I added up my practice hours in 2010 and it totaled 561 hours. It is almost the same number of hours as last year! I was pretty happy because I traveled so much more this year - nearly 120 days - taking out nearly 4 months of practice time. Each year I've set a goal of averaging an hour a day for the year. Maybe this year I could try to break 600 hours, which would be a worthy stretch goal.
I looked back at the year and am happy with my progress and am looking forward to next year. Some of skills I'd like to improve this year:
--better vibrato. My teacher called the current state of my vibrato "acceptable for ensemble playing" but I'd like to get more of a "solo vibrato" and be able to keep it going.
--a singing line more often. One of the biggest improvements I made this year was that sometimes I can actually hear phrasing and a musical line. I'd like to turn that "sometimes" into "most of the time"
--control the volume. Would love to control those crescendos and decrescendos!
My Dungey cello is starting to develop a wonderful tone as it goes through its terrible twos - in February it will be 2 years old. In early December I was able to see Christopher and have him do some overdue work on the cello. I met him at the house of Ken Finch, a member of the Portland Symphony and owner of an older Dungey cello. I asked for and got a lesson from Ken! It was very exciting to play for him and get his encouragement and tips on what I could do better. I also got to hear him play my cello. He was loathe to give up both my cello and my bow :-) He's agreed to give me additional lessons if I make it down to Portland again!
So here's to 2011 and happy new year to all!
Showing posts with label dungey cello. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dungey cello. Show all posts
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Sunday, September 27, 2009
My Dungey Cello's Most Excellent Adventure
Christopher delivered my cello last night! It has a new color and is all tuned up.
It looks beautiful! It sounds better than ever
My cello had the most excellent adventure on its way home. Chris stopped in Boise and gave a talk at a cello workshop on his way. He also lent my cello to Zuill Bailey, who played my cello (!), another one of Chris's cellos, and his Gofriller cello during the master class he led there. Chris shot video clips of Zuill Bailey playing all of the cellos and it was so exciting to watch him play my cello! I wish I could have seen the entire class plus listened to him perform the Elgar.
It was cool to hear the different cellos - the other Dungey cello was built in 2005 and it has a much more developed sound. Mine is still so new that while it sounds wonderful, it still sounds like a new cello. And wouldn't it be nice if I could play better...
It looks beautiful! It sounds better than ever
My cello had the most excellent adventure on its way home. Chris stopped in Boise and gave a talk at a cello workshop on his way. He also lent my cello to Zuill Bailey, who played my cello (!), another one of Chris's cellos, and his Gofriller cello during the master class he led there. Chris shot video clips of Zuill Bailey playing all of the cellos and it was so exciting to watch him play my cello! I wish I could have seen the entire class plus listened to him perform the Elgar.
It was cool to hear the different cellos - the other Dungey cello was built in 2005 and it has a much more developed sound. Mine is still so new that while it sounds wonderful, it still sounds like a new cello. And wouldn't it be nice if I could play better...
Monday, September 7, 2009
Cello Run!
We just got back from Pocatello, on a trip to bring my Dungey cello back to cellomaker Christopher Dungey to get its last coat of varnish and a general checkup and tuning. I've had it for 6 months. My Dungey cello will be with Chris for at least a few weeks and will change from a yellow/brown color to more of a reddish brown. Chris said that over the summer he had 10 of his cellos back and that it was amazing to have so many at the same time. He still had 3 of his older cellos in the shop and I had fun seeing how his cellos have evolved over time. The model cello I have is his latest and greatest and will continue to sound better as it ages.
As an extra treat, he had some David Russell Young bows that I tried out. I'm ready for a new bow, and Chris just happened to see David Young not too long ago and had some of his new bows. It was unreal to hear the difference in sound between my current bow (unchanged since my last cello because I wanted to get used to my Dungey cello before buying a new bow) and the David Young bow. Chris kept saying, wait until I adjust the cello and you will be totally blown away by the sound! Even though the cello still sounds pretty great!
He has had the student cello that I had previously for the last 6 months; he took it home with him when he delivered my Dungey cello in February. We had agreed that he'd return it when I brought back the Dungey cello so that I'd have a cello to play. Chris replaned the fingerboard, changed the strings to a different set to get a better sound, replaced the soundpost, and repaired some varnish nicks and scratches. My student cello now sounds really good but I sure miss my Dungey cello.
