• Position playing, duets
• Includes new original compositions by B. Furtok
• Volume 3 with piano accompaniments to 7 pieces

The authors
Holger Sassmannshaus is a double bass player with the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker in