The Ultimate Fun in Thumb Position
By Hans Jørgen Jensen and Minna Rose Chung
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10 Things This Book Will Teach You
- How to make playing in thumb position easy—and FUN
- How to develop healthy, reliable playing habits in thumb position
- How to build and maintain a strong, dependable left-hand thumb callus
- How to use harmonics and reference points to locate the middle, high, and low positions
- How to develop strength and flexibility in the left hand
- How to engage the base knuckle—the secret behind a powerful thumb handshape
- How to master the four essential thumb-position handshapes
- How to play in unusual thumb handshapes
- How to reset your posture to maintain freedom, balance, and ease
- How to use playful fingerboard games to experience the full range of the fingerboard
About The Ultimate Fun In Thumb Position Book
Video Resource Library includes access to over 140 sample videos
The Ultimate Fun in Thumb Position offers a fresh, fear-free approach to one of the most powerful and misunderstood skills on the cello. This book guides cellists step by step toward confidence, freedom, and joy across the entire fingerboard.Through clear explanations, body-smart technique, and playful fingerboard games, you’ll learn how to build strength without tension, master essential thumb handshapes, and move effortlessly through every register of the instrument.Whether you’re new to thumb position or refining advanced technique, this book transforms challenge into curiosity—and technique into music. Purchase includes access to online video resource library with over 140 sample videos!
Praise for The Ultimate Fun in Thumb Position
"The Ultimate Fun In Thumb Position has arrived! Joyful, fun, brilliant and accessible are just some of the words that come to mind. This book will revolutionize how you approach the timing and method of introducing students to thumb position. Hans Jensen has developed an insightful approach, presented in the most user friendly way making this a book for any cellist at any stage! Oh how I wish this had been around when I was learning!
Dr. Melissa Kraut, cellist
Faculty at DePaul University, School of Music
The Ultimate Fun in Thumb Position is the ultimate resource for cellists wanting to learn or solidify their playing in the higher positions of the instrument. Thumb position may be daunting to some, but this book helps cellists reach their goals by providing a clear and succinct, step-by-step method. This is the most straightforward and comprehensive book I have seen for thumb position. I will use this book to teach my students for many years to come.
Jonathan Koh
Faculty at New England Conservatory of Music, MIT, UC Berkeley, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
As a teacher, I highly recommend The Ultimate Fun in Thumb Position by Hans Jørgen Jensen and Minna Rose Chung! This book is a game-changing roadmap for building strong, balanced thumb position technique, guiding students seamlessly from first explorations to confident, advanced mastery. Steeped in growth-mindset language, it brings fresh clarity and confidence to both teacher and student, breaking down thumb position in a way that is thorough, logical, enjoyable, and empowering. Beyond its masterful technical explanations, what truly sets this book apart is its universal reach—cellists everywhere will see themselves reflected in its culturally diverse musical tapestry and engaging presentation. Teachers will appreciate the plentiful up-close photos of a diverse range of cellists demonstrating proper technique applied to a variety of different hands. Brightly coloured pages and delightful cartoons of the authors offer tips, reminders, and encouragement, making the journey inspiring, inviting, and genuinely fun. A must-have for teachers, this book is sure to be treasured by students everywhere—fun, inspiring, and wonderfully effective!
Desiree Abbey
Cellist and Teacher, Ottawa, Canada
About the Authors
Professor of Cello, Northwestern University
Bienen School of Music
Professor of Cello at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba
The Ultimate Fun in Thumb Position is a playful, accessible, and thoughtfully designed guide to help cellists- especially younger students and enthusiastic amateurs-build confidence and ease in thumb position.
Through imaginative exercises, clear explanations, and engaging musical material, this book transforms an often-intimidating technique into an approachable and enjoyable experience.
With a focus on finding balance in the handshape, each page encourages exploration and steady technical growth.
Whether used in private lessons, group classes, or self-guided practice, this book helps students develop a strong foundation in thumb position. Practice tips and the "Professor Thumb" characters add a creative, student-friendly touch, guiding cellists through a fresh and supportive approach to mastering this essential technique.