Summary: 1.) Play as good as possible without vibrato. Let the musicality come from your right hand 2.) Use 2/3 of the bow. Helps with bow distribution 3.) Play at 2x the normal tempo for slow pieces. Helps with viewing the big picture and phrases of the piece 4.) Record yourself. Helps identify your bad habits and mistakes Thank you for the advice!
Senior ferrandez, I've been following you for a while now but it's my first time commenting. I think we all expect so much of CZcams that we sometimes don't value the work of some people. Having an incredible professional soloist, helping us practice, get better with our instrument, creating an incredible space around the cello is just priceless. I really want to thank you for everything you do for us, you are an amazing cellist and an incredible human being. We will do the best to always follow your videos and give you our feedback : it will be our way of thanking you! Personal suggestion : it would be incredible to do a video series where we could send you videos of us playing and you could do a comment on it. Just a thought! Thank you again for everything, take good care of yourself and your family Pablo, Theodore from France
That vibrato advice is so valuable! For all instruments, not just string instruments, there is a danger in losing the magic of vibrato when it just becomes habit. Muchas gracias por este video
This is interesting! I studied cello 4 years at the university with a Mexican cello professor (great teacher). She always admonished me NOT to play scales with vibrato but didn't really explain why. I probably tend to use less vibrato than most cellists. Thanks so much for the tips!
Buenas tardes. Soy una persona adulta que lleva poco tiempo estudiando el violonchelo y me gustaría un tutorail de dobles cuerdas. Gracias. He visto tus videos por casualidad y me pareces un chelista fantático.
I started to play the cello at 23. Now im 49. I left the cello for years. However, I still play it. I haven't had the consistency and the discipline but I want to come back to playing seriously. Watching you play has encouraged me again after so long.. ❤❤❤
Your ability to communicate core concepts for cellists is outstanding and the sign of a fine instructor. Thank you for helping cellists benefit from your guidance.
Seriously, this is so good! I asked my student to play everything without vibrato today and focus making nice sound and phrasing just with RH. Their sound improved tremendously in just an hour lesson! Thank you so much for these valuable advices!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Wish u come to Malaysia perform one day!!!
Thank you so much for all these amazing tips and videos pablo. It’s so encouraging and perfect. Some suggestions for future videos: cello pain - it can be hard to tell when the pain we feel is normal vs a problem. Also how to practice scales and sight-reading in various clefs. Thank you so much!!
I always feel huge pain in my right shoulder After only 15min of.work on the A string only (not when I'm on the other strings). I guess this isn't normal 😬
@@mljm1348 no, that's not good. You either have an actual injury which needs to be taken care of, or your use of your bow arm is not organic. A simple tip to get you started on identifying what you may need to adjust: play a calm whole bow stroke and stop the bow at the tip. Now Imagine letting the air out of your shoulder : pfff... and feel any unnecessary holding and effort fade out as you deflate your shoulder. Don't let the arm drop away, it needs to remain on a practical level, though likely lower than it was before. Then you play a gentle up bow, stop at the frog and deflate your arm again. You'll discover how much effort is actually needed (probably a lot less than you would expect), and probably a more natural pathway for your bow arm. You can include your elbow, your wrist, your back - screening your body and letting the air out with a gentle deflation can ease tension, reduce effort and reshape your movement patterns. Good luck! (-:
@@mljm1348 Sounds like a posture issue alright... You clearly struggle to maintain a high enough arm level for the A string, but consider turning the instrument slightly to the right, and moving the spike away from a central point between your knees and more towards the right knee. This will bring the line between your right hand and the bow contact point on the A string closer to horizontal when your bowing at the tip. Those exercises and experiments listed below will not fundamentally change the amount of tension in your shoulder joint unless you develop a bow line that is almost level, ie.: parallel to the ground. In saying that, they should help decrease any tenson you might experience at the heel.
Muchísimas Gracias Pablo,de verdad que se nota tu humildad y lo buen ser humano que sos,cualquier otro músico se hubiese guardado,sus secretos para el. Y vs en cambio lo compartiste con los demás, Mil Graciaaas ¡Crack!.
Thanks for the tips Pablo, I actually play classical guitar but these tips are just as relevant. I really enjoy watching your lessons and other videos.
