This book is a comprehensive guide for teaching basic violin and viola skills. It is also a detailed manual for the film series "The Teaching of Action in String Playing," produced by the University of Illinois String Research Project. The central issue of this four-year government grant was the hypothesis that movement training, designed to free the student from excessive tensions, can be introduced within an organized plan of string instruction, and that such a plan, in the long run, will result in faster learning and better performance in all facets of instruction. The research dealt primarily with the violin and viola. However, the principles and musical materials are also applicable (with minor adjustments) to the cello and double bass