Egon Sassmannshaus was a violinist and string teacher. His "Early Start on the Cello" part 1 is a good start especially for children and is followed by three more parts. The work has been translated into Italian, Chinese and English. The method starts with open strings and simple notes. Part 1 uses nursery rhymes, all of which are worded to ensure that the melody lines can be easily understood as a whole. Then the third, first and fourth fingers are introduced sequentially. From the very beginning, Part 1 emphasizes reading notes and provides practice in moving from one string to another and the associated bowing technique. Fun color illustrations make the part attractive to children.