Muchas Gracias Pablo por todos tus consejos y vídeos. Soy una fiel seguidora y estoy muy contenta porque me ayuda mucho. Por favor sigue con estas clases son de gran ayuda.Un afectuoso saludo de tu alumna Marian
Great video! Great playing! Thank you! Please review what the word "inertia" means. I'm not sure you really mean intertia. I think "momentum" fits better.
Thank you so much for this video! I've been looking for ways to improve my playing, because sometimes when I practice my violin it feels like I'm repeating my mistakes. I will definitely try these. Wish me luck 😊
I have been watching your video. I am blind completely, and never played it inside, and I have started playing the cello and practicing. I’ve tried to do everything by hearing if I could ask and it may be a dumb question. What is that song that you were playing so beautifully it I hear it in my dreams now, I would love to play that. Thank you
I do like your "tips" video a lot, they are always unexpected. As others in the comments section I was expected, "do your scales first thing, bla bla bla...". The usual 😂. For tip number one, I thought you will just talk about how working with no vibrato will help improving intonation, that's what we're used to hear about vibrato, how it could get in your way to developping spot-on intonation, but I did not expect the point you made about the bow control, because that's so very true. It is indeed much easier to focus on your bow control when you're playing without vibrato. Like the vibrato is suppose to do all the work to convey the phrase emotions when the bow control have so much to do wih it and is quite left out ! It is a very good point. Second one is totally new to me either, I never thought about how it helps with bow control to do that exercice with limited bow length. The 3rd tip, I discovered it by accident, I was tired of practicing and just speeded up to finish the piece quicker and...well, you do get a "zoom-out" image of the melody you're playing !
Thank you so much for helping to improve my level, really enjoy it ! i m a violinist , hope to see more like this useful tips for all string instrument !!
Thank you for these, I think they will be very helpful! I tend to lean on vibrato a little too much, haha. I was wondering, could you make a video on techniques for using your 4th finger/pinky finger? I play the violin and cello and my 4th finger is pretty rubbish on both but especially on cello. And 4th finger vibrato is difficult. Thanks!
Have you ever recommended metronomes? Using one to the smallest beats and playing to ths metronome speed is very useful. I've done this. And i still do it.
Admirado Pablo, toda la razón con lo del vibrato, igual me sucede que quiero sonar con dulzura y emoción, pero, debes saber que hasta sin vibrato suenas de maravilla jejejeje, seguiré trabajando y tomando tus valiosos consejos, muchas gracias, Maestro!!!🎵🎻🎶
Thanks Pablo! I always feel like dropping what ever m doing and picking up my cello whenever I see your video. Can you share the kind of notes you make when u listen to your own recordings?
Thank you paplo so much......your videos are very great.......I can't wait for the next video......I want to ask you a question : my right thumb always slides when I play.... and if I squeeze the thumb it hurts ...... do you know what is the solution ???..... ❤❤❤❤
Hi! Try watching one of Pablo's previous videos where he talks about bow hold (technique). It might help with your thumb issue. czcams.com/video/NTnSUt9pbKY/video.html
Hi Pablo! Thank you for your videos, they are an amazing source of inspiration during these times! In a future video, could you talk about dealing with the rosin deposit that makes playing high notes uncomfortable and sticky? Thank you!
Hi Caio, glad you enjoy the videos, very easy to fix that, clean your cello after every practice session, if you haven’t do that enough and you already have very sticky amount, try pouring a small amount of alcohol ( like 95%) into a thick paper towel, and wipe the finger board, now be VERY CAREFUL with touching any wood or varnish with that, because it will totally destroy it. But if you are careful should be fine. Hope it helps!
Can we just appreciate the camera quality
Summary:
1.) Play as good as possible without vibrato. Let the musicality come from your right hand
2.) Use 2/3 of the bow. Helps with bow distribution
3.) Play at 2x the normal tempo for slow pieces. Helps with viewing the big picture and phrases of the piece
4.) Record yourself. Helps identify your bad habits and mistakes
Thank you for the advice!
Thank you for the summary 🎉
My man, thanks.
OH yes the 2/3 bow exercise!! Brilliant!
