Coordination Archives

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 22 – Feuillard No. 34 – Variations #20-25)

The variations this week will continue the work with detaché bowings and string crossings. I also addressed bow changes and some more bow speed exercises. Variation #25 will again work with wave motions, though faster and in triplets. I also discussed how to approach vibrato while doing the string crossings. Variation #20: Because they are supposed to be played in the middle of the bow, variations #20-24 all require using the lower arm for the detaché stroke and the upper arm for the string crossings. These variations are great for developing a good, resonant detaché. But it usually takes some time to train the ear for the right sound, and the body for the right motions. A good detaché requires constant arm weight and steady bow speed. There should be [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2019-02-11T03:08:57-05:00February 11th, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: bow speed, Coordination, string crossings, Feuillard, Detaché, Teaching|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 21 – Feuillard No. 34 – Variations #13-19)

This week's variations are all continuing to work with the detaché stroke (lower arm) and the string crossings (upper arm). We will also see the wave motion, which we prepared for several weeks ago by doing the "box" exercises and the finger exercises. Variations #13-16: In this video I asked Tristan again what our definition of detaché is: "detached, but connected" which, as one of my students once said, seems like an oxymoron. But compared to a staccato stroke, which is "detached, but separated", it makes sense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvWd8fbrIO4&w=560&h=315 Variations #17 and #18: Variation #17 is tricky because it needs to be played completely at the tip. That means finding the right kind of core sound, with a relatively small amount of bow and a low contact point. [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2019-02-04T19:31:01-05:00February 4th, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: Teaching, Coordination, Feuillard, Detaché, upper arm, lower arm|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 20 – Feuillard No. 34 – Box Exercises and Finger Exercises)

At this point I begin to introduce several exercises that isolate the various parts of the arm that will be involved in producing wave motions (eg. No. 34 - Variations #19, #25, #39 and #40). The three parts of the arm that can make these wave motions are the fingers, wrist and upper arm, depending on the part of the bow, the dynamics, and the speed of the waves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6_G8KcKdaY&w=560&h=315 First we will do the wrist exercises that I refer to as the "Box Exercises". These isolate the movements that we need for using the wrist in string crossings, bow changes, and various strokes. I like to demonstrate the exercises in one lesson, and then have the students show me the exercises in the following lesson to make [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2019-01-28T01:14:29-05:00January 27th, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: box exercises, Teaching, Coordination, string crossings, finger exercises, Feuillard|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 19 – Feuillard No. 34 – Variations #6-12)

Last week's Blog dealt with some Arc and Figure Eight bowing figures. Today's blog will continue the Feuillard variations in No. 34 with some Wave and Circle bowing figures, and add some detaché motions to the mix. The string crossings here should happen with the upper arm, and the detaché stroke is with the lower arm. Variations #6 and #7: In these variations we have both horizontal and vertical motions. The vertical motion is the string crossing - in this case going from the D-string to the A-string with the upper arm. The horizontal motion is the detaché with the lower arm. The important thing is that when there are two different motions going on simultaneously (vertical and horizontal) we should use two different part of the arm. For [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2019-01-21T01:49:37-05:00January 21st, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: circle, wave, Teaching, Coordination, string crossings, Feuillard|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 18 – Feuillard No. 34 – Variations #1-5)

In the last lesson I gave Tristan lot of information about the parts of the arm that do the vertical and horizontal motions, and I showed him the four basic bowing figures. In the next lesson I usually ask the students to give me the "lecture" back. In this video, Tristan takes me through all the information from the previous week and he demonstrates all the bowing figures to make sure that he has absorbed all the information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAOqGX-WK-c&w=560&h=315 Notice that I am not talking with Tristan about things like bow changes at this point. I want him to focus on the main issues of the bowing figures, bow angles, left/right motion, etc. Other subtleties will come later. As teachers we always have to pick and choose what the most [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2019-01-14T03:19:28-05:00January 14th, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: arc, circle, wave, Teaching, Coordination, string crossings, Feuillard|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 17 – Feuillard No. 34 – Basic String Crossing Information)

