Nan Kemberling, Atlanta Cello Lessons and Performance
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Cellist, Teacher, and Coach

Fake it 'til you make it

10/9/2019

1 Comment

 
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Do you encounter passages in orchestra that you feel certain are impossible to play? 

​Do you diligently practice them slowly, but it doesn't seem to help one bit? 

When you rehearse with the group at tempo, you can't seem to even move your bow as fast as it needs to go--and forget about the left hand! 

It is almost as if your brain melts and you are paralyzed by the sheer rapidity of the notes flying by...

Sound familiar?  It does to me!

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Well, before you throw your cello in the corner and set it on fire, you should try faking!

Here's a video all about what it means to "fake" in orchestra:
I hope you see now that faking can be an effective technique for keeping up with your ensemble. It's not something to be ashamed of!  You are simply putting your group first by refusing to cling to every single note--in this way, you won't be getting in the way. And you'll probably play more notes than you ever thought possible--maybe even all of them! 

Happy (fast) practicing!
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Bowing By Numbers

7/27/2019

3 Comments

 

​PLAYING THE CELLO BY ACCIDENT:

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Martha by my side
When I first started studying with Martha, she told me I needed to "stop playing the cello by accident.”

I don’t think I completely understood at the time what she was getting at, but now it is so clear to me that in my foggy youth I was just letting my arms do what they had always done and hoped they would serve me well.


Long story short: They didn’t.

Turns out sawing back and forth without really listening to the sound is not the best option!


At first, I was adamant about the fact that I was listening, and it sounded fine to me. But then, upon Martha's insistence, I finally recorded myself and was horrified at what I heard when I played the recording back. 

The unchecked speed changes of my bow made unintentional swells and jagged dynamics. Admittedly, sometimes you need those things, and it really would have been fine if that's what I had intended.  But this felt like I had a bow arm that wasn't attached to my brain. It seemed like it was connected to the mind of an impulsive toddler!

Luckily, I had Martha by my side to help guide me through this awakening. 

I see this phenomenon everyday still, both in my students and in myself: Willy nilly sawing back and forth.

This is what kills phrasing and make the cello sound robotic and alien!


In order to sculpt phrases that will make people cry (that’s always the goal, isn’t it?), we need to disrupt our automatic motions.   Let’s get back to the basics!

​CULTIVATING YOUR BASIC SOUND:


​In order to sound your best on the cello, you must first get rid of any accidental changes in volume or tone so you can create a basic block of sound.  Then you can carve out phrases from that basic sound deliberately.

Not by accident!


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The three pillars of a solid BASIC SOUND:

​
  1. Finger Flexibility (try the windshield wipers exercise at right) 
  2. Straight bow (try the table glides exercise in my other blog post)
  3. Stick tilt (see the stick tilt section of another of my blog posts)


Once you have spent so much time focusing on these factors that they start to feel easy, you are ready to move on to adding a layer of bow sophistication.


UTILIZING TONE VARIABLES:
​

  1. Placement (where the bow is on the string in relation to the bridge)
  2. Weight (how much arm weight you transfer to the bow)
  3. Speed (how fast you move the bow across the string--not to be confused with tempo! For example, fast notes can be played with a slow bow speed by using a very small amount of bow)
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Some of you may remember my recent blog post on these variables. For those of you who haven't seen it, here's a link:
​

BLOG POST ON TONE VARIABLES


These will be so important to keep in mind as we proceed.

BOWING BY NUMBERS: ​

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In order to increase your awareness of what your bow arm is doing, it helps to have exercises you can work on  without being distracted by left hand issues. 

That's exactly what this number-based bow exercise below is for.  Think of it as Sudoku for your bow!  It mimics real life bow-usage issues but subtracts the distraction of the actual music. 

Each number in the following grid stands for how many beats an open-string note should be held (in one bow). It will be up to you what tone variables you tweak in order to maintain a beautiful sound.  And that's the only goal--a beautiful sound for each number, whatever it takes. 

Remember, listen carefully. Your ear is your best teacher! 

