| StoreTags: cello, 32, balls
Author: Roshi on September 05 2008 Viewed 1758 times. 28 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
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Yesterday I turned 32. It's been two years since I've started to learn the Cello, following this insanely burning urge that I've had since I was in college. After years of telling myself it was too late to start such a hard instrument, I finally took the plunge. I think it's worth taking an inventory of the year to see where I've gotten.
1) A Cello of my own! Also, a bow of my own. Both of these things made me want to play more.
2) Managed to get through all of the 1st Bach Suite (Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Minuets, and Gigue) - it's been my dream since college to play the 1st Cello Suite. It's been an uphill battle with each movement, but I finally feel like I am getting the hang of them. Still, I need to work on putting them together.
3) Vivaldi's Sonata V for Cello and Bass Continuo - lots of challenges here, including reading in Tenor Clef, shifting, and learning 1st finger vibrato. With this piece, I really am beginning to feel like I am getting the cello to sing more.
4) Better bowing - I suspect this will be a lifetime of work ahead of me. There are so many nuances to bowing and getting a beautiful tone, and that requires a degree of flexibility that I don't have yet in my right hand.
5) Anticipated shifting/Reading ahead - This was the hardest thing to work on. In reading and playing, you need to read at least 3 or 4 measures ahead to be aware of the challenges that like ahead. This is especially important when shifting - it's important to shift your hand before the note is bowed (what Janos Starker calls the "Anticipated Shift"). I feel like I'm getting better at this and am less panicked when I have to shift.
6) 1st finger vibrato - I've finally learned how to vibrate with my first finger - my left hand was so tense I couldn't vibrate with the 1st finger in 1st position. But, thanks to playing more relaxed, it comes much easier.
7) Learning to play relaxed/not try so hard - This was one of the hardest lessons to learn that I'm still learning. Trying too hard tenses you up - it's better to not care about each note as much. This seems quite paradoxical to me - but I feel like I am finally freeing up my body to articulate notes and not strangling them.
8) An album on Luvsound, pretty soon! Yay!
What's next? Hopefully the 2nd suite sometime in the future. Inspired by Bartok's 44 violin duos, I'm starting to write some simple duos for 2 cellos, which is exciting and frustrating. I hope to play more Cello/Piano duos in the future as well. And working on the shoegaze cello thing, of course.
Anyhow, thanks to everyone for the encouragement...it's been an uphill battle, but it's been great to have the support.
(pic by mapmap, thanks!)
Previous Cello Blargs:
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09/05/08
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FailedSitcom
I love these blogs, totally inspiring.
Their frequency is slightly scary though.
09/05/08
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astroid
i want to learn how to play the cello.
on a scale of one-ten, how painful is it? do you get tendon pain? do pros with good technique get tendon pain? how much do you practice?
09/05/08
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Roshi
Short answer: it isn't painful if you learn to play relaxed. My teacher stresses that. But it can be really hard at times to play relaxed, especially when you are playing fast. But something I am learning is how to release the tension under these circumstances.
When I am tense, my hands can hurt when I make extensions or string crossings - usually the point of tension for me is my thumbs, or the base of my thumbs.
Good posture and awareness of your movement helps a lot. I still have problems from time to time.
09/05/08
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tantan
geezer
way too old to do anything new, give it up
09/05/08
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lowlifi
Definitely a great blog. I hope this inspires others to pick up an actual instrument, the benefits are completely worth it all.
The most important things I have learned from years of playing an instrument or instruments:
- Stay in the moment: Don't practice while watching TV or doing something else. Your attentiveness will increase the skill in which/how you play, and you will develop much faster than you would from just gathering muscle memory.
- Don't fall into cycles of playing: While it's good to practice regularly and create a schedule of when and how long to practice, vary it all up, otherwise you will get bored very quickly as it becomes another "chore" like washing dishes or trimming nose hairs. Break up practicing to odd and even days and times.
- Don't practice for more than an hour at a time: I wouldn't count warming up to this, but once you have warmed up, only practice for about an hour, and then come back to it after a good break. This will stop you from "plateau"-ing, and helps break away from making the same mistakes while practicing.
- Set goals: Always set goals to which you can obtain, not easily or too difficult, but something that is reachable by weeks, months. THis will help deter you from giving up easily and regretting it later. Set a goal maybe each week to master a technique, like vibrato, or scales or even small compositions.
Hope these help.
btw, I have hear this "burning urge" called something else by more clinical people. ;-)
09/05/08
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SenorFrio
Happy birthday you young wippersnapper! You made it!
09/05/08
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Roshi
Thx, lowleefy...I don't think people write enough about practicing. I think it really has helped bring structure to my day and my discipline about music.
lowlifi said: "btw, I have hear this "burning urge" called something else by more clinical people. ;-)"
LOL, my urge burns even after penicillin.
Ooops, overshare.
09/05/08
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mlbot
roshi said: "7) Learning to play relaxed/not try so hard "
I'm learning this in my martial arts class.
Does your instructor make you give a piggy back ride to a 220-lb man, around the block, walking backwards...as a warmup to get you to loosen up? mine did yesterday.
09/05/08
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Roshi
mlbot said: " roshi said: "7) Learning to play relaxed/not try so hard "
I'm learning this in my martial arts class.
Does your instructor make you give a piggy back ride to a 220-lb man, around the block, walking backwards...as a warmup to get you to loosen up? mine did yesterday."
Damn.
I am now waiting for it to show up on YouToob
09/05/08
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astroid
set unattainable goals, too.
09/05/08
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Roshi
Yes, I think that is important.
But I also think it's important to keep them secret. 
09/05/08
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lowlifi
I use this as my warmup, a couple of rounds, and I am ready for anything Video
09/05/08
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lowlifi
09/05/08
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mlbot
404not found is your warmup?
09/05/08
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Roshi
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