Expected tip:
1) scales
2) arpeggios
3) more scales
4) more arpeggios
Tips: real gold :'-) this is wonderful! thank you!!!!!
Senior ferrandez, I've been following you for a while now but it's my first time commenting. I think we all expect so much of CZcams that we sometimes don't value the work of some people. Having an incredible professional soloist, helping us practice, get better with our instrument, creating an incredible space around the cello is just priceless. I really want to thank you for everything you do for us, you are an amazing cellist and an incredible human being. We will do the best to always follow your videos and give you our feedback : it will be our way of thanking you!
Personal suggestion : it would be incredible to do a video series where we could send you videos of us playing and you could do a comment on it. Just a thought!
Thank you again for everything, take good care of yourself and your family Pablo,
Theodore from France
That vibrato advice is so valuable! For all instruments, not just string instruments, there is a danger in losing the magic of vibrato when it just becomes habit.
Muchas gracias por este video
Great tips about the no vibrato practice Pablo! Always enjoy your videos!
Thanks for watching 😊
@@pabloferrandez I am a huge fan!
A pleasure, as always, listening to your videos. This is a great little video, only 7 min but full of invaluable advices. Thanks a lot!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
After using this method, I feel my playing is much better, especially the quality of the sound!
I’m playing French Horn what am I doing here😂
But it was still interesting:)
Me too! But it doesn't matter at the end because these are some InteReStinG things to know even if we are brass instrumentists. Keep practicing!
I’m a pianist and I love listening to these ideas.
This is interesting! I studied cello 4 years at the university with a Mexican cello professor (great teacher). She always admonished me NOT to play scales with vibrato but didn't really explain why. I probably tend to use less vibrato than most cellists. Thanks so much for the tips!
Great advice! I wish this gentleman had been my 'cello teacher when I was at school.
Buenas tardes. Soy una persona adulta que lleva poco tiempo estudiando el violonchelo y me gustaría un tutorail de dobles cuerdas. Gracias. He visto tus videos por casualidad y me pareces un chelista fantático.
I started to play the cello at 23. Now im 49. I left the cello for years. However, I still play it. I haven't had the consistency and the discipline but I want to come back to playing seriously. Watching you play has encouraged me again after so long.. ❤❤❤
Thank You for your generosity
Plus when you turn on that recorder your stress level goes up so you easily see what passages are not rock solid.
Thank you so much! These are so helpful!
Your ability to communicate core concepts for cellists is outstanding and the sign of a fine instructor. Thank you for helping cellists benefit from your guidance.
Muy buenos tips muchas gracias
Great tips, even helpful for pianists!
Thank you I will try to be mindful in my practice no vibrato will be easy (I haven't learned that yet😓)
Seriously, this is so good! I asked my student to play everything without vibrato today and focus making nice sound and phrasing just with RH. Their sound improved tremendously in just an hour lesson!
Thank you so much for these valuable advices!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Wish u come to Malaysia perform one day!!!
Now you make me want to go back to the Rachmaninoff! Lovely playing really!
Amazing tips!! Thank you Pablo :)
Thank you so much for all these amazing tips and videos pablo. It’s so encouraging and perfect.
Some suggestions for future videos: cello pain - it can be hard to tell when the pain we feel is normal vs a problem. Also how to practice scales and sight-reading in various clefs. Thank you so much!!
I agree about the pain part. How to relax and how to build endurance.
I always feel huge pain in my right shoulder After only 15min of.work on the A string only (not when I'm on the other strings). I guess this isn't normal 😬
@@mljm1348 no, that's not good. You either have an actual injury which needs to be taken care of, or your use of your bow arm is not organic. A simple tip to get you started on identifying what you may need to adjust: play a calm whole bow stroke and stop the bow at the tip. Now Imagine letting the air out of your shoulder : pfff... and feel any unnecessary holding and effort fade out as you deflate your shoulder. Don't let the arm drop away, it needs to remain on a practical level, though likely lower than it was before. Then you play a gentle up bow, stop at the frog and deflate your arm again. You'll discover how much effort is actually needed (probably a lot less than you would expect), and probably a more natural pathway for your bow arm. You can include your elbow, your wrist, your back - screening your body and letting the air out with a gentle deflation can ease tension, reduce effort and reshape your movement patterns. Good luck! (-:
@@robertdussler6414 wow, thank you for your answer, I'll try that!