Our other treat for the weekend was hanging out with Chris and his family, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. My husband's brother is married to Chris's sister, so Chris is family. How great is that, being related to such a talented cello maker? I have learned so much about cellos from Chris. Plus he gives me a lesson each time I see him :-)
As an extra treat, he had some David Russell Young bows that I tried out. I'm ready for a new bow, and Chris just happened to see David Young not too long ago and had some of his new bows. It was unreal to hear the difference in sound between my current bow (unchanged since my last cello because I wanted to get used to my Dungey cello before buying a new bow) and the David Young bow. Chris kept saying, wait until I adjust the cello and you will be totally blown away by the sound! Even though the cello still sounds pretty great!
He has had the student cello that I had previously for the last 6 months; he took it home with him when he delivered my Dungey cello in February. We had agreed that he'd return it when I brought back the Dungey cello so that I'd have a cello to play. Chris replaned the fingerboard, changed the strings to a different set to get a better sound, replaced the soundpost, and repaired some varnish nicks and scratches. My student cello now sounds really good but I sure miss my Dungey cello.
Our other treat for the weekend was hanging out with Chris and his family, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. My husband's brother is married to Chris's sister, so Chris is family. How great is that, being related to such a talented cello maker? I have learned so much about cellos from Chris. Plus he gives me a lesson each time I see him :-)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
gig report
it's been a while since I posted!
Today we had a gig, and played 2 movements from the Brahms Sextet No. 1. I was very happy with the way I played today; all of the practicing to get ready for today was worth it. More vibrato would have been nice, but I hope that is just a matter of time. What made me happy is that I'm starting to be able to control the bow more and am better able to control phrasing than previously. We also played "Turkey Creek" and other arrangements (really fun!) and a Kummer duet for 2 cellos. My husband said that the cello duet was his favorite piece.
Last week I was invited to a cello festival - we had 10 cellos playing together! It was so much fun. A number of us from the cello section in orchestra got invited to join in with a cello ensemble. They have enough cellists that composers have sent them new music to play. We played some music written for 8 cellos, quite a few cello quartet arrangements, and just plain had a great time. I hope we do that again soon.
On the injury front, I am slowly getting better on all fronts. After a month of swimming slowly and concentrating on rotating, one day I just knew I was rotating correctly. So I've been slowly ramping up effort in the pool, trying to keep form at all times, and slowing down and concentrating on form whenever my form starts slipping.
My thumb still hurts, but not as much as previously. I've been working on bow exercises and working on flexibility of my hand. After looking at it my teacher gave me some tips and some exercises to work on. I think it's going to be another slow process before I correct that problem.
We are headed to Pocatello this week - I'm bringing my cello back to Christopher Dungey to get another coat of varnish and to have him look at it after 6 months. It is developing a better sound. He will return my other cello to me so that I have a cello to play while he is working on my new one. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are driving from Colorado and meeting us in Pocatello and we are really looking forward to seeing them!
Today we had a gig, and played 2 movements from the Brahms Sextet No. 1. I was very happy with the way I played today; all of the practicing to get ready for today was worth it. More vibrato would have been nice, but I hope that is just a matter of time. What made me happy is that I'm starting to be able to control the bow more and am better able to control phrasing than previously. We also played "Turkey Creek" and other arrangements (really fun!) and a Kummer duet for 2 cellos. My husband said that the cello duet was his favorite piece.
Last week I was invited to a cello festival - we had 10 cellos playing together! It was so much fun. A number of us from the cello section in orchestra got invited to join in with a cello ensemble. They have enough cellists that composers have sent them new music to play. We played some music written for 8 cellos, quite a few cello quartet arrangements, and just plain had a great time. I hope we do that again soon.
On the injury front, I am slowly getting better on all fronts. After a month of swimming slowly and concentrating on rotating, one day I just knew I was rotating correctly. So I've been slowly ramping up effort in the pool, trying to keep form at all times, and slowing down and concentrating on form whenever my form starts slipping.
My thumb still hurts, but not as much as previously. I've been working on bow exercises and working on flexibility of my hand. After looking at it my teacher gave me some tips and some exercises to work on. I think it's going to be another slow process before I correct that problem.
