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The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 4 – Preliminaries: The Second Lesson)

Part 4 - Preliminaries: The Second Lesson Part 3 presented preliminary concepts which are necessary before starting the bowing exercises in Feuillard. These include the "core" sound, the "block of sound", playing with a "straight" bow, and a basic kinesthetic understanding of how the bow arm works (the correct movement of the upper and lower arm, and the elbow). These are all issues which should be addressed in the very first lesson with a new student. I spend a lot of time working with the bow arm first, because if a student can't get a good sound with the bow it won't matter how beautifully the left hand works. Basic sound production comes before addressing the myriad number of left hand issues involved in playing the cello (intonation, vibrato, shifting, [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2021-02-23T21:56:50-05:00October 7th, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: Feuillard, core, contrary motion, Teaching, right hand, bow technique, bow control, tone production|

The Joy of Feuillard – A Sequential Approach to Teaching Bow Technique (Part 3 – Preliminaries: The First Lesson)

Part 3 - Preliminaries: The First Lesson As I mentioned in the Introductory Part 1, I am assuming for this series that I am working with an intermediate level student, building or re-building his or her right hand technique. This may be because this student has a poor basic sound, is playing with too much tension, or doesn’t understand the mechanics of how the body works in playing the cello. With more advanced students it may be because they have never really analyzed or thought about various aspects of bow technique, and as a result they are deficient in executing different strokes or rhythms or styles. The first step, starting in the very first lesson, is to make sure that the student understands the basic principles of the bow [...]

By Robert Jesselson|2022-08-01T17:36:23-04:00September 30th, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, The Joy of Feuillard, Teaching|Tags: core, Block Sound, Arm Geography, Teaching, bow technique, bow control, Feuillard|

Presence on Stage (Part 2 – Power vs. Strength) – by Ruth Phillips

Power versus Strength ‘When you have attained complete relaxation, you are able to be flexible and agile in your movements.’ - Zen master Yang Cheng Fu “To relax is not to collapse, but simply to undo tension….There is nothing to be done. It is not a state of passivity but, on the contrary, of alert watchfulness. It is perhaps the most ‘active’ of our attitudes, going ‘with’ and not ‘against’ our body and feelings.” - Vanda Scaravelli - Awakening the Spine. Building strength through force only promotes the shortening of muscles as they contract, causing fatigue and strain. That strain goes against rather than with our body. Developing power is another matter entirely. Power is a natural state. It involves movement generated from our core, a great deal of relaxation and a [...]

By Ruth Phillips|2021-03-10T19:57:19-05:00September 13th, 2018|Categories: In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: stage presence, power vs. strength, core, inspiration, tensegrity, Growth, power, Practice|