With this blog we will start working on Feuillard No.34, which focuses on the important topic of string crossings. No. 34 deals with string crossings across two strings; No. 35 is about string crossings across three strings; and No. 36 works on string crossings across four strings. This topic is critical for string players – we work our entire life trying to make string crossings smooth, connected, and ergonomically correct. We try to use the correct parts of the arm, keeping the joints well-oiled and flexible. We try to make the hard bones of our arms look like they are soft and pliable like the “break-dancers” of the 60’s and 70’s. Fluent bow arms are not only beautifully functional, but they are aesthetically pleasing. Think of French cellists such as [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2024-05-13T13:32:40-04:00January 7th, 2019|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: Coordination, string crossings, Feuillard, Teaching|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 16 – Feuillard No. 33 – Variations #27-33)

Happy New Year! I wish you all a happy and healthy 2019 - with great intonation and beautiful sounds on the cello! Today's adventure in Feuillard-land will continue with some more dotted rhythms, and then return to the sautillé and up-bow staccato strokes that were first addressed in No. 32. Variations #27 and #28: These two variations continue with the staccato dotted rhythms from last week, but this time with hooked bowings. As I mentioned in the past, I ask the students to play each variation completely in the lesson. In part this is for developing skills of concentration and relaxation. But also because every note on the cello has different properties and we are trying to make them all sound the same. There are no short-cuts in learning these [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2021-02-23T21:55:04-05:00December 30th, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: Teaching, Coordination, Feuillard, dotted rhythms, sautillé, up bow staccato|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 15 – Feuillard No. 33 – Variations #21-26)

Happy Holidays! This week we will be working on two of the most difficult variations in No. 33, and then continue with more variations involving those "notorious" dotted rhythms. Variations #21 and #22: These two variations are perhaps the trickiest on this page of Feuillard No. 33. As I explained to Iestyn in the video, the problem is that the pattern here is in groups of three notes superimposed over a theme which is organized in groups of four notes. As a result, the interplay between these rhythmical units can trick the brain. There are several ways to work this out. Some students actually end up writing the bowings on the music - but it is much better to feel the groupings of the notes. A good technique for feeling the [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2021-02-23T21:55:13-05:00December 24th, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: Teaching, Coordination, Feuillard, legato dotted rhythms, staccato dotted rhythms|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 13 – Feuillard No. 33 – Variations #4-9)

In today's blog we will continue Feuillard No. 33 with the Variations #4-9, dealing with legato playing, staccato strokes, and bow distribution. Variation #4 and #5: Notice in the video that Iestyn knows the tempo of these variations when I asked him, because he has written in the tempos that he thinks are good as he works on them at home: It is important for the students to be able to imagine their tempos before playing them in the lesson. Having practiced them well at home, they should be able to predict the tempos pretty closely. If they can't then it is a sign that they are not using the metronome in their practicing. Although rhythm is one of the most basic music elements, teachers often forget to stress [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2021-02-23T21:55:36-05:00December 10th, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: staccato, Teaching, Coordination, legato, Feuillard, bow distribution|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 12 – Feuillard No. 33 – Theme and Variations #1-3)

Part 12 - Feuillard No. 33 - Theme and Variations #1-3 The theme of Feuillard No. 32 was all in first position. With this week's blog we will start looking at the next page, Feuillard No. 33, which has a scalar theme that goes up to fourth position. As a result of the shorter string length in the higher positions, there are some new playing issues that involve the contact point. The rule that was mentioned in an earlier blog is: "the shorter the string length, the lower the contact point". And since the contact point is lower (closer to the bridge), we must also adjust the weight accordingly ("the closer to the bridge, the more weight"). This page is a good example of how Feuillard presents the bowing material in [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2023-06-26T14:15:49-04:00December 2nd, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: bow distribution, staccato, Detaché, Teaching, Coordination, contact point, Feuillard|

Practicing, Some Practice Advice (Part 2) — by Michael Haber

Frustration and Discouragement, Orchestra Auditions, Some Final Thoughts, a Final Comment FRUSTRATION AND DISCOURAGEMENT: Now is the time to talk about our number one enemy. When I look back over all my teaching, one observation stands out above all others. It has not been a lack of talent or intelligence which stood in the way of progress for most students. It has rather been the fact that many people become both frustrated and discouraged by the amount of work and the unwavering discipline and persistence it usually takes to become an excellent musician. I have something simple to say on this subject: frustration and discouragement have been the common lot of most of the musicians I've known, born of the eternal gap between our dreams of how we want [...]