We are headed to Pocatello this week - I'm bringing my cello back to Christopher Dungey to get another coat of varnish and to have him look at it after 6 months. It is developing a better sound. He will return my other cello to me so that I have a cello to play while he is working on my new one. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are driving from Colorado and meeting us in Pocatello and we are really looking forward to seeing them!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Lynn Harrell playing his Dungey cello
Below are videos showing Lynn Harrell playing his Dungey cello - the Mendelssohn D minor piano trio, with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Andre Previn
movement 1
movement 2
movement 3
movement 4
movement 1
movement 2
movement 3
movement 4
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New cello!
This has taken me a long time, mostly because I had to make time to take pictures. The cello is astounding. I can't think of enough superlatives to describe it. Every person who has played it has the same reaction - utter amazement and absolute pleasure.
It is beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to listen to. The C-string has a clarity and power that I've never heard before from a cello. The upper registers are very pure and powerful. The sound is even throughout all of the strings.
Christopher Dungey made the cello. He recently made a cello for Lynn Harrell, who is performing regularly with his Dungey cello.
My cello is made from the same pattern as Lynn Harrell's Dungey cello. The body is the same as his 1720 Montagnana cello. It has a narrow top side to side and is has a much larger curve in the body than other cellos I have seen. The smaller size on top is much more comfortable to play, especially on the A string near the tip of the bow.
I feel like I've won the lottery of cellos, but, on the other hand, I put myself on Chris's waiting list over 4 years ago. It feels like investing in a new artist before the artist becomes famous. I was expecting a wonderful cello from Chris, but I think he has really surpassed himself with this cello and I feel pretty lucky to be the owner of it.
It is beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to listen to. The C-string has a clarity and power that I've never heard before from a cello. The upper registers are very pure and powerful. The sound is even throughout all of the strings.
Christopher Dungey made the cello. He recently made a cello for Lynn Harrell, who is performing regularly with his Dungey cello.
My cello is made from the same pattern as Lynn Harrell's Dungey cello. The body is the same as his 1720 Montagnana cello. It has a narrow top side to side and is has a much larger curve in the body than other cellos I have seen. The smaller size on top is much more comfortable to play, especially on the A string near the tip of the bow.
I feel like I've won the lottery of cellos, but, on the other hand, I put myself on Chris's waiting list over 4 years ago. It feels like investing in a new artist before the artist becomes famous. I was expecting a wonderful cello from Chris, but I think he has really surpassed himself with this cello and I feel pretty lucky to be the owner of it.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
It's Almost Here!
My new cello!!! will be delivered on Friday. It's been over a year since I started the process of talking about what I want, choosing the wood, ...
I am so excited about it
A year ago I don't think I was ready for a new cello, but now I feel like I'm much closer to being ready for my next cello...
I am so excited about it
A year ago I don't think I was ready for a new cello, but now I feel like I'm much closer to being ready for my next cello...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Summer Play
We played lots of string quartets this weekend!
Saturday we played 3 Schubert quartets. One very early (D74) and the op post. 125,1 and I can't remember the other one. Our violist liked them so much that she borrowed the book so that she could see if anyone in her other string quartet had them...so that they could play them for an upcoming gig. They were very readable, fun to play, and sounded really nice. We read the first one and kept going through more because they were so much fun to play.
Today we played a number of pieces, incluing Vivaldi Summer, a 3-cello piece by Beethoven, and the first movement of Beethoven Piano Trio op. 1 no. 1, and ended with Dvorak 'American' quartet. The group has been working on it and today we had a lot of fun playing it. My favorite movement is the 2nd one, which has some awesome cello solo parts. We ended with a high - playing the last movement the best we've played it. We finished and said, wow! that was fun!
Chris Dungey called me yesterday with an update on my new cello - he is hoping to have it done by late summer/early fall. His complication is that he had started my cello with a 2-piece back, and when he decided to switch it to the one piece back, it delayed my cello - the gist of it being that he is working on 2 cellos simultaneously and isn't very well set up to work on more than 1 (given where they are in the process - molding the ribs to the back). He absolutely needs to have it done for the makers competition in November in Portland. He will borrow my cello and enter it into the competition. I am busily trying to improve my playing as much as I can so that I can be ready for it! He also told me that Lynn Harrell is touring and playing almost exclusively with his Dungey cello - I'd love to hear him play that cello...
