I got home late last night, exhausted from long days, not sleeping well while on the road, and dealing with airports. It's definitely summertime--it's been really crowded. I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I watch what people do while going through the airport security lines. There are the people who have to practically undress to go through, the people who get the random selection for the full search and body scan, and people who look completely bewildered at all of the TSA people screaming "take out laptops!" "Take off your shoes!" "Take out liquids!"
What I don't get is when someone forgets to put their less-than-3-ounces-container-of-liquid into a plastic bag and it gets caught, the TSA people will tell them the same-container-of-liquid will be OK if that person puts the same-container-of-liquid-or-gel into a quart size plastic bag and puts it back through the screening machine. I really don't understand the logic there. It's the same container of liquid! Or wonder how many 6.4 ounce tubes of toothpaste get thrown away (would you go out of security again to check your luggage so that you can take that big tube along???)
Well, enough ranting. I had a great lesson today. I've been working on a whole bunch of rhythm exercises, trying to really get steady while playing. I am wearing out my metronone with all of the variations of where I am placing beats. Today during my lesson we started off with the metronome with every eighth note, then kept backing off the metronome until it was only beating the first beat of the measure. Today I was able to hold it steady or at least recover if I was a little off (early or late). Victory! Or at least, progress! It did become clear as I continued playing that I get really unsteady when I cross strings. So my next round of rhythm games will be try to fix that...although it will have to wait until we get back from vacation. More rest for my thumb. The enforced rest from travelling was good for it - it felt fine today.
On an airplane again....and a break from music...and swimming. I always hate what I feel like when I've taken a break. With swimming I feel like I can't swim when I get back in the water. Same with the cello...I know I'll be happy to see it when I get back but who knows whether it will feel great or feel awful????
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sore Thumb
How frustrating. I tweaked my right thumb again. I had been trying to shift my bow hold (get more flexible thumb) and have only managed to make my thumb really sore. It had gotten better after I cut back playing time and iced my thumb after playing. Unfortunately I am on the road (I guess I am getting rest from playing) but it is hard to ice my thumb. Right now I'd settle for a little more rest - I had a long day yesterday, have another long day today, and tomorrow too when I fly home. Then I get one day home before we leave on vacation.
I am definitely not looking forward to getting back; the day after we fly home from vacation I have to jump on a plane again and travel for work again.
I am definitely not looking forward to getting back; the day after we fly home from vacation I have to jump on a plane again and travel for work again.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Chamber Music Weekend, Part Deux
Today I played with my other chamber group - it was fun. Everything today was gig music. I won't be at the gig because we'll be on vacation, but it was fun to play. One of the members of the group plays violin, viola, and cello, and I think it's really amazing to watch him switch between instruments during the session. The other cellist in the group is amazing - she has been playing for over 60 years. I love listening to her and playing with her. She can't make the gig either so our versatile member is going to fill in on cello. Cello is the latest instrument he has started playing and he's doing really well. He was especially interested in going through the cello parts for the gig to make sure that he could play the cello parts.
I've got to get packing - instead of travelling my normal Tuesday - Wednesday, I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Yuck, getting up at 4am to catch a flight hurts.
I've got to get packing - instead of travelling my normal Tuesday - Wednesday, I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Yuck, getting up at 4am to catch a flight hurts.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Chamber Music Time!
Ahh..it has been a good music day. I love it when I have time on the weekends for a lot of music. This morning my reading chamber group came over to my house and we were all exhausted at the end of the morning. The one frustrating thing is that every week we go through the email ritual of figuring out who's going to be there. We've gotten better at it - we haven't had a week in a while where we haven't had music for day's configuration of players. But various members will show up at different times,so we change what we're playing as people show up.
This morning our first violinist showed up first. We've had many weeks on the past where it has just been the 2 of us, so I've gotten to the point where I don't even have to look at her while she's playing anymore to know what she's going to do. We played the first movement of Beethoven's "Spring" sonata while waiting..then our other cellist showed up. Because we knew we were going to read through the Arthur Foote piano quartet later, we decided to play his first piano trio. It is a gorgeous piece that we've played before (except for the ending of the last movement is somewhat weird) and it was lovely to play it again. My rhythm practice is paying off as I felt steady throughout, even during parts where the piano part was all over the keyboard. We had time to play part of the first movement of Lalo's first piano trio (another gorgeous piece with lots of lovely cello solos, but alas, I was still on the piano), but we played it rather poorly (took it too fast for our state of consciousness) and fortunately our violist showed up. We only got through part of the 2nd movement of the Foote piano quartet - but oh it is gorgeous - when our 2nd violinist arrived. We will definitely have to play through all of the piano quartet another time.
