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Wow, it has been a while. Update time. (This from Dec 14)
I am still working on my cello playing. It occurred to me, when doing the latest Fiddlerman Group Project, that I rarely use the C string and have a really difficult time with it, I changed my plan for learning cello to deal with this. Hence, I had an extremely hard time with this year's group project.
I started back with book 1 yesterday. Book 1 I use rarely uses the C string. I am playing the songs as written and for those that I can, I move them down so the C string is the lowest string being played. I got a lot of C string playing practice yesterday. It was great. I will continue doing this.
I do not know why the C string treated like it is a mystery or not part if the cello. It is pretty much ignored in book 1, at least the series I am using. It makes me think it is hard, and that causes me to be very hesitant to use it, like I am not ready.
I am still working on my viola and violin, also. I have improved on both. I have not improved my vibrato on either. Vibrato on my cello is much easier to learn and control, still in the learning stage, though. I think it is the way the instrument is held. With the cello, it is very stable. With the viola and violin, it is. balancing act on my shoulder, making vibrato very difficult for me. It may very well be, I don't have my set up right, I don't know, It is comfortable, but a balancing act for vibrato, shifting, too actually. But, I will persist.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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Today I continued redoing the Book one and using the C string more, even my moving the notes down to where I am using the C string on song that usually do not go that low.
I also am still doing the Wexford Carol. There are many things to learn from it. I have issues keeping the count 1 2 3 and not changing somewhere along to line to 1 2 3 4 . I am getting better at that now. I am also finding the C sting is becoming more of a friend. It is used a lot in the Wexford Carol cello part.
I also played my viola yesterday. It went very well.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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I have been busy with the holidays.
I did manage to do the cello part for Wexford Carol. Yippee!
I did my viola today. It was weird. I picked it up and was so relaxed with it today. I played it the best I ever did. I am not sure it is a done deal, it just seemed to be easy today. Maybe I was not thunking a whole lot about it?
The Bumble Bee Flies
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It has been a while. I have plyed some without posting about it, but about 3 weeks was down time.
Anyway, I was able to do my cello for about an hour just now. I had a really good session.
First off, my Fiddlerman Master Cello kept its tune all this time! It was at least 3 weeks, maybe more, since I was able to play AdaBelle. I was amazed. Just a tiny tweaking on the D string. I love the sound of this cello. I am still getting used to the flatter bridge, but it went quite well today. The cello I donated to a cello student had a rounder bridge. Thank you, Fiddlerman, for selecting the perfect cello and set up. Love it.
I played the Bourrée by Handel. I am working in this piece. I worked on the first part in lessons years ago and really like. I am working again on the beginning, and moving on to the rest. I love the sections we didn't do, also.
After working in the Bourrée for quite a while, I played a couple sings I know, What a Wonderful World and Edelweiss. I also did a couple runs of the G scale and added two octaves and shifting.
I am pleased with today's session.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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I have still been working in the Bourrée. It is coming along. I am kind of working the first instance of the shift to 2nd position, and after a bit of work, combining with the first section so I don't learn it as its own piece. I have problems connecting pieces of a tune that I worked on separately, if I don't do them with the piece periodically. The shift is only for a measure or two, but the fingering is odd for me. This is beyond that short first section I did when I had lessons. I really like this piece. Of course, I don't think I play it as fast as it is meant to be played, and most likely never will. Even if I could play fast, it is such a pretty piece, that, for me, slower is nicer.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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My cello went pretty well this morning. I am still working the Bourrée, and I am still loving it. I like the feeling that I know I am getting better with it.
I am working on that fourth finger E on A string to the the fourth finger A on D string, followed by the third finger G# on D string to the open A. The E on A followed by the A on D is quite hard for me. I could dumb it up and do the open A, followed by the G# on D and open A(again). I don't want to do that.
My problems are that it feels awkward and the bowing. Pretty much everything! LOL I will get it, eventually. I cannot bridge the finger and do both the A and D string at the same time. That is what killed guitar. I cannot bridge my fingers across two or more strings. I couldn't do it when younger, and certainly not now. Sometimes, there are just things you cannot do, this is one of them. So, I have to slip that fourth finger to the A on D, from the fourth finger E on A. I am working on an adjustment. It will get there. Once I figure out exactly what I have to do and where I need to be in my bow to do it, I will just have to smooth it out.