Saturday we played 3 Schubert quartets. One very early (D74) and the op post. 125,1 and I can't remember the other one. Our violist liked them so much that she borrowed the book so that she could see if anyone in her other string quartet had them...so that they could play them for an upcoming gig. They were very readable, fun to play, and sounded really nice. We read the first one and kept going through more because they were so much fun to play.
Today we played a number of pieces, incluing Vivaldi Summer, a 3-cello piece by Beethoven, and the first movement of Beethoven Piano Trio op. 1 no. 1, and ended with Dvorak 'American' quartet. The group has been working on it and today we had a lot of fun playing it. My favorite movement is the 2nd one, which has some awesome cello solo parts. We ended with a high - playing the last movement the best we've played it. We finished and said, wow! that was fun!
Chris Dungey called me yesterday with an update on my new cello - he is hoping to have it done by late summer/early fall. His complication is that he had started my cello with a 2-piece back, and when he decided to switch it to the one piece back, it delayed my cello - the gist of it being that he is working on 2 cellos simultaneously and isn't very well set up to work on more than 1 (given where they are in the process - molding the ribs to the back). He absolutely needs to have it done for the makers competition in November in Portland. He will borrow my cello and enter it into the competition. I am busily trying to improve my playing as much as I can so that I can be ready for it! He also told me that Lynn Harrell is touring and playing almost exclusively with his Dungey cello - I'd love to hear him play that cello...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Innovation
Right now I have one of the coolest jobs I've ever had. I get to spend my days thinking about innovation. One of the projects I've spent a lot of my time on recently is a contest sponsored by my employer, Cisco Systems, looking for innovative ideas from outside the company. We just had an article published in Business Week about the contest. We were trying to learn how we could tap into innovation globally and have been amazed by the creativity and enthusiasm of the participants from all over the world.
Disclaimer: Because I've actually named Cisco, I have to add this disclaimer that says that what I've written in this blog posting reflects my personal views, and not necessarily those of Cisco.
One of reasons why I've been fascinated with Christopher Dungey is the commitment he has to change his process of making cellos to improve the sound. He's invented a new endpin and a new tailpiece that make cellos sound better. I've been able try out some of his prototypes and give feedback. It's fun to be part of the process of improvement, which is why I suppose I don't mind the process of learning how to play the cello - which for the entire time I've been playing has been all about changing what I've been doing to try to make my sound better.
Disclaimer: Because I've actually named Cisco, I have to add this disclaimer that says that what I've written in this blog posting reflects my personal views, and not necessarily those of Cisco.
One of reasons why I've been fascinated with Christopher Dungey is the commitment he has to change his process of making cellos to improve the sound. He's invented a new endpin and a new tailpiece that make cellos sound better. I've been able try out some of his prototypes and give feedback. It's fun to be part of the process of improvement, which is why I suppose I don't mind the process of learning how to play the cello - which for the entire time I've been playing has been all about changing what I've been doing to try to make my sound better.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Dungey Cello Update
This weekend was really fun. Chris Dungey was in Seattle for a conference sponsored by the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. On Sunday they hosted an event called "Players Meet Makers". Chris had intended to show my new cello at this event, but for a variety of reasons my cello isn't done, so he borrowed one of his cellos from a member of the Portland Symphony to show. I tried out all of the cellos there (Chris had the best cello) and a variety of bows on his cello. It was so nice to play on such nice cellos! There was even a photographer from the Seattle Times and he took several pictures of me playing. One of the pictures got published online on Monday!
But, onto why my cello is delayed. Chris now intends to enter my cello into the bi-annual competition of violin/viola/cello makers in Portland in November, so he's decided to take some extra time with mine. Also, he managed to get some very large pieces of maple from a fellow maker while he was at the show- big enough to make a 1-piece cello back! He's decided to use one for my cello. So my cello will have a 1-piece back! We have it at our house (he flew to Seattle, so we're storing the other pieces of wood until he can come pick it up in November). Here's a picture of the piece that will become my cello back...
The major reason why my cello is late is the cello that Chris just finished in March...for Lynn Harrell. He lent me the DVD of Lynn Harrell playing his new Dungey cello for the first time and the sound is astounding. He's already used his new cello for a few recitals. Chris said that he was so nervous when he delivered the cello...and just so thrilled now about how well the cello turned out. He's going to use the same model for my cello...so if only I could play half as well!
