Gottagopractice commented in video form on my thread of posts (1, 2, 3, 4) about the Bouree from the Bach Suites that I’m working on. I will have a go with her advice in mind tonight. Meanwhile, for the rest of you…
Thanks GGP!
Monthly Archives: September 2008
Compare and contrast time
Mischa Maisky
Rostropovich
I like Maisky's version better but it's still a bit choppy sounding. Maybe I am trying to play this too smoothly? Neither of them are bowing the segment I posted yesterday the way I'm trying to do it so no insights on bow travel. Must give the Bourrée an outing before bedtime.
Scruuuuunk
Tonight was one of my best sessions on the Bourée ever. I don't know what happened and I'm not questioning it. But one thing I'm still struggling with is the bowing through that bumpy passage:
So, if you haven't played this before, you're bowing this out from the beginning of this line, which leaves those singular articulated notes on single up bows. Clearly the temptation is to rush through your bow, making a kack wooshing sound to get enough bow for the down bow for the three slurred notes. Sing it out loud and you'll immediately hear the problem.
It's amazingly difficult not to freak out coming through this bit. You want to rush the three slurred notes so you don't run out of bow, you want to slice through the up bow like you're doing some mad aerobics move, and really just end up with every student cellist's favourite sound: panic crunching.
You know it – you're freaking out about your left hand, or trying to do vibrato before you're really sorted or just paranoid you're going to run out of bow – and there is the unmistakable sound of trying to make noise without moving the hair on the string. Sssccccrrrrrunnnnk errrrk SQUEAK.
I've gotten past a full screeching stop, but I'm still battling the woosh. Thoughts?
New and exciting, and sort of frightening
More than once I've held myself back because I think I'm not good enough to do something.
I remind myself of what my mum told me ages ago, about her experience in art school: 'It's not the people who were the best artists who succeeded, it's the ones who talked about themselves, who could talk about their art, and were willing to get out there. And often they weren't the best artists, but they're the ones who made it.'
The other week a friend asked me if I would record some music with her band, and possibly perform with them at some point. It's very electronic and would likely involve my sound being quite heavily processed. And I would love love love to do it. I picked up this instrument, and have stuck by it, because of my love for indie pop augmented by cellos as well as my love for Haydn and Bach.
There is a voice, squeaking at the back of my head: 'You are nowhere near good enough to do this. What do you think you're doing? YOU WILL MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF.'
But, as we all know, there is nothing gained by sitting around until you're magically perfect. And in a classical music land, I throw myself into all sorts of impossible situations and manage just fine (sight reading huge piles of new repertoire, spending an entire term as the only cello in the orchestra, picking up my flute for the first time in 10 years and playing Mozart 40 all come to mind).
So, here's to going forward and pretending everything is fine.
