Had an amusing lesson, since this is one of the few lessons in which I knowingly regressed since my prior lesson two weeks ago. So, we went over some bow hold exercise where I used just my thumb and forefinger to guide the bow. If I guide the speed just right, I shouldn’t need to make my wrist work as much as I had been. Also, a new Kummer – #77 which is a melodic piece in E major. I’ll have more to say on that as it evolves.
In the meantime, we’re going to brush off the Bach again and perhaps in a couple of weeks start exploring the Sarabande in the first Suite.
Hi Michael,
I’m studying for the UK Grade 1 on the cello as a adult starter so I’m practicing simple scales and arpeggios (Cmaj, Gmaj, Dmaj & Amin) and three simple exam pieces. So I love reading your blog (& Emily W’s), trying to pick up some of the many nuggets of technique and approaches to playing.
You wrote one thing in particular that has been stuck in my head for a few months and that I need to comment on; you mentioned in a July blog (8/7, now closed for comments) that while practicing Kummer #71 that there was a passage with 16 notes to one bow. This has stuck with me because I’m really struggling to play slurred scales consistently, and I only need to slur two notes. I really can’t imagine the mechanics of playing 16 notes per bow. It doesn’t deter me, but it does give me an idea of the distance I need to travel in my cello journey.
It’s also reassuring to hear that the consistency of other people’s playing during lessons is a bit up and down too. I seem able to lurch between great student and muppet in the space of one week.
Kieron