But, onto why my cello is delayed. Chris now intends to enter my cello into the bi-annual competition of violin/viola/cello makers in Portland in November, so he's decided to take some extra time with mine. Also, he managed to get some very large pieces of maple from a fellow maker while he was at the show- big enough to make a 1-piece cello back! He's decided to use one for my cello. So my cello will have a 1-piece back! We have it at our house (he flew to Seattle, so we're storing the other pieces of wood until he can come pick it up in November). Here's a picture of the piece that will become my cello back...
The major reason why my cello is late is the cello that Chris just finished in March...for Lynn Harrell. He lent me the DVD of Lynn Harrell playing his new Dungey cello for the first time and the sound is astounding. He's already used his new cello for a few recitals. Chris said that he was so nervous when he delivered the cello...and just so thrilled now about how well the cello turned out. He's going to use the same model for my cello...so if only I could play half as well!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
New Cello - April!
I have a delivery date for my new cello! It will be in April, when Chris comes to Seattle for the annual convention of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. In fact, he is going to use my cello for the Players Meet Makers event. I am planning to go - how much fun will it be to look at cellos!
I won't have my new cello in time for the concerts when we play the Popper Requiem, but on the other hand I'll be practicing with my current cello and none of us (including me!) will have to adjust to a different instrument before we perform.
I won't have my new cello in time for the concerts when we play the Popper Requiem, but on the other hand I'll be practicing with my current cello and none of us (including me!) will have to adjust to a different instrument before we perform.
Friday, October 5, 2007
The Cello Trial
I mentioned in the previous post that I was able to watch a world-class cellist (WCC) try out a Christopher Dungey cello.
First, we were in a concert hall so the acoustics were really good. WCC had her cello and 2 bows. Chris stood ready to make any change she wanted while she played. She started playing and immediately said that she didn't like the sound of the A string, that it sounded 'closed'. Chris jumps in and in a few seconds changes the string. She plays some more. The sound is still not open enough. Chris changes the A string again. She continues to play and makes comments about the sound from all of the strings. She also said she heard a buzzing in the G string and said, is it a soundpost problem? Chris jumps in and adjusts the soundpost. By the time she gets a combination of strings she likes Chris has changed every string at least twice, with 4 strings on the A and G strings. As soon as he found the right combination of strings you could see the delight in WCC's face and hear the sound of the cello open up. Of course, it all sounded amazing to me from the very start....
Then she started comparing - she'd play a short passage on the Dungey cello, and then play the same passage on her cello. When she picked up her cello, you could hear a noticeable difference in sound. The Dungey cello had a fuller tone and had more power, especially in the lower registers.
Then WCC decided that she wanted to hear the cello while sitting in the concert hall. So, she asked me to play the 2 cellos! Terror! Horror! Oh. No. First, I have to say that hearing the cellos project in a concert hall from behind the cello is quite an experience. I played bits and pieces of various pieces (badly) so that she could hear all of the strings up and down each string. I did this with both cellos so she could compare the sound. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the experience of playing her cello and bow because I was so uncomfortable. Think master class but being completely unprepared.
When I was done (and oh I was so ready to be done!) she took back the cellos and gave me a quick lesson. I appreciate the kindness and the suggestions (they were good - I practiced later doing what she suggested and it really helped) but still feel the mortification of playing so poorly in front of someone who plays so well.
At the end of the session WCC also decided to switch endpins, to try his endpin in her cello (I wrote about the endpin in a previous post.) WCC had one of the tungsten carbide endpins (Emily Wright had a post about this endpin). This has happened every time I've seen this - as soon as she put in the ChrisP'IN endpin into her cello and started playing, she immediately said, "wow, this sounds better".
The whole session ended with us going out to lunch (bringing both cellos into the restaurant) and my getting to hear some wonderful stories of musicians, concerts, music, ...
First, we were in a concert hall so the acoustics were really good. WCC had her cello and 2 bows. Chris stood ready to make any change she wanted while she played. She started playing and immediately said that she didn't like the sound of the A string, that it sounded 'closed'. Chris jumps in and in a few seconds changes the string. She plays some more. The sound is still not open enough. Chris changes the A string again. She continues to play and makes comments about the sound from all of the strings. She also said she heard a buzzing in the G string and said, is it a soundpost problem? Chris jumps in and adjusts the soundpost. By the time she gets a combination of strings she likes Chris has changed every string at least twice, with 4 strings on the A and G strings. As soon as he found the right combination of strings you could see the delight in WCC's face and hear the sound of the cello open up. Of course, it all sounded amazing to me from the very start....
