Ten American Cello Etudes by Aaron Minsky

Advanced Cellists, Beginner cellists, Intermediate Cellists, Online Purchase, Pop Music
First published on Jun 27, 2026 by Seb
Last updated on Jun 27, 2026 by Seb

Ten American Cello Etudes by Aaron Minsky is a one-of-a-kind collection of cello etudes. Nothing quite like it had ever been published by a major publisher before, and there has been nothing quite like it since. To begin with, cello etudes are a niche genre with very few universally recognized works. The last widely influential collection of cello etudes (Popper) had been published nearly a century before Minsky’s. In this groundbreaking collection, published by Oxford University Press in 1988, Minsky wrote each etude to teach both himself and classically-trained cellists new ways of playing the cello: bringing the instrument out of its dignified traditional role and into the contemporary American rock-and-roll era.

It is difficult to explain in words why these etudes were (and still are) so groundbreaking. Instead, watch the composer himself perform the opening etude, Train Whistle. It quickly becomes clear how influential Minsky’s ideas have been. Many of today’s rock cellists owe at least part of their musical vocabulary to Minsky and his pioneering work.

John Michel has published recordings of all ten etudes, with each performance accompanied by a lesson video that explains the techniques involved and how to master them. The complete playlist is here: Ten American Cello Etudes playlist, on the Kairos Practice Pals YouTube channel. Here is the first etude, Train Whistle.

Here is the third etude, Broadway.

Here is the sixth etude, The Flag Waver.

The eighth etude is titled Like Crazy. Be warned: it’s incredibly catchy and may take up residence in your head for a long time, driving you just a little crazy.

Minsky also goes by the moniker Von Cello, and often writes under the name Aaron Von Cello. Von Cello is the brand he created for his rock-cello vision and the banner under which he has pursued his mission of pushing the boundaries of cello playing. He has even built an entire website around that mission: VonCello.com. His music is published by several publishers. This page features the sheet music published by Oxford University Press, including the subject of this post, Ten American Cello Etudes.

The collection Pop Goes the Cello, published by Oxford University Press in 2014, is another popular work among cellists. Building on the trailblazing approach of Ten American Cello Etudes, it introduces intermediate players to a variety of pop, rock, and Latin styles while exploring new technical and musical challenges. Here is Katie Chambers performing The Hipster from this collection.

The following video was recorded in Cambridge during Minsky’s 2022 tour of England and Wales and features him performing every piece from Pop Goes the Cello.

Some of Minsky’s later compositions were published by himself. The popular Ten Suite Variations on the Bach Cello Suites collection, for instance, is available online at JW Pepper.

Bach cello variations reimagines Bach’s solo cello works as heavy metal, incorporating Minsky’s contemporary cello-playing techniques. Here is Von Cello himself performing variation #5 in London in 2018.

In this recording from Jimi Hendrix’s hometown, Minsky pays tribute to Hendrix by performing The Star-Spangled Banner on an ordinary acoustic cello, yet somehow makes it sound like an electric guitar. Halfway through the performance, The Star-Spangled Banner transforms into Purple Haze.

In this live news report, Minsky plays his electric cello in the middle of a street intersection in New Hyde Park, Long Island. As he moves effortlessly from one musical style to another, more and more neighbors wake up and join the growing crowd. Before long, people are dancing to Von Cello rock and roll. The video ends with Minsky rapping over his own cello accompaniment, poking fun at rappers and classical audiences alike, all firmly tongue in cheek.

Now, head over to Minsky’s website and join his cause.