I've been taking cello lessons for 6 years now, and it still surprises me that progress is non-linear. I'll notice little to no improvement, then suddenly one day, I'll have a breakthrough.
It was really exciting at my last lesson to have one of those 'aha!' moments when I could finally do something my teacher has been telling me about for years (literally!). I guess I was finally physically ready, and prepared enough for that breakthrough.
I finally could rotate my hand, wrist, and arm to get consistent bow weight on the string all the way to the tip without straining anything (particularly my thumb, which has been sore). I could feel and hear the difference in the richness of tone when I got it right. Like any new breakthough, I couldn't get it right consistently, but when I did I could feel a lot more control over the connection between the bow and the string.
It doesn't seem like much, but it sure has taken a long time to get to this point!
3 comments:
This is a huge breakthrough! After I realized this, it help keep my bow down and stopped me from lifting my bow ever so slightly when crossing string.
I know what you mean about non-linear progress. Or how a piece can sound close to perfect one day and a mess the next day! Oh well...such is life with the cello.
thanks! it's helping me keep a sustained sound and tone when changing bow directions - it's helping with string crossings too but I'm still getting used to the way it feels.
Wow, that is a major breakthrough! I need to concentrate on being more consistent with that. Congratulations! Enjoy your accomplishment!
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