I finally got to play cello! We switched to string quartets (I doubled with the other cellist), but the first one was weird. I can't even remember who the composer was; it was a modern piece with all of the weird harmonies and timing. We had to give up on the first movement - it was in 5/4 but the cello part had measures with 7 notes for 3 beats and other weird combinations. We couldn't figure out where the first beat of the measure was. The second and third movements were weird too but at least we think we managed to stay together. At least we ended at the same time (one definition of victory)!
The second quartet we played was by a Brazilian composer, Alberto Nepomuceno; we played his first string quartet. It was supposed to have been influenced by Brahms and Mendelssohn but with Brazilian melodies. It was hard to hear the influences. Good thing I had a partner playing the same thing. Then we got tired of very unfamiliar music and ended with the Mendelssohn Op.44 No.2 quartet - I think we may have played it once a while ago - and it was nice to be back in more familiar territory. After that we were exhausted.
This morning our first violinist showed up first. We've had many weeks on the past where it has just been the 2 of us, so I've gotten to the point where I don't even have to look at her while she's playing anymore to know what she's going to do. We played the first movement of Beethoven's "Spring" sonata while waiting..then our other cellist showed up. Because we knew we were going to read through the Arthur Foote piano quartet later, we decided to play his first piano trio. It is a gorgeous piece that we've played before (except for the ending of the last movement is somewhat weird) and it was lovely to play it again. My rhythm practice is paying off as I felt steady throughout, even during parts where the piano part was all over the keyboard. We had time to play part of the first movement of Lalo's first piano trio (another gorgeous piece with lots of lovely cello solos, but alas, I was still on the piano), but we played it rather poorly (took it too fast for our state of consciousness) and fortunately our violist showed up. We only got through part of the 2nd movement of the Foote piano quartet - but oh it is gorgeous - when our 2nd violinist arrived. We will definitely have to play through all of the piano quartet another time.
I finally got to play cello! We switched to string quartets (I doubled with the other cellist), but the first one was weird. I can't even remember who the composer was; it was a modern piece with all of the weird harmonies and timing. We had to give up on the first movement - it was in 5/4 but the cello part had measures with 7 notes for 3 beats and other weird combinations. We couldn't figure out where the first beat of the measure was. The second and third movements were weird too but at least we think we managed to stay together. At least we ended at the same time (one definition of victory)!
The second quartet we played was by a Brazilian composer, Alberto Nepomuceno; we played his first string quartet. It was supposed to have been influenced by Brahms and Mendelssohn but with Brazilian melodies. It was hard to hear the influences. Good thing I had a partner playing the same thing. Then we got tired of very unfamiliar music and ended with the Mendelssohn Op.44 No.2 quartet - I think we may have played it once a while ago - and it was nice to be back in more familiar territory. After that we were exhausted.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Just the Eighth Notes, Ma'am
Who would have thought that just playing straight eighth notes could be so hard? At today's lesson that's all I did. Sometimes really well, but for a lot of my lesson, my playing was just slightly off. I had to switch bowing patterns after playing the first 4 bars of No.6 of the Sevcik, and my up bows were most definitely a bit shorter than my down bows. It was harder to play strict eighth notes when the metronome was on the off beats - but that was the point. The only thing that was different was the relationship of what I was doing physically relative to my sense of where the timing was, but it was hard to do. Also, the effort involved in playing something that sounds smooth and even is anything but that. That's certainly not so true on the piano!
Of course, playing eighth notes in strict time is not necessarily the most musical way to play, but you have to have the foundation before you can deviate. Plus I want to become a better ensemble player, and my timing/rhythm needs to improve. Being trained as a solo pianist didn't prepare me for this.
