orchestral excerpts Archives

Exploring Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony — by Jonathan Pegis

Here in just a few measures is an excerpt that has confused, befuddled, and downright scared more cellists than just about any other excerpt (please click image to enlarge): The theme from the second movement of Beethoven's fifth, along with the first two variations, shows up on the vast majority of cello audition lists. I thought it would be educational to spend some time exploring this theme, and future blogs will explore the first and second variations. To begin with, this excerpt is one of a handful that I have coached for many years where I am actually LESS confident than I used to be. Why? Because every teacher, every coach, and every conductor has had radically different ideas about all the different aspects of this theme. Temp, color, dynamic, [...]

By Jonathan Pegis|2017-07-15T05:12:25-04:00October 19th, 2012|Categories: Auditions, In the Practice Room, Orchestra, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: dynamics, release, orchestral excerpts, orchestra, recording, Beethoven, accents, Preparation, singing, bow speed, blog, control, sustain, Rhythm, bow changes, Symphony, vibrato, technical challenges, phrasing, legato, cello, variations, practicing, markings, cellobello, confidence, education, teacher, Audition, Excerpts, pressure, Teaching, coaching, nerves, inflection, mistakes|

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: improvement, cello, Habits, cellobello, understanding, Brant, skills, honesty, finesse, Practice, progress, Taylor, orchestral excerpts, professional musicians, sound production, practicing|