@@mljm1348 Sounds like a posture issue alright... You clearly struggle to maintain a high enough arm level for the A string, but consider turning the instrument slightly to the right, and moving the spike away from a central point between your knees and more towards the right knee. This will bring the line between your right hand and the bow contact point on the A string closer to horizontal when your bowing at the tip. Those exercises and experiments listed below will not fundamentally change the amount of tension in your shoulder joint unless you develop a bow line that is almost level, ie.: parallel to the ground. In saying that, they should help decrease any tenson you might experience at the heel.
Gracias por tus consejos, muy útiles también para violinistas 👍👍
I never would have considered recording myself if I didn’t watch this video. Thank you!
ME ENCANTA!! Se ve increíble 😍😍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 And the exercises are next level!!! Brutal ❤️
Thank you, excellent
Muchísimas Gracias Pablo,de verdad que se nota tu humildad y lo buen ser humano que sos,cualquier otro músico se hubiese guardado,sus secretos para el. Y vs en cambio lo compartiste con los demás, Mil Graciaaas ¡Crack!.
Thank you for these exercises! Can you give us more tips to have a higher efficiency of practising.
Very useful thanks 😊
This advice has proved absolutely my go to saviour for my practice. Gratitude for your time in share your knowledge.
Thanks for the tips Pablo, I actually play classical guitar but these tips are just as relevant. I really enjoy watching your lessons and other videos.
You are a god amongst men!
thank you very much for making these videos available and with Portuguese subtitles! really helped me
Great tips! Thank you!!!
Very good ideas
Palabras de un hombre sabio y gran artista.
Dicas preciosíssimas, já votarei em ação com meu violino
Excelente!! Los pondré en practica
brilliant thank you
Muchas Gracias Pablo por todos tus consejos y vídeos. Soy una fiel seguidora y estoy muy contenta porque me ayuda mucho. Por favor sigue con estas clases son de gran ayuda.Un afectuoso saludo de tu alumna Marian
Very good ideas, thank you!
Great video! Great playing! Thank you! Please review what the word "inertia" means. I'm not sure you really mean intertia. I think "momentum" fits better.
Pablo, desde hace ya un año vengo siguiendo todas tus recomendaciones con excelentes resultados. Y me anima a seguir explorando cada vez mas. GRACIAS
Thank you so much for this video! I've been looking for ways to improve my playing, because sometimes when I practice my violin it feels like I'm repeating my mistakes. I will definitely try these. Wish me luck 😊
I have been watching your video. I am blind completely, and never played it inside, and I have started playing the cello and practicing. I’ve tried to do everything by hearing if I could ask and it may be a dumb question. What is that song that you were playing so beautifully it I hear it in my dreams now, I would love to play that. Thank you
¡Muchas gracias por compartir! Aprendo mucho de tus videos 🙂 Saludos desde México
Great tips for expressive playing! (very well applicable to the violin as well)
I do like your "tips" video a lot, they are always unexpected. As others in the comments section I was expected, "do your scales first thing, bla bla bla...". The usual 😂.
For tip number one, I thought you will just talk about how working with no vibrato will help improving intonation, that's what we're used to hear about vibrato, how it could get in your way to developping spot-on intonation, but I did not expect the point you made about the bow control, because that's so very true. It is indeed much easier to focus on your bow control when you're playing without vibrato. Like the vibrato is suppose to do all the work to convey the phrase emotions when the bow control have so much to do wih it and is quite left out ! It is a very good point. Second one is totally new to me either, I never thought about how it helps with bow control to do that exercice with limited bow length. The 3rd tip, I discovered it by accident, I was tired of practicing and just speeded up to finish the piece quicker and...well, you do get a "zoom-out" image of the melody you're playing !
Thank you so much for helping to improve my level, really enjoy it ! i m a violinist , hope to see more like this useful tips for all string instrument !!
I'm so glad I found this channel
These tips are gold!!! Thanks so much.
Muchas gracias Pablo!
Execelente vídeo, y consejos para el estudio
Saludos desde México!
This is wonderful! Thank you for these amazing exercises!