Of course, playing eighth notes in strict time is not necessarily the most musical way to play, but you have to have the foundation before you can deviate. Plus I want to become a better ensemble player, and my timing/rhythm needs to improve. Being trained as a solo pianist didn't prepare me for this.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Rhythm Blues
A couple of weeks ago I pulled out my metronome (ok, I finally replaced the battery) and started using it again. I've been doing bowing exercises from the Sevcik School of Bowing Technique (adapted for cello) and have started on No. 6. It is basically straight eighth notes with more bowing variations than any human could possibly get through.
I decided to run the metronome to make sure that I was on the recommended tempo (104). I discovered something that really pissed me off. My eighth notes were just a shade short on my up bows. It wasn't enough to be noticeable without the metronome, and I'm sure I had been compensating for it by playing slightly too long on the down bows.
Anyway, at my last lesson I told my teacher what I had discovered and we spent a good deal of this lesson on this topic. He gave me an awesome tool to help fix the problem. Most of us can adjust to the metronome beating steadily, so it doesn't help fix the underlying problem which is a rock solid sense of the underlying pulse of the beat. So, he gave me something that he had put together with a drummer friend. The drummer beats the tempo, but he only beats the drum for all of the beats in the measure during the first measure. On the next measure he doesn't play the last beat, then on the 3rd measure he drops the last 2 beats, and on and on until the only time he hits the drum is the first beat of the measure. It was a humbling experience to see how far off I was when the first beat of the next measure played - and this was playing straight notes!
It's not like my sense of timing and rhythm is bad - but it clearly is something that can get much more solid. I've also been practicing playing on the off beat (on the 'and'). The other humbling experience was having my teacher point out to me that I wasn't as relaxed playing on the off beat and what I needed to do physically was no different than playing on the beat. Another thing to work on!
Post note, though - these exercises have really helped how solidly I play with others. My reading chamber group decided to play the Mendelssohn D Minor piano trio (which we've read through a few times) while waiting for some of the other members to show up. I was on piano (this is one where I think the piano part is the hardest of the 3 parts - think Mendelssohn writing for himself! - gives me many moments of panic while playing), but our 1st violinist said after the 1st movement that my tempo was the steadiest that she'd heard me play. So definitely progress!
Slow, but steady. Part of the journey...
I decided to run the metronome to make sure that I was on the recommended tempo (104). I discovered something that really pissed me off. My eighth notes were just a shade short on my up bows. It wasn't enough to be noticeable without the metronome, and I'm sure I had been compensating for it by playing slightly too long on the down bows.
Anyway, at my last lesson I told my teacher what I had discovered and we spent a good deal of this lesson on this topic. He gave me an awesome tool to help fix the problem. Most of us can adjust to the metronome beating steadily, so it doesn't help fix the underlying problem which is a rock solid sense of the underlying pulse of the beat. So, he gave me something that he had put together with a drummer friend. The drummer beats the tempo, but he only beats the drum for all of the beats in the measure during the first measure. On the next measure he doesn't play the last beat, then on the 3rd measure he drops the last 2 beats, and on and on until the only time he hits the drum is the first beat of the measure. It was a humbling experience to see how far off I was when the first beat of the next measure played - and this was playing straight notes!
It's not like my sense of timing and rhythm is bad - but it clearly is something that can get much more solid. I've also been practicing playing on the off beat (on the 'and'). The other humbling experience was having my teacher point out to me that I wasn't as relaxed playing on the off beat and what I needed to do physically was no different than playing on the beat. Another thing to work on!
Post note, though - these exercises have really helped how solidly I play with others. My reading chamber group decided to play the Mendelssohn D Minor piano trio (which we've read through a few times) while waiting for some of the other members to show up. I was on piano (this is one where I think the piano part is the hardest of the 3 parts - think Mendelssohn writing for himself! - gives me many moments of panic while playing), but our 1st violinist said after the 1st movement that my tempo was the steadiest that she'd heard me play. So definitely progress!
Slow, but steady. Part of the journey...
Friday, June 15, 2007
Reflecting on the journey so far...
I started playing the cello about 3 1/2 years ago. I had wanted to play the cello since I was in elementary school. My parents had me play the violin instead. They said it was easier to transport (true, but I really wanted to play the cello!) I played the violin for about 3 years but quit to concentrate on the piano.
