Learning the Violoncello
Posted in practice on Feb 24th, 2010
In the martial arts, at least the Japanese based ones, there is the concept of mushin, or mind of no mind. Basically it means something that you do without thought. The example I like to use is tying your shoes. When you first learned as a child it required effort and thought. You had to [...]
Posted in practice on Feb 23rd, 2010
The past month has been difficult. A death in the family has upset our lives and we are both slowly, tentatively dipping our toes into the apparently calm water following a rough set of rapids.
One of the consequences of the travel involved was that I haven’t been able to practice. In the past four weeks [...]
Posted in lesson on Feb 5th, 2010
At my lesson today we talked about slurs and hooked bowing.
On cello (and I assume other stringed instruments) a slur indicates that the notes should all be played with a single movement of the bow. As my teacher put it, changing bow direction creates a consonant, it cuts off the sound however briefly. A slur, [...]
Posted in practice on Feb 2nd, 2010
As Sibylle and I were in Germany for 10 days, last night was the first cello practice I’ve had since January 22nd. It felt like there had been some deterioration in my sound, and there were some passages in a couple pieces that weren’t as memorized as I’d thought. Cello, like many other skills, is [...]