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Of course, there are rules for you to follow with this exercise:
​
  1. Use metronome (I like 60 bpm)
  2. Play loud  (try your best to match the previous bow's loudness)
  3. Use whole bow 
  4. Use consistent speed in each bow*
  5. Change bow without accent*

    *rules 4 and 5 are more advanced and can be added as you gain confidence in your control

At first I would try to play one number and get comfortable with that.  Pick one of the middle strings (D or G, since they don't require a lot of extra work to keep the bow straight like the outer strings seem to) and experiment with the placement, weight and speed until you get a nice tone using the whole bow.

Let's say you start on the second line with the number 2.  That means you would manage the placement, weight, and speed in such a way that you not only achieve a good tone but the second click of the metronome occurs in the middle of the bow.  

Play a bunch of 2's in a row until it feels easy.

Then move on to a 4 (the second number in that line).  Again, alter the placement, weight, and speed so that you have a nice sound, but this time the third click of the metronome should occur at the midpoint of the bow.  

That feels different!  You probably have to move your placement a bit, maybe get more weight into the hair, slow down the speed.  

Do a bunch of 4's then until that is comfy. 

Then try to recall the feel of a 2.  Can you play a 2 and then a 4 in a row and still have a beautiful tone?

Imagine how much your right arm and hand are learning with all this attention! 

Perhaps you prefer to play numbers 1 through 9 in consecutive order so you can make smaller changes at first. That would be helpful.  Then try skipping a number. Then try two of the numbers above. Then add more numbers in that row.  Play any row backwards. Diagonally. Use the Sudoku puzzle in the paper that you finished this morning. Make up random numbers.

​Would lottery numbers work? Hmmmm....

Then once you are feeling amazing about your bow control, add some extra credit:
  • Use only a portion of the bow (bottom half or upper half for example)
  • Add string crossings so each number is on a different string (crossings sometimes cause inadvertent speed changes)

Above is a worksheet for you to use in your practice.  I hope this exercise helps you as much as it has helped me!

Please comment below and let me know how it's going or what you have found helpful in your fight to tame the wild bow. 

Happy practicing! 
3 Comments

Practice, probability, and the zombie apolcalypse

3/16/2018

3 Comments

 
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I might have a thing for zombies.

"Practice until you get it right" couldn’t be more wrong!

Watch my new video below to be sure you aren’t inadvertently bringing about your own doom with this crazy idea about practice...

Perhaps what I say in this video will seem like common sense to you.  If so, you're one of the lucky ones. All I know is that I wasted an entire decade of my cello life playing instead of practicing--and I don't want you to make the same mistake!


Want more guidance on this topic?  Check out my previous blog post: Practice: A Gift to Your Future Self

Let me know how your practice is going in the comments section below.  Happy practicing!
3 Comments

Attacking Chicken Attack

6/6/2017

4 Comments

 

by Erica Vacare

Erica is a student of Nan's who rediscovered the cello as an adult.  She enjoys biting off music in small chunks, like a turtle eating a piece of fruit.

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“Have you seen Chicken Attack?” asked my friend Chris.
“I don’t think so,” I replied.
 
I opened the YouTube link he sent. “Looks like a kung fu movie,” I thought. “Wait, did that chicken just turn into a ninja?! Oh my god. Now he’s fighting that guy. And this music is awesome.”
I informed Chris that this was the best thing I’d ever seen, and listened again. And again. I was hooked. After the fourth play in a row, I glanced across the room. Surprisingly, my cat did not look perturbed in the slightest, despite the continuous stream of yodeling coming from my laptop. I clicked the video a fifth time, and pictured how it would sound on the cello. I had to try it. A couple of Google searches later, I was the happy downloader of a straightforward-looking transcription. I printed it out and set it on my music stand.


The first thing I noticed was that the notes on the staff looked higher than Snoop Dogg. No problem, I could just move things down an octave or three. My mind wandered to my cello lesson, which happened to be the following day. I hadn’t played much this week. I pictured Nan, with her usual smile, asking me how my practicing had gone. “Well, I didn’t work on anything except for Chicken Attack,” I would have to confess. How embarrassing. I racked my brain for a way I could make Chicken Attack educational, more respectable. Then I noticed that playing it as written would put it in thumb position, which Nan had conveniently just gone over with me. “Perfect! I’m going to use Chicken Attack as a thumb position exercise!” I declared. My cat seemed unimpressed.