In August 2003 I got laid off from a startup, and decided that I had run out of excuses for why I couldn't start playing the cello. "I don't have time to practice." "I travel too much to be able to play." "I don't have a cello." "I don't have a teacher." "I'll suck when I start playing." Well, I rented a cello, found a teacher, and found that as an adult I have an entirely different approach and a lot more patience and appreciation for the journey. I did suck when I started playing, but when I started I didn't care!
After I had been playing for a few months I joined a local community orchestra (no auditions - very key!) I probably had no business playing with a group at that point in time, but I figured that I would just play what I could. That really worked. I'm still playing with this orchestra and it's been really fun, especially as my playing has improved.
I joined the orchestra because my real goal was to play chamber music, and after a year or so, one of the violists approached me and asked if I would join their group. They were in dire need of another cellist. Hooray!!! I've really enjoyed this group - we simply read through music. I've been playing either the piano or cello depending on who is there from week to week. We've had all sorts of configurations - piano trio, piano quartet, piano quintet, string trio, string quartet, string quintet - a great way to explore a variety of music. The other cellist is my standmate from orchestra, and since he's been playing for a looong time he keeps me from getting too lost if we're doubling on a part. It's also been a good benchmark for me to measure my improvement. I remember the first time that I was able to play loudly enough to match the volume of our first violinist!
A few months ago another member of the orchestra asked me to join their group. It was really eye opening to play with a group that occasionally does gigs in the area. Instead of just playing through music and moving on to the next piece, this group spends time rehearsing everything we are playing (as well as having fun).
As I look back on the past few years, I am grateful that I took the plunge to start playing. It has been really rewarding to play and I look forward to every single practice or playing session. I miss my cello when I am travelling. As an adult student I am much more demanding of my teacher than I was as a kid taking piano lessons (and I had an excellent piano teacher when I was young- and I studied piano all through college and graduate school). I'm not as afraid to tell my teacher where I am having problems and what I think needs to improve and to get his help to help me change what I'm doing to play better. As a kid I was terrified of how badly I might play during a piano lesson. Now I still don't like to play badly during a lesson, but I'm much more willing to find out what I can start to change about my playing in order to make it better.
In August 2003 I got laid off from a startup, and decided that I had run out of excuses for why I couldn't start playing the cello. "I don't have time to practice." "I travel too much to be able to play." "I don't have a cello." "I don't have a teacher." "I'll suck when I start playing." Well, I rented a cello, found a teacher, and found that as an adult I have an entirely different approach and a lot more patience and appreciation for the journey. I did suck when I started playing, but when I started I didn't care!
After I had been playing for a few months I joined a local community orchestra (no auditions - very key!) I probably had no business playing with a group at that point in time, but I figured that I would just play what I could. That really worked. I'm still playing with this orchestra and it's been really fun, especially as my playing has improved.
I joined the orchestra because my real goal was to play chamber music, and after a year or so, one of the violists approached me and asked if I would join their group. They were in dire need of another cellist. Hooray!!! I've really enjoyed this group - we simply read through music. I've been playing either the piano or cello depending on who is there from week to week. We've had all sorts of configurations - piano trio, piano quartet, piano quintet, string trio, string quartet, string quintet - a great way to explore a variety of music. The other cellist is my standmate from orchestra, and since he's been playing for a looong time he keeps me from getting too lost if we're doubling on a part. It's also been a good benchmark for me to measure my improvement. I remember the first time that I was able to play loudly enough to match the volume of our first violinist!
A few months ago another member of the orchestra asked me to join their group. It was really eye opening to play with a group that occasionally does gigs in the area. Instead of just playing through music and moving on to the next piece, this group spends time rehearsing everything we are playing (as well as having fun).
As I look back on the past few years, I am grateful that I took the plunge to start playing. It has been really rewarding to play and I look forward to every single practice or playing session. I miss my cello when I am travelling. As an adult student I am much more demanding of my teacher than I was as a kid taking piano lessons (and I had an excellent piano teacher when I was young- and I studied piano all through college and graduate school). I'm not as afraid to tell my teacher where I am having problems and what I think needs to improve and to get his help to help me change what I'm doing to play better. As a kid I was terrified of how badly I might play during a piano lesson. Now I still don't like to play badly during a lesson, but I'm much more willing to find out what I can start to change about my playing in order to make it better.
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