on writing.
I work really hard when I write. It’s some of the most enjoyable time I spend (tied with practicing cello, dancing, and flying). A few years ago, I hassled the folks over at Strings into letting me scribble a bit for them. I am still astonished that they keep calling me back for more, given my, ahem, particular writing style. Each time I submit an outline or draft, I get more adventurous: a conversational cadence here and there, using words... Read More
questions from the Twitterverse, part 2.
Back for more, eh? Here are some additional questions from the Q&A on Twitter: @CatePolacek asks: Oh, oh, can you explain the false string thing? I’ve yet to change mine, but your recent experiences are making me nervous. A “false” string happens when you play an open string and the pitch goes up as you apply more pressure and speed. It’s a function of over-flexibility: usually this occurs... Read More
The how and what of good practice.
It happens more than it should: I walk into a lesson and the student is jaw-droppingly unprepared and the excuse offered is, “I didn’t have enough to practice.” It was a frequent occurrence in my own early lessons. I would pour hours into my practice with only marginal progress, eventually decreasing my practice time to the bare minimum my parents would allow, feeling utterly defeated. I was able to skate along for a little while,... Read More
Thumb position Redux
I wrote this post about 2.5 years ago, and I thought that I might keep this blog perhaps a little cello-y while I finish writing my papers and whip up the Cellomas video by reposting it. The cello blogosphere has changed so much since I started writing in 2007: many of the people who were established fixtures of blogspot and wordpress are now barely posting, while newer writers remind us fogeys of what it was like to have enough vim and vigor to write... Read More
Practicing with marteles
Just a quick response to Terry’s question about practicing with martelés in the previous post. My apologies to those of you who get this on RSS or other subscription and got this yesterday with the very Kermit-like still frame before hitting “play”. Hard to believe that the flailing-armed poster frame YouTube generated is an improvement. Sigh. Read More
Oh shift!
I wrote a wee little article about shifting over at Tom’s blog, and thought a mini exercise might be just the thing to accompany it. One of the points I was driving at is the sense that a shift is propelled by the arm. I frequently remind students not to let their “fingers tow their arm all over the cello”. Your arm puts you in position, and all the fingers should have to do is type, accurately. When you work this little excerpt,... Read More
It’s a cello-y post!
Oh, internets, how I missed thee! I seriously hugged my laptop just then. Due to a screw up of epic proportions, it looks like your friendly neighborhood cellist will be sleeping on the floor in her swanky (vacant) new place for an additional ten days. Last night marked my eighth as a member of Floor Sleepers Anonymous, and as I woke from a serene and comfortable rest this morning, I remarked on the change in my physiology. The first three sleep... Read More
Geekage
After some technical difficulties rendered a new student’s camera useless, I was forced to give a first Skype lesson via audio-only. What was interesting is that I could tell what shape her hand was in by the sound she made, and that the rest of the issues were educated guesses based upon problems that vex 95% of beginning cellists. With that in mind, I thought I’d offer this pithy advice: Having problems? Make sure you’re satisfying... Read More
Weaving your sound
I’ve been sitting here trying to come up with the right opening for this post, and nothing is working. You know that thing that happens with the stuff and the other thing? Well I’ve Once upon a time there was a cellist named Emily who lived in a magicalFourscore and seven years ago our Fathers brought forthThat last one had a special ring to it, though. I was making an effort, through analogy, to show that I am still learning about... Read More
from the mailbag
Oooh weeeee I LOVE a request! Wendy wanted me to talk a little more about breathing after a conversation she had with a tuba player. (we won’t tease her too much about that). First stealthy secret about breathing: If you hold your breath, you probably don’t know you’re doing it. I want you to assume you aren’t breathing well when you play. For the sake of solidarity, I will too. Hey everyone, look at Emily! She talks a big game and... Read More