I sat down with my cello (which caused my cat to flee), and set my thumb on the A and D harmonics. I found I could play the beginning of the verse in the hand position Nan had showed me, without having to shift. Sweet. This was going to work well.
​


I was congratulating myself on my brilliance when my eyes fell on this high E:
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​Not too scary, though. I knew where that note was, after all: a whole step above my third finger on the A-string. But how to get from point A to point B? (Or, more accurately, point E to point higher E?). I wasn’t sure. “I’ll I just skip all those high Es for now,” I thought to myself. This allowed me to continue for a hot two seconds, until a wild F appeared:

Son of a monkey. If I wanted to play this, I would have to learn how to shift in thumb position. It was inevitable.

I brought the music to my lesson the next day. As Nan and I went over it, it became clear that Chicken Attack would be no mere exercise. It would involve a range of techniques, from basic to advanced! It was the perfect way for a thumb position newbie such as myself to dive right in.

Are you new to thumb position, too? Want to join me? Here are a handful of exercises plucked (sorry) from my practice pad! (Note: the version of Chicken Attack I’m using has been transposed down a fifth from the original, to be a bit more cello-friendly).

Finding thumb position on the harmonics:
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Bringing the thumb around in measure 4:
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Learning how to move the left hand in an octave structure:
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Utilizing technical shifts:
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Employing a sneaky pinky move in measure 11:
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Chicken Attack used as thumb position training is such a breath of fresh air in the studio!  ​Thanks so much to Erica for sharing it with me and the rest of our cello family. -Nan
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Vibrato, an annotated guide 

7/13/2016

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​After several years, I have finally finished the sequel to Always Room 4 Cello!  

I wanted to make use of a different genre for the next big video project, so when I found myself singing about vibrato to the tune of "Desperado," it just seemed right.  Besides, I have found that vibrato tends to be one of the most mysterious and frustrating topics for beginning cellists.  It needs attention.
A silly teaser trailer I made for it...

Here's the actual video. I hope you like it!
In an effort to help you "get experimental" with your cello vibrato, the following is a breakdown of the techniques suggested in the song. 

The Lyrics

The Explanation

Oh, vibrato, why can’t we get you to happen?
Been doin’ so much tappin’
for so long now.
You’re a hard one
but you’re supposed to be easy,
there’s tension that’s squeezin’ you
but I don’t know how.

I’ll have to try some mini-shifting
or just sliding on a table
or it might be good to move with the opposite hand

You can karate chop your cello
just be sure it’s really stable
or enlist the help of a pretty pushy friend

Oh, vibrato, make sure you start from the elbow
soon you’ll shout out HELL….O
to a nice warm sound
You just shake it, oh shake it
like a polaroid picture
There ain’t no set scripture
except to set your bow down

If you try all this and still use the bow
it’ll change the motion and you won’t know
plus it can cause your whole right arm to want to shake,
But if you tap your cello with your left
and practice the feel of a bow that is kept straight


Oh,vibrato, it could be so super simple
gotta get experimental to find your command
May seem crazy, but it will sneak up and get you
and you’ll never forget--
It’ll feel like shaking your hand.
  • tappin’:  This refers to exercises called "taps" and "sticky taps" explained by Gerald Fischbach in the Art of Vibrato DVD and the Viva Vibrato book series.
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  •  mini-shifting: Sometimes it helps to start out with a big shifting motion in the left arm and then slowly narrow the motion until your finger stays in place while your hand and arm still move
  • sliding on a table: Taking the cello out of the equation can have incredible results!
  • opposite hand: Sometimes the motion is easier in the right hand--and then you may be able to recreate it more easily in the left.
  • karate chop: Much like mini-shifts, a chopping motion onto the top cello ribs can be an easy way to get used to the proper arm movement 
  • set your bow down: Practice vibrato motions without the bow at first.  
  • tap your cello with your left
    and practice the feel of a bow that is kept straight: When you are ready to try to add the bow, just bow open strings while you move your left arm to tap the cello ribs. This way you can get used to the two arms acting independently and you will be able to eliminate "shaky bow" (when your right arm is inspired by the left's motion to move in conjunction with it). 

Get experimental!

What method has worked best for you?  Is there some technique you like that I completely left out?  