By Michael Haber|2024-04-10T18:34:38-04:00September 3rd, 2017|Categories: Auditions, In the Practice Room, Orchestra, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery, Videos|Tags: Coordination, soul, Auditions, Experience, Michael Haber, self, personality, frustration|

Conquering Coordination Through Broken-Rhythm Patterns — by Grigory Kalinovsky

Reposted from Strings Magazine. One of the most common problems encountered by string players in virtuoso pieces is the coordination between the bow strokes and the left-hand fingers in fast running-note passages (passages consisting of mostly the same note values), especially when the majority of notes are played with separate bows or with a few small slurs thrown in. Examples of these types of passages abound—they include sections from the Finale movement of Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto in D minor, several episodes and the entire coda section of Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens, the majority of the Allegro movement from Kreisler’s Preludium and Allegro, and many, many other pieces. Without proper coordination training, playing these passages can create a feeling of the two hands “chasing each other”—and getting tangled up [...]

By Blogmaster|2022-06-01T12:23:31-04:00June 14th, 2017|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery|Tags: Coordination, Rhythm, Practice|

Hit or Miss — by Selma Gokcen

"Under the ordinary teaching methods, the pupil gets nineteen wrong to one right experience. It ought to be the other way round." —F.M. Alexander A young instrumentalist aiming for a professional life onstage puts in a staggering number of practice hours during their formative years. I heard the director of our Conservatoire recently state the figure of 8 to 10 hours a day for the 18-24 year olds at undergraduate and graduate levels. Does he think that's what's happening in the practice room or wish that it were so? Either way, it's alarming to think that so much time is spent sitting and using the fine muscles of the fingers in relentless repetitive motions. Were we, are we designed for this kind of activity? Maybe the better question to ask [...]

By Selma Gokcen|2017-11-24T02:54:01-05:00March 10th, 2014|Categories: Alexander Technique for Cellists, In the Practice Room, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: Alexander Technique, F.M. Alexander, Gokcen, hours of practicing, necessity, cello, Selma, relentless repetitive motions, cellobello, repetition, the Use of the Self, Primary Control, young instrumentalists, Practice Room, accuracy, results, habit, activity, conservatory, conditioning, Coordination, delivery|

Improve Your Talent: Breathing Awareness and Control — by Gregory Beaver

In "Developing a Technique to Improve Your Talent," I laid out 6 things that I have been using actively in my teaching to improve my students’ talent. This post will investigate the first of these, Breathing awareness and control. “I am so totes aware of my breathing!” you might be thinking, especially if you are a vocalist or a woodwind/brass player. However, in my experience, there are very few people who are truly aware of their breath. Breath awareness is not just about being able to breathe in and out and notice it. It is the ability to do something very complicated and still notice your breathing. For those who do not use their breath to create the music, it is about using your breath to provide energy and power when needed, and [...]

By Gregory Beaver|2022-02-28T11:40:29-05:00May 27th, 2013|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: yoga, cello, emit sound, unbalancing the body, Beaver, cellobello, heart rate, talent, weakness, Gregory, cellists, Improve your talent, balance, advanced breath control, control, light-headed, Coordination, aerobic exercise, Awareness, oxygen, relaxation, breath control, simple formula, skill, breathing with scales, smoothness, CD player, musicians, stomach, muscles, chest, practicing, strengthen the diaphragm, body, controlled frenzy, Technique, trouble passages, breathing, diaphragm, improvement, T’ai Chi|

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: acoustics, cello, sound design, cellobello, Coordination, music, textures, Jeffrey, soundscapes, Zeigler, compositions, performance, extended cello techniques, Tak-Sîm, rehearsals, visual programing|

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