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…
Emily Wright
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.
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…