Lets' talk!   Leave a comment below--I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, here are a few videos I really like that deal with cello vibrato in a helpful way.  If you don't have much time, watch the first one (top left).  The adult amateur cellist in the video speaks very candidly about her frustrations--and offers a logical and fresh approach!
Don't forget to leave a comment--and happy practicing (yes, karate chopping counts)!
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Love thyself...by practicing effectively

2/12/2016

1 Comment

 
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Thanks for this picture, Nancy!
Frigid temperatures can bring lethargy and winter blues along with a lull in motivation to practice, so I wanted to post some articles and videos that may rekindle your cello flame!  
  • Ideas for the best ways to deal with repetitive practice
  • A thought from Alban Gerhardt about open string work
  • Suggestions regarding slow practice
  • A short video on the helpfulness of scales
  • Itzhak Perlman's opinion on maximum practice time
  • My post about practice (from 2013, in case you missed it!)

Do you have any thoughts to share about your successes or struggles with practice?  Let me know in the comments section below!
Happy
Cello
​ Practicing!
cold cello
I was too young to know better.
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Finding practice time 

7/23/2015

0 Comments

 
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I like to climb trees.  

Wow, that is definitely  a Nan Sequitur!  I thought this blog is about cello...

I'm just saying, that's probably something you didn't know about me. I like to work out, but mostly by doing things that are fun for me:  gardening, home improvement projects, dancing...tree climbing.  

PictureBack in my San Fran days
Because it takes the right tree and the right clothing at the right time, that last activity is a rare treat for me (although this spring, a pruning project in the yard did provide a brief foray up into some branches!).   

So sometimes, when the urge strikes, I will settle for doing something like a tripod headstand.  (I know those two things are not related, but they are related in my mind. They both put my body in a novel situation, using my own strength). 

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Another good reason for pants under skirts (besides cello!)
That's nice, Nan, but what does this have to do with cello? 

Hang on, I'm getting there!

Lately, I have wanted to do more than a headstand, so I signed up for Chris Salvato's FREE 28-day HANDstand Challenge.  

Are you trying to get us to buy something?

No, I promise I am not advertising for this guy!  (Even if I were, the Handstand Challenge materials are free.) I was just looking around on the internet for some fun bodyweight exercises to do and was instantly taken in by Chris's positive attitude and helpful advice on consistent practicing and its role in developing a new and challenging skill...

And of course I had to draw connections to the wonderful world of cello and the difficulties we all face with finding the time and motivation to practice. 

Consistency is key

The limiting factor for handstands, as with cello playing , is consistent practice of the skill.  

In other words, what holds us back from making progress with either of these activities is NOT how old we are, how talented we are, or how passionate we are. 

It's usually all about not "finding" the time to practice.  

Now, we all know that despite how busy our lives can be, there is Always Room 4 Cello!   The hardest part is getting the cello out of the case... and then keeping a regular schedule of practice.
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So, store your cello between sessions in a stand (I like this one, pictured left, because you can keep your endpin out and waste less time getting your cello posture set) so when you find your practice time you can just grab it and go for it!

(It's sad but true: I have to keep my cello in the case and am unable to use one of those cool stands because my cat, Bean, likes to chew on the corners of my circa 1780 cello's C-bouts!)
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Bean and her own tiny (less tasty?) cello

Just A.C.T.

Now for the real challenge: CONSISTENCY!   There are three things you can do to help you keep up with your practice, and I have organized them with this mnemonic acronymn to help us all remember: 
Anchor. 
Chart.  
Two-rule.


A is for Anchor

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This is something that I already encourage my students to do, but could never express clearly! (Thanks to Chris for clarity on this subject!)

In order to remember to practice, it is helpful to attach your cello time to another required daily event, such as enjoying your morning coffee, arriving home from school or work, getting out of bed in the morning, or going to bed at night. 

This is called anchoring.

You can place a reminder near the place where that event occurs to help motivate you.

Soon it will become a habit and you will simply associate that activity with your cello work!

C is for Chart

PictureChris Salvato's "Did you practice?" chart
If you study with me, you are probably already familiar with practice charts.  We use these for helping us stay organized with our weekly goals for our cello work (see right).

But the 28-Day Handstand Challenge requires a simpler "Did you practice?" chart, like the one at left.   
It's nothing fancy, just put a checkmark on the days you get any practice done.

Yes. Even if it is only 5 minutes!  It's not about time spent.  It's about making handstand practice--and cello practice--a daily part of life!