The Bitter must come before the sweet; and that also will make the sweet sweeter. Thanks for your share
I know what you're talking about, but I'll apply it to your practice again. Thank you always. ♥
Genial !!! Lo voy a poner en practica hoy mismo ! Mil gracias por compartir tantos videos con estos consejos ! Son inestimables !
Genial!!! Ya los anoté y los pondré en práctica💕. Muchas gracias, Pablo!!!
Great video, thank you! You keep me motivated to keep practising and improving. Your videos are really useful.
I was wondering how beneficial non-vibrato practice could be. Definitely giving it a try now! Thanks!
I love you bro! 🤗
Me encanta el vídeo-fantasticos consejos! Gracias!
Gracias pablo..un saludo desde madrid
Another great video, Pablo! Thanks a lot for this.
Hey Pablo,
What piece is that you are playing?
It sounds beautiful, thank you for the tips. Very helpful.
Love from Germany.
Rachmaninoff cello sonata
Meleyan Anda Es ist die Cellosonate von Rachmanininoff.
Increíble contenido, gracias por compartirlo con todos nosotros!
Thank you for these, I think they will be very helpful! I tend to lean on vibrato a little too much, haha. I was wondering, could you make a video on techniques for using your 4th finger/pinky finger? I play the violin and cello and my 4th finger is pretty rubbish on both but especially on cello. And 4th finger vibrato is difficult. Thanks!
Excellent tips. Thank you so much.
Really helpful and nice tips! a lot of thanks Pablo :)
Excellent points and artistic beautiful playing!!
Obrigado por estar passando esse conhecimento!
Thankyou so helpful .How tight do tighten your bow please. Paula
Have you ever recommended metronomes? Using one to the smallest beats and playing to ths metronome speed is very useful. I've done this. And i still do it.
Tks
Admirado Pablo, toda la razón con lo del vibrato, igual me sucede que quiero sonar con dulzura y emoción, pero, debes saber que hasta sin vibrato suenas de maravilla jejejeje, seguiré trabajando y tomando tus valiosos consejos, muchas gracias, Maestro!!!🎵🎻🎶
Gracias Alejandra! Me alegro mucho que te sean de ayuda estos vídeos 😊
Gracias Pablo!!!
Awesome phrasing-so convincing that vibrato nearly diminished it. Can you explain the flip of your hand in your bow changes?
Thanks for this, this is very inspiring!
Thank you so much for the tips!
Great advice! What is the piece you're playing in this video?
Fantástico!!Vou praticar!!Abraços aqui do Brasil!!
I love these videos! Thanks Pablo
Thank you very much for tips !
Gracias por compartir tu conocimiento amigo :)
but make it sound good.......yes good advice
Thank you Pablo.
Gracias Pablo!
Thanks Pablo! I always feel like dropping what ever m doing and picking up my cello whenever I see your video. Can you share the kind of notes you make when u listen to your own recordings?
Thank you for the video! Which iPad app do you use?
Thank you paplo so much......your videos are very great.......I can't wait for the next video......I want to ask you a question : my right thumb always slides when I play.... and if I squeeze the thumb it hurts ...... do you know what is the solution ???..... ❤❤❤❤
Hi! Try watching one of Pablo's previous videos where he talks about bow hold (technique). It might help with your thumb issue.
czcams.com/video/NTnSUt9pbKY/video.html
Thank you so much🙏
Gracias, joya de video!
Pablo, do you mind if I ask what piece you were playing in the tutorial?
Hi Pablo! Thank you for your videos, they are an amazing source of inspiration during these times! In a future video, could you talk about dealing with the rosin deposit that makes playing high notes uncomfortable and sticky? Thank you!
Hi Caio, glad you enjoy the videos, very easy to fix that, clean your cello after every practice session, if you haven’t do that enough and you already have very sticky amount, try pouring a small amount of alcohol ( like 95%) into a thick paper towel, and wipe the finger board, now be VERY CAREFUL with touching any wood or varnish with that, because it will totally destroy it. But if you are careful should be fine.
Hope it helps!
@@pabloferrandez Thank you for the help!
Ótima dica❤️🎶
Thanks a lot!
Thank you so much 😊
Very helpful! What is that beautiful melody you're playing? I'd love to get the music.