Staccato

Tags

dotzauer_2 bowing

We talked a bit about keeping the now on the string for the abrupt decay as well as the attack.  In practice prior to the lesson I had not been getting the sound I wanted. 

In addition, we also went  over the importance of tone.  There still needs to be good tone.  It can’t be just dotty.

Update

Tags

dotzauer, dotzauer_1, nina

Often when dealing with huge changes in my life, playing the cello and then finding the time to blog about it seems a bit tough, but I am still at it.  I need to get off the puritannical point of view that playing is a frivolous waste of time when things get busy, and remind myself instead that the tougher things get the more I need it.

Now, on to practice.   The emphasis this week has been on playing closer to the bridge in the first Dotzauer study,  and being a bit more aware of being in balance with my left hand so that I can free up my mind to have better bowing.   We’ll see tomorrow; we’ll likely start some new pieces.  I do need to alert my teacher to the possibility that I may be moving, but that’s not for another 60 days at least.

Practice Log – Nina

Worked out the shifts in the last section of Nina, including A-Eb on the D string, and then working my way down. I need to prepare my left hand better so that I can get 4 back in the game on time for his Bb..

Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare

Tags

quotes, random

The man that hath no music in himself, 
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, 
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils; 
The motions of his spirit are dull as night 
And his affections dark as Erebus: 
Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.

- The Merchant of Venice, 5.1.91-7

Two Octave Jump

Tags

exercise_creation

My challenge is how to hit the two octave jump from Bb in Kummer 66.  My pitch memory seems shakier.  The only idea I have right now is as follows

1) Work on my scales, listening for each tonic

2) Work on arpeggios – again.listening for the Bb.

3) Try Do-So-Do-So-Do

4) Try the octaves by themselves.

Another possibility is to draft my son into playing an F drone or Bb for me.  For reasons I don’t quite understand, I don’t do well when I set my tuner as the drone.

Any other ideas for exercise creation?

Doldrums

Practice has been occurring, but rather mindlessly. Dan’s prescription is to focus on getting a quality tone and challenge the string more aggressively when doing scales for now.
In response to my plea for something melodic that’s not on the edge of my ability, we started a new song today – Nina by Pergolese from the Cellists Favorite Contest Album.
For the Bach, we focused on keeping my anchor over D string while “sneaking” one finger over to A to execute the 4th bar of the piece. This is starting to unlock it for me, and will come with practice. This is what I was working on tonight, but i’m very concerned about non-cello things, and cannot shut out the outside world.

Assorted Updates

Tags

tough_practices

1. Where did my HTML editor go in WordPress? 
I have since found it

2. Why am I learning the Prelude to the first Suite when I can’t even play the Gossec Gavotte through musically?

3.  Partially in response to the previous question, I think that the next few months need to have more scrutiny, meaning more videos and more recording.  The one barrier to that is that I have to have my cell phone charged before each practice.  That phone is becoming an impressive practice tool.   It’s my sound recorder, metronome, and tuner.   To make it a video recorder, I need to at least stabilize it on a tripod.  I’ll probably get a camera for that.

4.  I’m still working on the 3d group in the prelude – the one that goes G-F#-C-B-C-F#-C-F#.   I know I can play this fingering because it’s the same fingering as on the Minuet (also first suite – it’s the only one I’ve studied so far)  second line. But I really am looking for a good left hand position.

5. Been reading Benjamin Whitcomb’s Advancing Cellists Handbook lately on my Kindle.  He asks good probing questions that keep me motivated.  I’ll have more to say as I get further into the book. I highly recommend what I’ve seen so far.  It has been helping me focus what my brain is doing while I’m practicing.  Still, sometimes I push through a section because my ego demands it and I’m not giving it my full concentration.

6. On Kummer #66, I had learned the first three lines, but could not reproduce them during a lesson.  I believe the cause was that I was not reinforcing my successes at the point where I made them,  and therefore not remembering them – while at the same time learning too many mistakes. So, today I worked on getting the bow distribution right for the first two bars.

7. Vacation is coming up, but I anticipate a lot of work before then.

8. A number of people had left thoughtful comments, to which I failed to reply. A better view of comments over time, displayed on a single page should remedy this. Thank you all for your helpful comments; If you write more, I’ll reply back!

Big Updates – a little faith

I Wrapping up the Sarabande, although there’s still so much to do there.  Of course, you never get “Done” with Bach, but by the same token, I can’t cover the same piece forever.   I can finally play that horrendous double stop on the last line of the piece.  When I expressed my distress over this last week, Dan told me to keep at it.  When you’re discouraged is when you need to practice most, but realize that what you do at a practice session will likely manifest a few days later.  The moral there is not even to judge whether you’ve solved your problem at a specific session.  And it did!  It’s a practice miracle.

I started two new pieces.  The Prelude to the first Suite, and a new Kummer with more black ink than Warren Buffet.   For the Prelude, we’re going to start with eight notes per bow, since at my level it’s easier to make the piece sound good.  I’ll keep you updated as development progresses.

 

 

Getting Cello Rolling Again

There’s been a bit of a hiatus as I have been getting used to the new set-up.  I’ve mostly been reviewing material I’ve had a few months ago to get a feel for the strings.  Still some fight from the G string, but it is responding more easily now.  There have been more equipment woes, but I have a new fine tuner now,so I think we’re ready to go, I hope.

I have a lesson on Monday, so I’m going to see how this Kummer #91, an up-bow staccato exercise is doing.  The LH looks really easy, so I can just have fun with the bowing.

 

Cello Vacation / Winter Blues

Tags

cello_maintenance

The past two weeks have shown me all the pitfalls of what can happen over the winter.  STtrings popping, pegs slipping, followed by strings breaking.  So, decided to treat the cello to some additional work while the string was installed.  The luthier recommended the bridge be raised a little, but said that I can probably play without out, but if I find myself really digging in on the G string, I might want to reconsider.

When I shared that the G was slow to speak in general, we decided to give the raised bridge  a try.

When the cello is done, he will be treated to an improved environment, with a good humidifier, dampits, and both with distilled water.

I did learn something interesting though.  When the A string breaks, the other strings do not need to be de-tensioned.  However, if the other strings break, it is necessary to de-tension the A. 

Since i’m going to be focused on getting prepared for the Bar MItzvah this weekend, I figured this was a good week to extend the winter work.