cellobello Archives

Tak-Sîm (Pt. 2) — by Jeffrey Zeigler

Here in Part Two of my discussion on Tak-Sîm by Alireza Farhang, I am going to focus on his application on various extended cello techniques. On this topic, I found his approach to be quite fascinating and one that I am especially excited to share with everyone here in the cello community. The piece begins with an audio trigger that I execute by pressing on a foot pedal. The trigger is a low, ambient sound that is sonically enhanced when I play a tremolo on the stick of the bow thus creating an almost a breathless quality. Although a relatively simple technique, for this technique I would suggest using what I call a "guilt free" bow. The reason is because there is a large crescendo at the tail end of [...]

By Jeffrey Zeigler|2017-10-02T02:53:57-04:00April 18th, 2012|Categories: Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, Performance, Technology|Tags: articulations, creativity, bow technique, cello, extended cello techniques, cellobello, Tak-Sîm, Jeffrey, bow control, Zeigler, Style, intonation, Technique|

Competitions ≠ Success: A Student Perspective — by Lev Mamuya

Not all competitions are created equal. There are good ones and bad ones, and good and bad reasons for entering. Many kids are raised to be competitive, both musically and in school. Kids can feel pressure to do competitions from parents, teachers and peers. Sometimes it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking success can only be measured by winning competitions and that a career in music and admission to a good school are impossible without numerous wins. Competitions are good for many things, but they should not define success. They often consist of just one performance, on one particular day; success is something you achieve over many years through work and dedication. Since most competitions, at the most, will be three rounds over a short period of time, [...]

By Lev Mamuya|2017-08-04T04:54:24-04:00April 8th, 2012|Categories: Competition, High School Blogs, Self Discovery|Tags: cello, motivation, cellobello, improvement, music, pressure, Auditions, knowledge, Practice, ego, organization, performance, Competition, success, Accomplishment, master classes, Lev, Mamuya|

What’s the Passcode? — by Brant Taylor

In the reader chats I've hosted on this website, certain discussion topics make frequent appearances. One of those topics, a question I hear often from students and other amateur musicians, is: "How do you practice?" It's easy to see why. The assumption is that professional musicians must be great, or at least successful, practicers, and that insights into the habits of accomplished musicians should provide valuable information about how to improve and make the best use of practice time. While I am always happy to share information about my own practicing, I always make an important qualification: practice is a personal thing. There is no one way to practice, no secret passcode to gain entry to the clubhouse of good cello playing or success in the music profession. You must [...]

By Brant Taylor|2017-10-22T22:15:18-04:00March 21st, 2012|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery|Tags: sound production, practicing, improvement, cello, Habits, cellobello, understanding, Brant, skills, honesty, finesse, Practice, progress, Taylor, orchestral excerpts, professional musicians|

Tak-Sîm (Pt. 1) — by Jeffrey Zeigler

In my next few blog posts I am going to take a temporary detour from our discussion regarding the K-Bow in order to talk about a new work that my quartet recently premiered in Paris at the Cité de la Musique. The piece is by Alireza Farhang, an Iranian composer currently residing in Paris. The work, entitled Tak-Sîm, was commissioned by IRCAM (the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics and Music). In past blogs I have spent a fair amount of time talking about the integration of technology and extended cello techniques into performance. My desire to discuss this piece comes from the fact that in my opinion this particular composition successfully integrates both concepts. In his own words, the composer's objective was to transmit the intonation of [...]

By Jeffrey Zeigler|2021-09-13T13:58:33-04:00February 27th, 2012|Categories: Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, Performance, Technology|Tags: performance, extended cello techniques, Tak-Sîm, rehearsals, visual programing, acoustics, cello, sound design, cellobello, Coordination, music, textures, Jeffrey, soundscapes, Zeigler, compositions|

Passing It On — by Brant Taylor

A few weeks back, I was having a post-concert drink with my friend and colleague Joshua Gindele, cellist of the Miro Quartet, and the conversation turned to teaching. Though we are both associated with ensembles that perform dozens of concerts every season, teaching the cello is an important component of both of our musical lives. (Josh teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, and I teach at DePaul University.) Discussions on the general relationship between performing and teaching often give rise to interesting questions, some without straightforward answers. Many performers teach even though the skill sets required for good teaching and good performing are far from identical. If great teaching is something that is learned, when and how are the skills acquired? If a performer is a big star [...]

