Things are going well with my cello playing, even though I haven't been able to practice as much as I would like. I ordered a practice mute so that I can practice when the mood strikes late at night without bugging the neighbors or driving my husband to extreme acts.
In related news, my teacher loves my cello. She's petite and has tiny hands like me, and she mentioned that if she got a cello she'd need it to be a 7/8 size like mine. I didn't think about it when she said it, but it dawned on me today that she might like to try mine out for size and see how it felt, so she did and kept remarking on what a lovely cello it is :) Lucy is very proud of herself, I think she might be developing a complex about it, LoL. There's also a guy in my class who plays cello and has for a long time, but he's now learning the violin, and he keeps telling me what a nice sound she makes and how beautiful she is, so yay! I am always proud to take her out amongst string people, LoL. I cannot rave enough about Scott Cao cellos and about the expertise and service I got from Ellen at Cellos2Go! Whether you've just started or have been playing for decades, she is a wonderful person to buy a cello from, you will get exactly what you want!
My callouses continue to build up, and my bowing is improving too. I'm learning that making a good sound is not really a pressure issue. You can make good and horrid sounds by pressing harder or by bowing lightly, so there are a lot of other things that determine how it turns out. Haven't quite mastered what they are yet, but I've been experimenting a lot with it, and I figure the more I practice, the more intuitive it will become. Also discovered in class today that you don't have to push down really hard on the strings to make the note you're trying to hit, which will be immensely helpful when I'm practicing and I'm sure it's the first step to me improving my left hand performance. If you don't press down too hard, it's easier to go from note to note, and I'm sure it will make everything sound better, too.
My teacher introduced me to a cellist who is visiting the area and there is a possibility I might take a few lessons from him. I wish I could take lessons from him every week, but it's $30 per hour and I'll be doing well to afford a lesson or two here and there. She introduced me to him as a "very keen student cellist", which was nice to hear, too. I think if anything separates me from some of the other students is that I have a lot of musical experience, and I've been wanting to play the cello for ages and ages, so I think it makes me work at it harder. Not that there aren't some marvelous players in my class, it's only some that I think are only experimenting with it. One of my friends in the class is shaping up to be an incredible fiddle player, for sure.
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3 comments:
I enjoyed reading about your cello progress. I, too, am learning to play the cello,and also write a blog about it. You can find lots more cello blogs at Guanaco's site. He maintains a list of 154 cellists who blog.
Are you taking lessons from a violinist? That must be challenging. It is probably good to have the other students around though, for support, and for making music together.
Best wishes!
I too have a Scott Cao that I got from Ellen at Cellos2Go! Definitely a good choice. I started playing 5 years ago, and started blogging about it last November.
BTW, I just discovered your blog this morning and enjoyed reading your entries. I hope that you'll be posting more soon.
PS: The December issue of Strings Magazine (which is not yet listed online, but should be soon at www.stringsmagazine.com) has an article called "Wood Woes" about endangered woods used in stringed instruments. Thought you might be interested.
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