Adjustments Archives

Working With the Infinite Onion — by Thomas Rosenberg

Here’s a riddle for you: I am like an infinite onion. There is always another layer of me for you to peel back and you might feel like crying the entire time. I am also like doing the dishes. There is always another meal to eat and that means there will always be more dirty dishes for you to clean….forever! What am I? The answer is: INTONATION! Great intonation in a chamber music ensemble is one of the most difficult technical aspects to achieve for any group striving for excellence. It often requires a lot of rehearsal time, can test anyone’s patience, and all your hard work can seemingly disappear on stage, even for professional ensembles. I would like to explore the reasons it can be so tricky and complicated, [...]

By Thomas Rosenberg|2022-09-07T23:44:58-04:00January 27th, 2014|Categories: Chamber Music, In the Practice Room|Tags: onion, patience, open strings, rehearsing, Rosenberg, expressive intonation, string groups, fuzzy sound, student ensembles, good instrument tuning, Thomas, great intonation, time management, intonation, group intonation, working, tuning, hand position, Adjustments, intonation exercises, Listening, left hand position, chamber music|

Do You Need a New Angle on Your Playing? — by Wayne Burak

One of the most tricky cello setup issues to self diagnose is the presentation of neck angle fatigue. Symptoms: You have to adjust your bow stroke to avoid hitting c bout edges.. The cello sound core is lost because your neck angle has dropped over time and is creating marginally successful practice days and challenging performances.. Nasal sounds are finding a home inside your cello...real clarity and power are only a misty concept... A single note repeatedly refuses to cooperate... A major attack simply evaporates without an actual sound... Your friends start to avoid you... You have thoughts of switching to viola... Help: Seeing things from a different perspective can help your playing turn a corner. If your instrument was made recently, say in the last decade or two, (or maybe even [...]

By Wayne Burak|2021-09-05T23:59:30-04:00January 19th, 2012|Categories: Luthiers, Technology|Tags: alterations, Burak, bridge, cello setup, changes, fingerboard, humidity, neck angle, strings, Wayne, cello, woodworking, cellobello, acoustics, performance, Adjustments|

To Mic, or Not to Mic — by Jeffrey Zeigler

I must admit that I myself am relatively new to the use of sound design. Previous to joining Kronos I had only dabbled here and there, and even then only in small amounts. Like so many cellists that graduate from conservatory, it really wasn’t something that I encountered very much except in specific 20th century works that required its use. In fact, I would say that, like so many, I viewed the use of amplification as a form of cheating. To some degree, I do not completely disagree with this notion. Like all tools, it isn’t the tool itself that is the problem, but what one chooses to use it for. If one uses amplification simply in order to play louder, then you are in fact cheating. However, like any [...]

By Jeffrey Zeigler|2019-07-02T23:30:56-04:00December 1st, 2010|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, Chamber Music, Technology|Tags: Zeigler, balance, Sound, collaboration, sound production, concerts, challenges, equipment, options, reality, possibilities, sound design, Technology, Jeffrey, concert halls, Kronos Quartet, acoustics, Quartet, Adjustments|