By Brant Taylor|2017-08-08T01:49:47-04:00February 20th, 2012|Categories: Bernard Greenhouse, Interpersonal Relationships, Janos Starker, Teaching|Tags: cello, Gregor, cellobello, David, Piatigorsky, Katz, perspective, Popper, music, Bernard, Paul, Brant, Greenhouse, Experience, Development, Taylor, Quartet, Janos, inspiration, Awareness, Starker, Teaching, performance, cello technique|

So You Think You Know? (Part 2) — by Selma Gokcen

“Sensory appreciation conditions conception; you can't know a thing by an instrument that is wrong.” -F.M. Alexander. Our body-mind could be called our home. We live in it from the inside, looking out at the world. It provides our orientation, our focus, our sense of what is right and wrong, up and down, around us, beneath us and above us. All day long we are encountering and interacting with the world; stimuli are filtering through our senses and being evaluated against past experience. The question raised within us after only a few lessons in the Alexander Technique is the same one that F.M. Alexander grappled with for nine years as he searched for answers to the mis-use of his voice: what am I doing and how can I know that [...]

By Selma Gokcen|2017-10-08T03:12:40-04:00February 12th, 2012|Categories: Alexander Technique for Cellists, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: cellobello, body, Preparation, Mind, Awareness, repetition, Sensory, lessons, healthy playing, Alexander Technique, progress, Gokcen, sensations, movement, tension, Selma, cello, nature|

A New Look at Sight-Reading (Part 3) — by Robert Battey

Successful sight-readers move deftly around within a rigid hierarchy of tasks (“the Levels”). They’re like fencers, thinking ahead, anticipating the threats and challenges in the music, and adapting what they do on a measure-by-measure basis. They keep to the hierarchy, adding the next Level only when the lower ones are completely under control; experienced players do not jeopardize the ensemble by fumbling at a Level they can’t handle properly. Thus, effective sight-reading training is about understanding these Levels to the point where you can apply and adjust them instinctively, automatically. As I’ve said, it’s a different kind of thinking, almost like playing a different instrument. For most people, the most difficult concept to wrap your head around is that finding the actual pitches comes last. Simply chasing notes will quickly [...]

By Robert Battey|2017-10-24T03:47:44-04:00February 3rd, 2012|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: Listening, Development, harmony, success, Janos, Technique, Starker, Battey, character, sight-reading, ensemble, Accomplishment, Rhythm, dynamics, Effective, cello, perfection, cellobello, Coordination, 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: cello, woodworking, cellobello, acoustics, performance, Adjustments, alterations, Burak, bridge, cello setup, changes, fingerboard, humidity, neck angle, strings, Wayne|

Behind the Scenes of a Music Festival (Part 3): The Rehearsal Mine Field — by Aron Zelkowicz

Quartet rehearsal, 10 am! Which means you show up at 10:04, but then decide to make a quick Starbucks run with the second violinist because the violist is parking his car anyway and seriously, who can be expected to tackle Shostakovich at 10am without their Grande Vanilla Double Soy Macchiato? You return to discuss next week’s rehearsal schedule because there have been just too many e-mails lately (and of course, what are we wearing for the concert?). You take the opportunity to xerox that missing page of your part, unfold your stands, rosin your bows, and then, finally, you’re ready….to tune. It’s ok, no big deal—10:27 is plenty early to start rehearsing. There is always tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Such may be the way of the [...]

By Aron Zelkowicz|2017-11-01T01:00:36-04:00January 19th, 2012|Categories: Chamber Music, Interpersonal Relationships|Tags: environment, scheduling, concentration, recordings, success, details, rehearsals, Aron, balance, Zelkowicz, Distraction, Editions, creativity, articulation, opportunities, cello, colleagues, transition, cellobello, chamber music, music, Time|

So You Think You Know? (Part 1) — by Selma Gokcen

“We think we know what we do, but all our efforts show that unless our sensory appreciation is reliable, this belief is a delusion.” – F.M. Alexander Musicians, like athletes and dancers, work on the basis of muscle memory. Our conventional teaching has taught us to play by "feel," as well as by using the ear, by sensing how far, how near, how long, how short, how much force or weight, how slowly or quickly—the endless subtle variations of these directions we are called upon to make as we move. We rely on this "sense of where and how things are" not just at the cello but in everyday life. Through constant repetition, the conduits are formed for nerve impulses to activate muscle. In this process our kinaesthetic sense is [...]

