Day One & Beyond

You are warmly invited to join us with your cellos for a series of online sessions starting on Sunday 14th December from 11.00am -12.30 pm.

Part 1- Day One With Your Cello

What may the perfect cello chair look like? How do you negotiate a case? How do you sit with the cello? How do you care for your instrument? Review fundamentals you may or may have not heard when you started playing.

Some of us are seduced by the siren song of the cello later in life, and that makes its voice even more special. From the very first notes, awkward and fragile, to the rare sounds blossoming with resonance, it’s a journey worth sharing.

There are so many things that most of us cellists take for granted. Ian and some of his adult students thought it would be fun to discuss ‘day one’ and beyond questions in an informal way.

Whether you are new to the instrument or are years into cello playing, we’d love you to join in: ask questions, share your experience and advice. Learning together, we discover not only music, but also patience, discipline, laughter, the joy of beginning anew at any age and the art of thinking of twenty things at once.

Ian is a professional cellist of many years whilst students Lucie, Noel and Antonella are fresher to the learning journey. We hope to give you an entertaining and illuminating investigation from different perspectives.

Future Cello Lovers Corner Sessions Will Cover

TUNING THE CELLO and how to find the right pitch for our four strings before we start playing. We will investigate where / how to start and contemplate things that can help us learn to be confident, safe and efficient at tuning.

PLAYING OPEN STRINGS: Pizzicato / plucking the strings, being able to find the different strings quickly and easily using the right arm / elbow to help the right hand and fingers.

THE BOW ‘La voix du violoncelle’ as the wonderful cellist André Navarra once said. How to hold it and make a good sound on those beautiful strings.

PULSE AND COUNTING and the idea of reading the instructions (music notation) for playing open string notes pizzicato. The five lines and four spaces (the stave) where the music is written, how to recognise notes on our four strings. Being able to see is important so we will share advice and thoughts on light and music stands.

THE LEFT HAND positioning your shoulder and elbow to easily find the strings and developing a good hand shape. Gravity and arm weight will be a big part of this conversation.