For more than three decades The Sassmannshaus Tradition has been the household name for excellence in beginner violin, viola and cello methods in German-speaking countries. More than half a million students have successfully learned to play string instruments using these publications. Egon Sassmannshaus is one of the most experienced and renowned violin pedagogues in Germany. His son Kurt Sassmannshaus worked as co-author and adapted his father's successful method for English speaking children. The combined knowledge and experience of father and son have made the four volumes of the Sassmannshaus Tradition one of the most thoroughly researched,
After beginning with open strings and simple note values, learners become acquainted with the 'cuckoo call' (minor 3rd) as a basic interval for guidance purposes and for mastering good intonation. Volume 1 makes use of nursery rhymes, all of which are supplied with words to ensure that the melody lines can be easily grasped as a whole. All the fingers are introduced in succession, as well as simple accidentals and note values from whole note (semibreve) to eighth note (quaver). From the very beginning the volume places a special emphasis on reading musical notation and offers training in moving from one string to another and basic bowing strokes. Large print and delightful colour illustrations make the volume especially appealing to children. Enclosed is a sheet of cut-out musical cards that allow young learners to invent many puzzle and guessing games and later to master scales and pitch names.
