Legato fingers

I'm still too big to play cello and it's starting to get to me. I took out my flute for the first time since I became pregnant and ran a few scales before pulling out an old Platti Sonata. My embouchure was a bit fuzzy in the high register and breath support was not incredible, but not as bad as I thought it would be considering I'm very VERY pregnant at this stage.

I had an email through from All Flutes Plus, the shop where I get my instrument serviced here in London, and tacked on the bottom there was this little list of technique pointers. Some of them were straightforward stuff, like keep your keys parallel to the ceiling (though how many pros do I see practically planting their instrument into their neighbour's lap). But the note about 'legato fingers' was an interesting one.

It was referring to not letting the keys spring up under your fingers in slower pieces, but it's such a simple idea, I think it could work well for cello playing as well. I man, I've spent time thinking of precision placement in my left hand, pressing into the fingerboard to get get good tone… but the idea of 'legato fingers' brings to mind fluid movement, this could be a good concept for approaching long runs where it's tempting to think about each note in turn, instead of the phrase and where it's going. Personally I find it difficult to think legato fingers and clench at the same time, so it could go a little way to unlocking some of that left hand tension.

Can't wait to give it a go.