Then she started comparing - she'd play a short passage on the Dungey cello, and then play the same passage on her cello. When she picked up her cello, you could hear a noticeable difference in sound. The Dungey cello had a fuller tone and had more power, especially in the lower registers.
Then WCC decided that she wanted to hear the cello while sitting in the concert hall. So, she asked me to play the 2 cellos! Terror! Horror! Oh. No. First, I have to say that hearing the cellos project in a concert hall from behind the cello is quite an experience. I played bits and pieces of various pieces (badly) so that she could hear all of the strings up and down each string. I did this with both cellos so she could compare the sound. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the experience of playing her cello and bow because I was so uncomfortable. Think master class but being completely unprepared.
When I was done (and oh I was so ready to be done!) she took back the cellos and gave me a quick lesson. I appreciate the kindness and the suggestions (they were good - I practiced later doing what she suggested and it really helped) but still feel the mortification of playing so poorly in front of someone who plays so well.
At the end of the session WCC also decided to switch endpins, to try his endpin in her cello (I wrote about the endpin in a previous post.) WCC had one of the tungsten carbide endpins (Emily Wright had a post about this endpin). This has happened every time I've seen this - as soon as she put in the ChrisP'IN endpin into her cello and started playing, she immediately said, "wow, this sounds better".
The whole session ended with us going out to lunch (bringing both cellos into the restaurant) and my getting to hear some wonderful stories of musicians, concerts, music, ...
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Knocking on Wood
I have so much to write about the past few days that I think it's going to take a few posts. I got to ask a bazillion questions about how a cellomaker makes a cello with a phenomenal sound. I got to play one of Chris's newer cellos. I got to choose the wood for my cello (with a lot of help from Chris). I got to listen to a world-class cellist try out and evaluate Chris's cello in a concert hall. I got a quick lesson from her after she had me play his cello and her cello so she could hear both instruments in the concert hall (I'll write about what she did and how mortifying it was to play for her in another post!). I got to see the block of wood that will become the one-piece back of a cello Chris is building for another Very Famous Cellist (trust me, you all have heard of this Very Famous Cellist).
One of the basic questions I had was how do you know what kind of sound the blocks of wood are going to make as they get formed into the top and back of a cello? I got a real education about what Chris looks for - wood grain, density, split of the wood, and yes, he knocks on the wood to hear its sound. Every piece of wood he showed me had its own ringing sound when he (or I) would knock on the wood. This was actually one of the last things we did.
The first thing Chris did when I got there was to hand me a cello and watch me play. I played a cello he built recently (that the world-class cellist was going to evaluate) and student cello with identical dimensions to my current cello so that I could compare the dimensions of that particular cello with something familiar. (with the hassles of flying I only brought my bow). I'm not very tall, and my arms relatively speaking are short for my body. Consequently one of the things I've found difficult is putting a lot of pressure on the A string when I'm at the tip of the bow. So we talked about what he could do to make that more comfortable for me without compromising the sound of the cello. He watched and asked about what I wanted in neck thickness, what it was like to move into thumb position, and how the width of the cello felt along the lower bout. The questions he asked were related to choosing the model/pattern of the cello (this is for the top and back of the cello). I'm so glad that Cellodonna recommended John Marchese's The Violin Maker, which I read before this trip. After we spent a while distilling down what was important to me, he recommended a pattern that is close to (but not exactly the same) as the pattern that he is using for the Very Famous Cellist. It will have some characteristics similar to a Stradivarius cello, but will not follow it completely. He will build my cello from a pattern that will be my very own!
I'll write more about some of the things he is doing to make a finished cello sound amazing in my next post...
One of the basic questions I had was how do you know what kind of sound the blocks of wood are going to make as they get formed into the top and back of a cello? I got a real education about what Chris looks for - wood grain, density, split of the wood, and yes, he knocks on the wood to hear its sound. Every piece of wood he showed me had its own ringing sound when he (or I) would knock on the wood. This was actually one of the last things we did.