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Too complicated for right now

T is for Two-rule

Life happens.  

There will be days when it is impossible for you to have any time with your cello.  When that occurs, you should try 5 minutes of mental practice, which includes activities like marking your music, listening to recordings of the piece you are working on, singing your piece, or going through the bowings, fingerings, or dynamics of that piece in your mind. 

That stuff counts!  Mark a big check for that day if you get some mental practice done!

But what if I have such a messed up day that I can't manage any mental practice either? What then?

If and when that happens,  just mark an O for the day and remember the Two-rule:

Make sure you don't miss two days in a row!

This is so important because it gives you an action to take when this unavoidable problem arises.  Instead of wasting time beating yourself up and identifying yourself as a failure, you can think of what you will do tomorrow. 

This way one missed day isn't a big deal!

So many times in my life, a glitch in perfection like this has been so demoralizing.  At these times, I try to remember: 

Perfect is the enemy of good. 

So, you must A.C.T...

PictureBean is ever-helpful

Anchor. 

Chart.  

Two-rule.



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...and you will be well on your way to making your cello practice (if not handstands!) a consistent part of your life!

Happy practicing!
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Warm up, shwarm up? Think again.

3/9/2015

4 Comments

 
"But I SHOULD be able to play without warming up!" 
 
One of my students was disappointed in a recent performance that she had given cold turkey.

"No way," I found myself shaking my head. " You must always warm up first. You can't expect your hands to be able to go from zero to concerto like that!"
PictureMartha's warm up book
I couldn't believe these words were coming out of my mouth.  I have never been a big proponent of warming up. 

When I was a young person, Martha constantly reminded me that I needed to warm up.  She even wrote an entire book about it (which I highly recommend!). But, as with many wisdoms she shared with me back in the day, I had to learn it on my own (I have some kind of problem with doing what people tell me to do sometimes. Even if they are exactly right! See my previous blog post: Saying Nay to the Naysayers and you'll get a better idea of what I am talking about).

So on my best warm up days, I would hastily wade through a D major left hand pizzicato scale (see below).  

And that's it. 

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The first octave of Martha's warm up scale. I still use it!
It was better than nothing.  But it wasn't enough. And there were many rough performances back then that I can see now were at least partially due to having cold arms and hands.   

If only I had made sure that warming up was a part of my practice and performance routine.  Like Brian Magnus who says, 

"A daily warm-up routine is important at the start of a practice session. Jumping right in to difficult music can cause tension, and frustration when your hands don't seem to be working right."

(See Brian's excellent post on practicing, which includes a section on warm ups.)

It has become even more clear as I have gotten older.  Nowadays, I know I can't play well until I have a little slow and easy time with my cello.  I have finally learned!

But it didn't really hit me that I needed to teach my students how to warm up until very recently. I have been watching my older students suffer. Arthritis and bursitis wreak havoc on their joints and I desperately want to help ease the pain.  

Stretching

Emily Wright herself has a post entitled "Yoga for your hands"  which is a detailed description with pictures of stretches you can do that are specifically designed for cellists.

A massage therapist and cellist named Linda Hickey wrote an excellent article on the hows and whys of stretching before playing.

Martha devoted an entire page of her warm up book to stretching (see right).

Violin teacher, Ronald Mutchnik, created his own list of stretches for all string players.  (If violinists need to stretch, well...  we better do more!).

As you will read in the above links, stretching is good for your body. But it also just feels good!
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Don't forget the bow

The bow hand needs attention as well, of course.  

I love to begin each day with slow bows on my open strings at the bridge.  It wakes up your bow hand gradually and doesn't ask too much of it at the start.   It can also help your cello sound better!

When I first experimented with warming up (in college, of course), I would be in the practice room at 7 am droning on my open strings.  This was in the era before my tour of Brazil when I was introduced to coffee for the first time, so there  I was  trying to warm up at the crack of dawn without any kind of caffeine to help. 


Needless to say, a few times I jolted awake to find I had fallen asleep playing my open strings!

Check out this really fun bow warm up page : http://www.stringedtech.com/2013/02/02/bow-warm-up-exercises/

With these invigorating bow games, I guarantee you won't fall asleep during your warm up!

