Today’s lesson was a short one. I was late and flustered. I backed out of the garage this morning and rolled into the boyfriend’s car parked in the driveway. Both cars are fine but it got me all flustered for the lesson…not the best of starts.
I started with the harmonic A minor scale, 4 octaves. First two octaves were fine…third was passable but the fourth octave was sharp and flat all over the place. I think I need to focus more on the 4th octave during practice so that it can be consistent. To top it all off, the last few notes of the A minor scale are beyond the finger board which throws any hope of control out the window.
Next was Popper #3 again. It was better this time, but I still need to work on keeping the bow smooth and in constant motion to avoid choppiness. We had a long conversation about this Popper etude and how it teaches many things. First is to master getting the chromatics in consistent half steps. After you can do this, there is another layer of learning how the notes fit in the music line. Depending where the notes lie in the series of notes in the music line, you may want to play a certain note slightly flat or slightly sharp. I’ve heard this concept a few times from a few people but I still get a bit lost regarding this concept.. I’m very much still trying to “get the note” much less fool with the note so that it is on the sharper or flatter side, depending on the music. However, something tells me that this very concept is why I love the string instrument sound so much. There is an infinite range of color for each note that the possibilities are endless. It is a close mimic of the human voice. Absolutely beautiful.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hopefully today started out better! I guess I somewhat look forward to scales that go off the fingerboard. Ok, maybe not :-)
It is exactly those nuances about the cello that I love as well ... and the challenge of playing an instrument that seems so close to impossible. (sometimes I wonder if it's just dumb luck when I get a note to really ring in tune!)
This week, all I've been doing is the 3rd octave of scales. I've haven't tackled the 4th yet, but look forward to it soon.
Thanks so much for the anniversary wishes.
It was a revelation to me when my teacher pointed out to me that I could make such a small change in pitch, sharp or flat, to change the color of the sound. I think it's more relevant for ensemble playing, though - it's easier to hear what that subtle change in pitch does in relationship to other instruments. I think that's one of the reasons why stringed instruments sound so much more 'human' than an instrument like the piano, where you can't make those kinds of nuances of pitch.
Post a Comment