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…
Emily Wright
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.
real time, part 4: really real
Yesterday, Jen had to take a little break because of a long-standing back issue (which does not benefit from tense cello playing, or any cello playing for that matter). So here’s her 2 cents worth. We have a lesson tomorrow,…
real time, part 3: attack of Alligator Arms
Says Jen: Just as I thought I was beginning to get a handle on playing with complete relaxation……….I tried the thumb position. My left shoulder seems to lag behind in this shift. I spent the majority of my time telling…
real time, part 2: giant steps
Here’s the next entry in Jen’s battle, tentatively named CelloQuest ’08: Today was all about learning to feel the strings. I would not allow myself to squeeze at all with my left thumb and this caused me to change the…
real time
One of my students has agreed to chronicle the progress in her battle with arm tension here on SRCB. A little preface: She has been playing for 2 years, has participated in every recital I have scheduled in that period,…
cleared for takeoff
I have been cleared into the audition process. Now the epic battle with Mr. Juan can truly commence. Ah, the small but relentless tenor of added pressure makes everything just a little bit more…intense. For instance, my day today, which…
Hey, big spender
There are things to spend on, and things to skimp on. Here are my thoughts on getting the most bang for your cello buck. Spend on: initial beginner celloGoing the $200 cello route is like Russian roulette. Sometimes you get…
Maximizing your lesson experience
Nearly everything about the cello is, upon initial inspection, prohibitive. It’s big. It’s low. It’s difficult. It’s expensive. It reads that clef you didn’t really master when you took piano lessons. If you manage to get past all of those…
Really good practice session
Ever the masochist, I have decided to go crazy on concert studies. In addition to the audition repertoire, I have added the 4 Bukinik studies, with a special focus on the 2nd one. People, if you don’t know these, well…I…
Grey Update
There will be an audition practice update soon, too. But I thought you’d like to know where our little muffin is. He pees and poops in the box now. Victory is mine! Started doing it the 2nd day. I never…
feeling Grey
Yesterday, while I was supposed to be convalescing after a very exciting Fraxel laser facial treatment, I was instead wrestling a deeply wounded cat in the bathroom. The saga of Grey continues. A week ago, we saw him with a…
Don(ting) Juan {sic}
There’s an audition coming up in June, and I am thinking of taking it. Whether or not I do, I enjoy dusting off the excerpts and Haydn D for some critical work, which is amazingly never finished, even after 15…
LOL
Whoa
I am certain that these crazy backyard gyrations are scaring Grey away, but I had a little bit of success today. Still not been able to even attempt a handstand near the wall, but I managed to hold my very…
them there…
…is a new mini-podcast. Or, rather a picture of the player at the bottom of the page, where you can download the real thing. The great and talented Akihiko sugested the topic, and I am more than happy to oblige.…
The recital
It went well. First off, lots of people attended, though not too many performed. My lovely cousin Natalie, who I have always felt lucky to be related to, showed up, as did my dad and a near stranger (a lapsed…
100th post: The Sound and The Fury
It’s spring, so you know what that means. Baseball is underway, open season has been declared on the LA roadways, and my students are dropping like flies, starting with the recital. I like to have at least 2 recitals a…
PS
What a face.
nailing it
Hahaa! I bet you didn’t expect a technical post today! Well, I enjoy the element of surprise now and again. One of my newer readers, Eigen voiced a pretty common question about left hand technique: What is up with 1st…
something to look forward to…
For college football fans, there is a sense of loss after the January bowls are all said and done, and not just because the BCS is run by crackheads. Sure, we can distract ourselves from the pain with an extra…
Free Stuff, part 2
I want to resuscitate the podcast, and I need your help! So send me questions and comments about anything, and the first 5 people will get a variety of classical CDs, courtesy of a friend who works at EMI. You…
and now, for something completely different
…I only wish the very last one had been edited out. EDIT: now showing: Episode 2.My personal fave is the Storm Trooper. EDIT, again: The Star Wars Special!
groovy
Son of Bow Month
I got this fantastic email from our Far and Away friend in the Philippines, who wanted to talk some more bow. Twist my arm! (so long as it’s onto that right index finger, of course) “Ola, Ms.Wright 🙂 My student,…
Grey, part deux
Well, you can see that the eye is doing a lot better! We can also see that he is very much a he. Good lord. I had never, ahem, seen an intact cat before. Quite shocking, really. But now, other…
Grey
So there’s this cat. This magnificent, aloof, probably feral cat, who has gradually been slinking closer and closer to our door over the past few weeks. I immediately named him (I think him…could be her) Grey, because he is so…
Free Stuff, Part 1
The time draws near for the April issue of Strings magazine to come out, and we all know what that means. Contact me and you’ll get an issue! Woo hoo! The first 10 people to email me through emilywright.net get…
A good problem to have
Bow Month lives! Thanks to Terry and his wife for taking the time to chronicle yet another bow grip. One thing I notice is that the kind of student who lives in the world of cello blogs AND is likely…