Emily Wright

resolutions

Posted by Emily Wright | Dec 29, 2017 | Being | 0 |

As 2017 draws to a close, my mind turns to making resolutions. I’m a big fan of them, no matter how short lived or unattainable they may seem to be. There’s a certain optimism in the idea of a fresh start, self improvement, a change for the better. Resolutions I’ve made in the past were fairly mundane until recently: yoga twice a week keep a journal stop buying so many shoes volunteer more often seriously, nobody needs this many shoes The past few years have been a bit more focused: try not to let the past keep hurting...

revelations

Posted by Emily Wright | Dec 28, 2017 | Being, Teaching & Learning | 0 |

The best thing about my new PT guy (not so new, I suppose…it’s been a few months) is that he encourages my curiosity, and listens to me when I posit new ideas. “You’re in charge of your treatment: it’s all experimentation”, he says. A few sessions ago, I mentioned that my hips seem to flare up at the same time my scapular pain does- and that I have a suspicion they’re connected. He gave me some hip stretches to add into my usual yoga-based program, and off I went. One of the stranger aspects of this new era is...

Goldilocks had a point

Posted by Emily Wright | Dec 27, 2017 | Teaching & Learning | 2 |

If one thing is clear, after all this time, it’s that the cello is hard enough as it is- and that people will do all kinds of stuff to make it much harder or even impossible to get to the point of mastery. The root cause of most trouble comes down to ego and self-concept: either the student feels a desperate need to be seen as competent and in control, or the student lives in fear of being seen as unaware of their most minute flaw and sets out on the impossible quest to be the perfect pupil, subservient...

upgrading your rig, part 3

Posted by Emily Wright | Dec 26, 2017 | Cello Illustrated, Teaching & Learning | 0 |

The last installment is not so much a spend/save juxtaposition, but more of a list of stuff you can do to add value and maximize the tone of your rig: it’s everything short of buying a new axe. Lighter endpin: there are many models, including some that claim to do everything from amplify bass resonance to remedy wolf tones. My personal favorite is the carbon fiber New Harmony hollow body endpin with a tungsten carbide tip. Mine has 8º of pitch- you might like it…or not. There seems to be conclusive evidence that changing out a heavy stainless steel...

upgrading your rig, part 2

Posted by Emily Wright | Dec 22, 2017 | Cello Illustrated, Teaching & Learning | 1 |

Continuing yesterday’s theme: Spend (sort of): strings Don’t ever put the lowest end strings on any cello that will be played. They’re just terrible, and also are not made with any kind of quality control- they break, sometimes don’t even go up to pitch, stretch out, and sound like absolute ass. When I was growing up, the standard setup in the US was Jargar A and D, and Dominant G and C. Now, there are a several ubiquitous setups: with few exceptions I recommend a Larsen A, and then you have to do some research based on what you...