Preventing injury

Besides helping ease your body into cello mode in a gentle way, warming up can also prevent playing injuries due to repetitive strain such as tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.  ( I even got something called cubital tunnel syndrome!  Luckily, it went away pretty easily, but I still stretch my arms diligently to keep it at bay.)

Cellist Emily Wright knows a thing or two about the injuries one can incur by playing cello. A recent blog post of hers about her injuries that prevent her from playing was so moving and sad. In this post there was a basic plea to all of us:

"So if your teacher tells you your hand is too tense, that the way you’re using your body will cause injury, is only a short term fix, or is unsustainable: please take it seriously, while you still have the option to play without pain. I would give anything to go back and do it all differently if I could."

I am passionate about ergonomic technique as well, but the most important thing we can do to prevent injury is develop a warm up routine and stick to it.   

The bottom line

You're going to need some stretching, some bow exercises, some left hand finger motions...  All of these must be a part of your warm up routine. 

But you don't want to spend all of your valuable practice time just waking up your muscles and joints!  

So, to fill the need for a short but effective recipe for warm ups, I have devised an exercise sheet that will take only about 10 minutes of your time.  The best part is that any cellist at any age and any level can use it!  

Feel free to modify it to fit your needs! 
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If you want this warm up sheet but can't print it from here, just contact me and I'll be glad to email you a PDF of it!

Learn from a pro

Watch Johnannes Moser and his approach to warming up before playing his cello: 
 http://musaic.nws.edu/videos/warm-up-routine-on-the-cello


And leave a comment to let me know how you like to warm up!
4 Comments

Are bow bugs real?

11/19/2014

1 Comment

 
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You better practice, or else!
Back in the day when anyone would mention bow bugs, I would laugh. 

Yeah, right!  There are bugs that eat your bow hair if you don't open the case often enough? 

Sounded like some boogie-man story used by frustrated string teachers to scare students into practicing everyday.
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Picturebow bug and larva
Well, I'm alot older and a bit wiser now and have learned the truth about bow bugs.

They are REAL!

Have you ever pulled a bow out of a case (that maybe hasn't been opened for a while, ahem) only to find the bow hair is totally falling out?

You might think that the dynamic duo, Two Cellos, has been sneaking into your house and secretly using your bow (IT COULD HAPPEN!  Those guys seem to be in need of so many backup bows--and who knows how they get them? I'm just saying). 
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Hmmm. Whose bow can we borrow next?
But the real story is that bow bugs have been munching on that delicious horse hair in the liberating darkness inside your velvet-lined cello case.
mmmmwahahaKeep that case closed and I'll be sure to swing by for dinner...
To get more info on bow bugs and what to do if they have already infested your case, read this article on the Johnson String Instrument site: 
http://www.johnsonstring.com/Bitten%20By%20Bug.htm

But, now that I am a teacher myself, I just can't help saying:

Practice every day and the bugs will stay away!

That's by far the best insurance.

Also, be sure to clean any cases you happen to purchase on CRAIGSLIST.  Probably a good policy anyway...


1 Comment

Sight-reading: A Skill You Can (and Should!) Build

9/22/2014

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Huh?What sight-reading feels like sometimes.

For many of us, sight-reading can be such a daunting task.  No matter how easy the piece is, it seems like we are having to wade through the farcical insanity notated above.  

I know that this skill can be beefed up, especially by simply reading unfamiliar music everyday.  After all, that's how I got better at it!  But sometimes I find it hard to explain the EXACT methods that work for me.  Perhaps they were built unconsciously, driven only by my desire to avoid a musical train-wreck!

Thanks to Nancy Mack, one of my most thoughtful and studious adult cello students, for alerting me to this incredibly helpful article: http://jazzadvice.com/5-steps-to-mastering-sight-reading/  It demystifies the sight-reading process by outlining the tried-and-true techniques in a shockingly clear way.  I urge you to read it-- especially those of you with All-State auditions on the horizon!  

Want to test some of these techniques on your own?  Visit https://sightreadingfactory.com/ for unlimited on-line sight-reading examples.  

Prefer sight-reading from a book?  Try one of the many collections of short examples for cello, like this one by Doreen Smith.

Feel free to share your sight-reading stories or helpful techniques in the comments section below. I love learning about what works for different cellists!
Happy sight-reading!  
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