4th Cello suite

**Jack Roberts** · Nov-20-2005, 9:29pm

I've decided to jump from the second to Bach's fourth cello suite; I'll save the third for later.

Managing the pick direction in the Prelude is exquisitely difficult. I am trying to train myself to down-up-down-up throughout, but I'm wondering if anyone else has worked through this on the mandolin and has any advice.

Jack

**Jack Roberts** · Nov-22-2005, 12:06pm

Well, I guess nobody has tried this piece. So I'll be the first.

I decided to do all the 8th notes with downstokes only. When it goes into 16ths I'll add upstrokes.

**NYClassical** · Nov-23-2005, 11:11am

What key are you playing it in?

**Jack Roberts** · Nov-23-2005, 11:17am

I play it in Bb. I'm using the violin score from Werner Icking. I plan to purchase a mandola in a few months, and will shift everything down a string.

Last night my son was humming the prelude while he was doing his homework. I asked him if he was picking it up from me, and he said no, he was listening to the CD (Rostropovitch) last night. Not bad for a 15 year old!

**Stephanie Reiser** · Nov-24-2005, 5:44am

As a rule of thumb I do quarter notes down-down, but eighth and sixteenth and played down-up. It worked for me in the the prelude to the first cello suite except the last 4 measures where I do down-down. You know, come to think of it, in the bwv 1005 allegro I am learning, there are some eighth notes that are down-down.
Either way, really great material.