I am hoping to get some serious viola time in at some point soon. That has been more like random playing, while paying attention to intonation and bowing, but nothing structured.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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My practice on the Bourrée this morning did not go as well as earlier sessions. Sometimes it just isn't there. It wasn't bad, just not as good. I did spend a bit of time on the section I am having trouble with due to the fingering seeming awkward to me. I could change it and get rid of the shift. Work the shift to 2nd on a piece that doesn't cause such awkwardness.
I think the fingering was done this way in this book just to add the shift. That might be a reason to do it the way it is not seeming awkward (no shift) rather than the forced shift that just does not feel right. Maybe I should do that because then I could just work on the bowing that is so important on this piece. I have done shifting to second, third, fourth and fifth before. Still need work on it, but I can do it, it is just awkward on this piece.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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The site has been down for a little while.
I have been working on my Bourrée.
I have also picked a song to work on on my viola. I had to buy a tuner for my viola, such a tin ear. I bought a D'Addario from Fiddlershop for viola. I also bought a set of viola strings. I do not have a spare set. They are a really great company to buy from. I received them in, I think, 3 days.
I am not saying what viola piece I am going to work on, yet. An oldie.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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I am doing better with the song that I have chosen for my viola. The tuner has helped. I know when I am off, and am learning what the notes should be sounding like. Much better. I was able to continue when it automatically stopped. Eventually, however, I did have to turn it back on when I started being off by too much and couldn't find my way back. The good news was that I knew I was off. I need the tuner to keep me in course, for now.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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My viola song is improving, slowly.
I have added. song to my cello, My Fanwy. It is a lovely piece and the type I like to play, My former cello instructor recommended it, So much to learn about dynamics, string crossing, and I am considering adding some shifting.
If you play cello, I highly recommend it, There are many videos of it being olyed in cello. It is best without piano accompaniment.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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I worked on You'll Never Walk Alone on my viola today. I decided to concentrate on the first 16 measures. It seems to help to stop there and just work that section. It is much improved. It is a natural place to stop on this song.
I used my Voice Memo app on my phone to record myself after I had been playing for a while. It gives me feedback. Very handy. I could her the improvement as I recorded each time.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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This is absolutely beautiful. My former cello instructor sent me a link for My Fanwy. He is going to be playing it at a recital with a couple of other cellists, soon. He said it is well within my range. I have added this to my other cello piece for my "lessons".
There is so much to learn from this piece. It sounds simple and the sheet music looks simple. But there re so many ways to shift and add dynamics to this piece. I love it.
This is quite possibly the best cello song that I have ever heard.
Here is a link to it being aung. It shows the Welsh nd English words.
My Fanwy Sung by the Neath Choir
Here is the YouTube link as perfomed by Sheku Kanneh Mason
My Fanwy Played by Sheku Kanneh-Mason - arranged for solo cello
The Bumble Bee Flies
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As a note to the above post, #72, I really find the link of Sheku Kanneh-Mason playing extremely helpful because it shows a lot of his fingering and blowing. It is a slow piece, so this is helpful. I can see his shifting. I would bot have thought of using the G string, but I see that he is. I was only shifting on the A string, and I see shifting on the D string, also, which makes a lot of sense.
If I can get this sounding even 1/4 of the way Mr Kanneh-Mason is playing, I will be more than thrilled.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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My former instructor performed My Fanwy at a recital as backup for another musician. He sent me the link to view it. The musician giving the recital had him and another cellist do the 2nd and 3rd cello parts. She did the first cello part on an alto sax. It was nice, but, it sounds so much sweeter on cello. My instructor did the third part. It is all a light, pizzicato. It was great to see it done. It was such a pretty little back drop. It was like standing in a wooded area and hearing a little creek trickling somewhere just within earshot. You can hear the pretty light sounding pizzicato notes in the air mixed in with the songs of the birds and rustling branches in the breeze. But, it was great to see the pizzicato part being played, and hearing the 2nd and 3rd cello parts. With the camera angle,I was able to see how the pizzicato was fingered and how the right arm gently plucked the notes. I did a screen recording of it, so I have a copy for reference.
