The Joy of Feuillard - A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 24 - Feuillard No. 35

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The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 24 – Feuillard No. 35 – Theme and Variations #1-2)

With today’s blog we will begin our look at the Feuillard Theme No. 35, and the variations on that page which deal with string crossings on three strings. The main issue will be trying to get smooth connections while crossing the strings. This is a lifetime occupation for cellists and other string players. It is relatively easy to play legato on one string, but to play legato while changing strings is truly difficult.

There are a number of things we can do to try and get smooth string crossings. One of the concepts, as mentioned before, is to overlap the notes slightly – just as pianists do when they play legato. Another thing we can do is to make sure that there is a nice “ring” to the sound, so that the resonance of one note connects with the resonance of the next note. Another thing is not to accent the beginning of notes as one changes strings.

Vibrato also helps with connecting the vibrations of the notes. In order to connect the vibrato of different fingers while changing strings one must release the fingers on notes that are not being played. In order to do this, it is helpful to use a large twisting motion in the upper torso. In doing so, we don’t have to lift the fingers that are not being played on the other strings – the arm motion takes care of that. I will go into more detail about this in the videos and in the upcoming variations.

The videos on this page will feature my high school student Zach. He has studied with me for two years, and has gone through all the previous pages of the Feuillard bowing exercises.

No. 35 Theme:

The theme should be played with the feeling of a downbeat pulse on the top double-stop. In other words, if a pianist were to play with us, the bottom double stop (G and D string notes) would be placed slightly before the downbeat. It is like playing the beginning of the Elgar concerto.

In playing the theme I ask the students to use left/right motion, and then I re-introduce the twist motion concept. The students will have dealt with this on earlier pages of the Feuillard, however with No. 35 it become essential to use the twist. Without this motion of the upper body they won’t be able to play with vibrato, and the left arm will become rigid. The upper torso makes a slight rotating movement to support the fine muscles of the wrist and fingers. It usually takes two lessons for students to internalize all these issues.

The little finger is the weakest finger for most people. We discussed doing isometrics to help strengthen the little finger in my “Warm-Up” blogs on CelloBello (go to Blog 14: https://www.cellobello.com/cello-blog/in-the-practice-room/100-cello-warm-ups-and-exercises-blog-14-isometrics-strength-and-articulation-exercises/ ). Another good way to strengthen the little finger – related to the work we are doing here in No. 35 – is to play fifths and fourths. This is also a good ear-training exercises, and we need the ability to play fourths and fifths in Bach.

With these videos and the small snippets from the lessons that are being presented, it may be difficult to recognize how hard the students have to work to achieve their results. We worked on the fourths and fifths in three lessons, and Zach had to be determined to be able to play them well, so I asked him to remember one of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein:

Variation #1:

Variation #2:

Many of these variations will take at least two lessons for the students to absorb the information and play them well enough to “pass off”. Of course I always have to evaluate when it is more important for the students to stay on a variation to try and improve it, and when I need to “let go” of some aspect of the playing (eg a “blip” in the performance, or some intonation issue, etc) and pass them off.

So, even though it was not “perfect”, Zach is starting to get the main issue involving the twist motion. As he continues his work with these variations, I hope that it will become ingrained as a habit so we can work on other aspects of these string crossing exercises, such as vibrato and improving the sound and intonation.

Next week we will work with various combinations of legato and staccato strokes over three strings. We will also review the difference between up-bow staccato and flying spiccato, and address how these exercises are helping students improve the ability to concentrate that has implications on learning repertoire.

*If you have questions or comments about The Joy of Feuillard, Dr. Robert Jesselson can be reached directly at rjesselson@mozart.sc.edu.

By Robert Jesselson|2019-02-25T03:00:54-05:00February 25th, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: Feuillard, Teaching, legato, string crossings|

About the Author: Robert Jesselson

Robert Jesselson is a Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches cello and plays in the American Arts Trio and the Jesselson/Fugo Duo. In 2013 he was named as the Governor’s Professor of the Year by Governor Haley and the SC Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. Jesselson has performed in recital and with orchestras in Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States, and has participated in the Music Festivals at Nice (France), Granada (Spain), Santiago (Spain), Aspen (CO), Spoleto (SC), the Grand Tetons (WY), and the Festival Inverno (Brazil). His performance degrees are from the Staatliche Hochschule fuer Musik in Freiburg, West Germany, from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Paul Katz, and the DMA from Rutgers where he studied with cellist Bernard Greenhouse. He has been principal cello of the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orquesta-Sinfonica de Las Palmas, Spain. In 1983 Dr. Jesselson was in China for a six-month residency, one of the first Western cellists to visit that country. During that time he performed as soloist, gave master classes, and taught at several conservatories (including Beijing, Shanghai, and Canton). In December, 2001 he led a delegation of string players and teachers to Cuba to begin professional contact with Cuban musicians. He has also taught at Sookmyung University in Korea, Sun Yat Sen University in Taiwan, University of Auckland in New Zealand, at the Royal College of Music in London and recently in St. Lucia in the Caribbean. His recent CD of new music for cello and piano is called “Carolina Cellobration” and is available on CD Baby and Cellos2Go.

Dr. Jesselson was the national President of ASTA, the American String Teachers Association, from 2000-2002. During his tenure as president he initiated the National Studio Teachers Forums (2000 and 2002), started the National String Project Consortium (with sites now at 44 universities and grants of $3.1 million), and began the planning for the first stand-alone ASTA national convention in 2003. He was the founding Executive Director of the National String Project Consortium, and is currently on the NSPC Board.

Dr. Jesselson is former conductor of the USC University Orchestra and the Columbia Youth Orchestra, and he was the cello teacher at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts for 17 years. For 15 years he was the director of the USC String Project, building the program into one of the largest and most prominent string education programs in the country. His pioneering work on this program was recognized in an article in the New York Times in December, 2003. ASTA awarded him the “Marvin Rabin Community Service” Award in 2009 for his work with the NSPC and teacher training. He is the recipient of the 2015 USC Trustees Professorship and the 2010 Mungo Distinguished Professor of the Year, the highest teaching awards given by USC. He has also been awarded the 2002 Cantey Award for Outstanding Faculty, the 1992 Verner Award, the 1989 S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowship, the 1995 Mungo Teaching Award, and the first SC ASTA Studio Teacher Award in 2005. Next summer Dr. Jesselson will be teaching cello at the Green Mountain Music Festival in Vermont and at the Cellospeak Festival. He plays a 1716 Jacques Boquay cello.

Robert Jesselson website: https://sites.google.com/view/robertjesselsoncello/home

Articles by Jesselson: http://in.music.sc.edu/fs/jesselson/articles.html

Robert Jesselson contact information: RJesselson@Mozart.sc.edu