By Selma Gokcen|2017-10-08T03:09:30-04:00January 17th, 2012|Categories: Alexander Technique for Cellists, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: cellobello, Selma, Awareness, sensory awareness, pain, motion, discovery, musicians, force, Listening, Force of Habit, Alexander Technique, muscle memory, Gokcen, repetition, movement, Sensory, Teaching, cello, re-education|

A New Look at Sight-Reading (Part 2) — by Robert Battey

"I can play something ok if I have some time to practice it, but I can't sight-read to save my life." How many times have we heard this lament or some variant, particularly among adult amateurs? It does express a common deficiency. Sight-reading is a specialized skill, which must be acquired separately and in addition to one’s general technical work, so it’s quite common for a competent player to be a weak sight-reader. The term “sight-reading” is a poor one since it’s both obvious (how else will you read music if not by sight?) and inaccurate (“sight-playing” is a little closer, though not by much). It’s been used to mean several different things, but the meaning we’re concerned with here, and the only context in which the skill level really [...]

By Robert Battey|2017-10-24T03:29:53-04:00January 1st, 2012|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery|Tags: Observation, Rhythm, ability, cello, Battey, cellobello, robert, Practice, sight-reading, virtuoso, success, Technique, ensemble, chamber music|

Holiday Blues — by Mickey Katz

It’s an exciting time for the BSO, as we’re finishing a week of concerts and preparing to go on our first tour in a long time, playing some major pieces by Berlioz, Bartok, Harbison, Mozart, Carter, Brahms, Wagner, Ravel and Mahler (really). But every visit to a retail store or a coffee shop reminds all of us of the inevitable—the day after we return to Boston is our first concert of Holiday Pops. In just over a week, the Miraculous Mandarin will turn into Frosty the Snowman, and Daphnis and Chloe into Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The Boston Pops has been the alter ego of the Boston Symphony since 1885, and is an integral part of the job of orchestra members. During the holidays we’re required to do a good [...]

By Mickey Katz|2017-08-31T03:17:01-04:00December 9th, 2011|Categories: Orchestra|Tags: Symphony Hall, orchestra, Technique, concerts, ensemble, artistry, audience, vibrato, bow technique, cello, BSO, cellobello, Mickey, Katz, orchestral musicians, music|

A New Look at Sight-Reading (Part 1) — by Robert Battey

As a teacher who specializes in adult amateurs, and who coaches at chamber music workshops catering to the amateur demographic, I have been struck by the differences of approach between these players and the “serious” conservatory students. By definition, “amateurs” are those who pursue the art form simply because they love it, and without the goal of becoming a professional. Conservatory students pursue the goal of professionalism even when, in a few cases, they don’t actually love the art form that much. But inherent in that pursuit are the thousands of hours slaving away on exercises, scales and etudes, always with an eye on the competition lurking in the next practice room or the impending juries. Amateurs “just want to play.” They have no illusions about ever sounding like the [...]

By Robert Battey|2022-09-19T13:46:18-04:00December 1st, 2011|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: discipline, art, music-making, Technique, robert, sight-reading, Teaching, conservatory, workshops, cello, ensemble, cellobello, frustration, music, Development, students, chamber music, goals, coaching, Battey|

K-Bow (Part 1) — by Jeffrey Zeigler

A few weeks ago my quartet traveled to Syracuse University for a week long residency. While there we had many interesting and thought provoking interactions with the student body. Our activities ranged from giving a standard string master class to a screening and discussion about the film Requiem for a Dream to a discussion about how one could navigate their way through the music industry. We also worked with a team of film students for a music television show called Loud and Clear. But perhaps the most distinctive activity of the week involved our concert that utilized a new and extremely innovative technology. The new device that we used is called the K-Bow. Before we continue I need to answer the question: what is the K-Bow? In the simplest terms, [...]

By Jeffrey Zeigler|2019-05-26T04:05:48-04:00November 21st, 2011|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, Technology|Tags: cello, Kronos, cellobello, Master Class, music, k-bow, Jeffrey, Quartet, Zeigler, device, interactions, discussion|

Frans Helmerson Master Class Streamed Live on CelloBello Nov 15, 2011 7-8:30 pm EDT

We are proud to present a CelloBello live-streamed event! FRANS HELMERSON MASTERCLASS Tuesday, November 15 7:00 – 8:30 pm Williams Hall, New England Conservatory PROGRAM: Jeremiah Barcus - Schumann Cello Concerto in a minor, Op. 129 Somi Yoon - Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in e minor, Op. 38 Join us on Tuesday by clicking on the link below: www.cellobello.org/blog/cellostream For more information on Frans Helmerson, please visit: https://www.kronbergacademy.de/cms/english/sp/professors/frans-helmerson.html

By Blogmaster|2017-06-18T01:43:09-04:00November 13th, 2011|Categories: Artistic Vision, CelloStream, Performance, Playing Healthy, Repertoire, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: NEC, New England Conservatory, performance, Master Class, cello, cellostream, cellobello|

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