I am continuing to watch Shenu Kanneh-Mason play it to get the fingering for shifting, and dynamics in my head. I have a lot to chip away at.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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I installed Obligato strings in my cello. I liked the strings that came in it, but I kept wanting a sweeter sounding E in the A string and A in the D string. I also was hoping for a slightly darker sound, not a dark sounding cello, just not as bright.
I achieved my goal. I love the Obligato strings on my Fiddlermn Master Cello.
I am very pleased. I am so surprised that it is actually easy to bow on these strings. I tried them in a violin and had to take them off. I had a hard time bowing. I was told it is because they are so like gut strings, and gut strings requiring more bowing skills. I don't think my cello bowling skills are that, shall I say, plentiful! But, these strings are great.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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Imhad a very good cello session. It has been a while. I went through the Bourrée, MyFanwy, and What A Wonderful World a number of times, paying close attention to what I was doing.
First, the Obligato strings needed just a little tweaking. They seem to have settled in pretty quickly. I still have a wolf tine to deal with. I am thinking if getting the magnet eliminator that I had on Mikey G. It is easier to use than the string attached ones. I think it was Kretz or something like that. The cello came with a string one and I did move it a little, and it helped. So I am good for now.
My intonation was greatly improved. I used the voice memo app to check. So handy.
I am using What a Wonderful World to work on my dynamics and bowing, and fine tune intonation. I have played this for a few years and I know the notes, know the shifting, and am comfortable with it. It makes it a good candidate for using it to strengthen my many weaknesses. I figured this out on my own and put shifting in where appropriate. My shifting has improved, so I was able to add a section for shifting today. I have wanted it there for a while, but moving my fingers and hand up and down the fingerboard has been an issue. I am so stiff and tight with my hand, Today, I was, surprisingly, looser. This is another reason for redoing this song. Because I am comfortable with it, I can use it to make myself loosen up.
The Bourrée and Myfanwy were so much better today. They are really coming along.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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Another go round with the cello today. Not as good as yesterday, but still better than in the past. I tried to hard, plus, I was trying new fingering to see what worked best. I have always had issues with my 4th finger. It is super weak and I think I just have to work around it and forget it is there and adjust for three fingers. Sometimes, things just are not going to get better. It has been about 6 years trying to work with it. Time to move on. We do what we need to do.
I am pleased with the way I am progressing, at the moment. I might add the next section to the Bourrée the next time.
The Bumble Bee Flies
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Wow, it has been. while since I have updated.
I continue to like the Obligato strings in my cello. I might try them on my viola sometime.
I am progressing, albeit at the same speed, slow. Bur slow is fine. I don't want to rush myself. I am loosening up in my bowing, which is my main goal right now, When I am looser with my bowing, it seems my intonation is better. Weird because the bowing is the right arm and the fingering is the left. I guess, maybe my right arm is paying attention to what my left arm is doing, and the left arm is paying attention tp what the right arm is doing? LOL
The Bumble Bee Flies
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Slow is fine.
I think that tenseness in the left hand has an effect on the right hand, and vice-versa. And conversely, loosening up one side may well affect the other… Both arms are not really independent. In any case, good for you!
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I don't normally play at night, but things are a bit topsy turvy right now. I just finished playing my cello. Myfanwy and the Bourreé are coming along nicely. I just feel different when playing my cello. I do have a wolf tone to deal with. I have been unsuccessful so far. I might buy a magnetic one like I had in the Mikey G, the one I gave to my former instructor.
I also played my Fiddlershop viola today. I did pretty good on that today, also. Can I Xerox today?
I even got started on two 3D flower pot cards. I have the pots assembled and leaves cut. I have to layer stamp the posies and then die cut them. Then I can fill the flower pots. I will mail one to my daughter's mother-in-law. They make her smile. I should put a smiley face in it, too. She likes my smiley stamps and dies.
It was a very productive day.
Gee, I played at night and did two entries in my blog.
The Bumble Bee Flies
Learn Viola on Violaman and Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk
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