The first thing Chris did when I got there was to hand me a cello and watch me play. I played a cello he built recently (that the world-class cellist was going to evaluate) and student cello with identical dimensions to my current cello so that I could compare the dimensions of that particular cello with something familiar. (with the hassles of flying I only brought my bow). I'm not very tall, and my arms relatively speaking are short for my body. Consequently one of the things I've found difficult is putting a lot of pressure on the A string when I'm at the tip of the bow. So we talked about what he could do to make that more comfortable for me without compromising the sound of the cello. He watched and asked about what I wanted in neck thickness, what it was like to move into thumb position, and how the width of the cello felt along the lower bout. The questions he asked were related to choosing the model/pattern of the cello (this is for the top and back of the cello). I'm so glad that Cellodonna recommended John Marchese's The Violin Maker, which I read before this trip. After we spent a while distilling down what was important to me, he recommended a pattern that is close to (but not exactly the same) as the pattern that he is using for the Very Famous Cellist. It will have some characteristics similar to a Stradivarius cello, but will not follow it completely. He will build my cello from a pattern that will be my very own!
I'll write more about some of the things he is doing to make a finished cello sound amazing in my next post...
Friday, August 31, 2007
New Cello Anticipation, Oh, I Am So Excited!
I am so excited - I just heard from Christopher Dungey, the cello maker whose waiting list I've been on for a few years. I'm next on his list!!!!
To be fair, I've been waiting on his list because I wanted to improve my playing enough to be ready for a better instrument. I have a fine student cello that Chris set up for me. My current cello also has some of his inventions on it. One is a cable hanger assembly (attaches tailpiece to endpin). The other, and more dramatic improvement in tone quality, came from the ChrisP'IN endpin that Chris designed. I used a few prototypes of both the ChrisCABLE and ChrisP'IN on my cello before getting the final versions. Maybe sometime I'll write about what it was like to replace the cable hanger (I switched out a prototype to the final version myself, a process that included having to reset the bridge and tailpin in the right relationship). The most amazing change in tone was when we would switch endpins, old and new, and literally hear the improvement in tone. Even my husband, who doesn't normally notice changes in tone, could hear the difference. I did the same switching endpin thing with my cello and my teacher's cello during a lesson, and the change in tone with both cellos was remarkable (my teacher didn't want to give the new endpin back to me). Okay, how was that for a shameless product endorsement? If only improvements in tone could be so easy all of the time!
I really like the fact that Chris is experimenting with different technologies and inventing things to try to make cellos sound better. That really appeals to the geek in me. The engineer in me has been fascinated with the process of making a cello and I've had a lot of fun learning about cello making from Chris.
I'll be writing more about the making of my next cello - right now I have lots of questions, and the one burning question is how do I tell him what I want from a cello? I feel like such a novice in so many ways - I've only really played a few cellos (a couple of rentals and my current student cello) so I don't even know what I should ask for!
To be fair, I've been waiting on his list because I wanted to improve my playing enough to be ready for a better instrument. I have a fine student cello that Chris set up for me. My current cello also has some of his inventions on it. One is a cable hanger assembly (attaches tailpiece to endpin). The other, and more dramatic improvement in tone quality, came from the ChrisP'IN endpin that Chris designed. I used a few prototypes of both the ChrisCABLE and ChrisP'IN on my cello before getting the final versions. Maybe sometime I'll write about what it was like to replace the cable hanger (I switched out a prototype to the final version myself, a process that included having to reset the bridge and tailpin in the right relationship). The most amazing change in tone was when we would switch endpins, old and new, and literally hear the improvement in tone. Even my husband, who doesn't normally notice changes in tone, could hear the difference. I did the same switching endpin thing with my cello and my teacher's cello during a lesson, and the change in tone with both cellos was remarkable (my teacher didn't want to give the new endpin back to me). Okay, how was that for a shameless product endorsement? If only improvements in tone could be so easy all of the time!
I really like the fact that Chris is experimenting with different technologies and inventing things to try to make cellos sound better. That really appeals to the geek in me. The engineer in me has been fascinated with the process of making a cello and I've had a lot of fun learning about cello making from Chris.
I'll be writing more about the making of my next cello - right now I have lots of questions, and the one burning question is how do I tell him what I want from a cello? I feel like such a novice in so many ways - I've only really played a few cellos (a couple of rentals and my current student cello) so I don't even know what I should ask for!
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