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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
…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.…
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…
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…
What a face.
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…
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…
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…
…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!
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
CelloGeek (but aren’t we all?) submitted this quandry: …”I struggle with 2 things with my bow hold (I’m sure there’s more but these seem to be the peskiest) 1 – my thumb starts nice and curved but gradually will get…
Another darling of our community, CelloGirl has stress when it comes to her pinky joint. A portion of her comment reads, “…Sore pinky joint. This one I struggle with quite a bit. I know that I seem to tense up…
Other possible blog titles include: Acting the partAll for showTest yer gesture (ha) As many of you know, I am in the business of teaching how to play the cello. I was about to write, “I teach the cello” but…