Veterans Day
Thank you.
Emily Wright
Haydn C major, part 1
There are still a few glitches, like a mystery 12 seconds of black at the beginning and a less than pristine set, but all in all, I think it’s worth posting, and I’ll make improvements on the second installment. The…
Teaching your first lesson
I like to prod as many students into teaching as possible, and I thought that it might be nice to back up my dare with some pointers to help you. 1) As a rule, have twice the experience of the…
it’s about time
This blog has gotten too serious! Nearly professional and useful! Time for a random post, and this one goes out to all of you cat people who also are into crafts. (and I know who you are!) PS: The accompanying…
conversations with Andromeda
What a cool title for a post, eh? The lovely and talented Guanaco sent me an email and told me to check out Andromeda Romano-Lax’s new book, The Spanish Bow. So I did! It’s not light reading, but also not…
take one!
What a learning curve this week has been with Final Cut Express. I’m posting this as an exercise in humility as much as a beneficial lesson for students. Clearly, I got the compression wrong…I recorded this in HD (without a…
Cello Easter Island*
Just a little post until I can really dig in and get back to the good stuff. Along with the usual teaching and seemingly endless list of errands and small fires to put out, I lucked into some High Holy…
iBleh
I have been working all day on a video blog post, learning the ins and outs of iMovie to cobble together something I hope you will find interesting. When I went to save it, I noticed that there was no…
good for Pretty Boys, I guess
Like every day, even those not ending with victory, it was a good day to be a Trojan fan. It’s too early and extremely silly to talk about titles after just 2 games like the fair-weather media is doing tonight.…
and finally
Andrew Cook turned me on to the final permutation of the scale exercise I’m prescribing: Start the scale from the lowest note on the cello in the key, not just the tonic. So that means you start every scale on…
extra credit (on the 24 scale challenge)
Yesterday, it was particularly edifying to play each group of 3 twice, since the universal fingering works in handfuls of 3. So it goes (using D maj as an example, slurring 3) D E F#, D E F#, shift G…
24 scale challenge
This week, I am warming up with the 12 major scales, and then 12 melodic minor scales, using the universal (every key the same) fingering. Who’s with me?
now you’re making me nervous
For those of you who are not immersed in the world of college football like I am, this might seem like cause to celebrate. Ooh lookee! My team is rated #1! No, no, no! Stop! We have a bye week…
the secret Zen of clamshell packaging
So we are in yet another Hell house. I am now on a first-name basis with the people at all of the local plumbing, hardware, and lumber stores, which also means that I have had to do the self-checkout tango,…
Up, up and away
I finally started flying lessons a few weeks ago, and it is so good. Although I am very familiar with Whiteman and Van Nuys airports, which are just a few minutes away from the house, I opted to take at…
upon your return
The early stages of coming back from an injury or a long break can be like starting over, except that you have these remnants of knowledge, muscle memory, and expectation to tempt you right back into pain and frustration again…
seasons
Must be something about summer. We all kind of fall off of the horse in one way or another. Cellists stop practicing. Bloggers quit blogging (or go all sporadic, like me). L’s work parallels the TV season, and it’s interesting…
hypothesis
Possible reasons for no blogging action/comments/emails/internet ghost town vibe of late: 1) Phelps mania among blogging cellists, no time for interwebs. 2) Clik-pad caused cubital tunnel issues, cannot type. 3) Blogging cellists running that race in Queens, can’t blog while…
Yoga for your hands
As someone who has seen more unsuccessful physical therapy than I care to admit, I am way into injury prevention when it comes to my students. Here are some stretches that I find are really useful and do a lot…
I am impressed
I have a relatively new student (13-ish, taking for about 6 months) who reminds me very much of myself at that age. H has a lot of energy, natural ability, and a tough time settling into lessons. Don’t get me…
the story of Grey
With the move, we left the sweet Greyster to reign as king of Encino hills while we toil in the flats once more. The only thing that quiets the pangs of missing him is to recall an evening not too…
finding the right teacher
Many of you know that I am an aviation enthusiast and so-called student pilot. In truth, although I come from a family peppered with pilots and have spent many hours “flying” (from the right side of a dual-yoke plane), I…
a new way to think about progress
Sometimes a change in perspective makes a long process more bearable. Enjoyable, even. I came to this realization a few days as I looked ahead with dread to the longest day of the year. I thought of the miserable summer…
good times
becoming what you are
I am a big believer in messages to (and from) the universe. I think that everything one does is a message, a request. It’s that “you get what you give” thing, where the style of life you live is, in…
Notes from the front
This summer, some students and people I know are doing very cool things. Here is installment #1, from Nancy, one of the hardest working students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. You should hear the Brahms sonata on…
teatime pinky
Jessie and I have had lessons for the past 2 summers, and this summer, we’re really going for a solid, efficient left hand. What she has going here is an interesting overcorrection; I cautioned her against playing with flat/smashed fingers,…
spelunking
Eigen John T was telling me about a student of his that collapses her left arm when playing on the A string. This is fairly common, and universally destructive, as it causes tension, injury, and unreliable intonation. Try this exercise…
for GGP
June=Left Hand Month!
I have a student who I am going to be photographing and modifying in terms of her left hand technique, but I invite you guys to send me your own queries.