To give you even more courage: I make all the time mistakes! 😄 We see on concerts, recordings,…the results. But during the process, the behind-the-scenes, we fail so much!
I’ve had a new teacher since january. I have a lesson every 2 weeks, and all we have played is D an Eb scales in three octaves, slowly. Now, without awarning, I’m moving forward at high speed. Crazy, but wonderful😊
Hi there!! I'd like your opinion on something, if you don't mind? There seem to be 2 different 'schools' of thought on the bow angle when moving the bow up and down. When bowing down bow, (you always want to draw a str8 bow, yes) - but some think the tip should angle slightly down further than the frog when drawing the bow. Others think the frog should be a tad lower than the tip. Then the reverse for up bow. (Those angles are TINY, btw and more noticeable at the end of each bow) It's difficult to explain using words.....so sorry for that!!
Great points! I believe Rimsky-Korsakov once said that talent is just 10 %, and the hard work is 90 %. Thank you Ilia for another great video, this will remind many musicians that they need more patience and this kind of practice!
I am so afriad playing high notes and thumb position, can you give me some suggestions? I am an adult player, have Grade 8 level and now self learning.
^ I’m certainly not Laporev here, but, thumb position may just be one of those things you find yourself needing to use out of sheer necessity rather than a daunting obstacle to be overcome. Certain passages in the higher registers are simply impossible without thumb position. It’s also definitely suggested you not self-learn (you could be building bad habits and poor technique) and find a teacher you can afford and work with well. I began learning thumb position by simply shifting (Feuillard exercises) to positions which required the thumb to be out from behind the neck, though not necessarily stopping the string. Then gradually I learned (and am still learning) shifting to the thumb itself to stop a note. After that came being mindful of the proper left hand shapes when we’re in thumb position as cellists. This is still a little tricky for me. I used/am using Feuillard daily exercises, Yampolsky scales in thirds, sixths, and octaves, and of course Popper’s High School of Cello Playing, which is considered ostensibly the cello bible among many players.
You remind yourself not to vibrate again and again then you vibrate again and again. Your slow practise is too fast if you cant resist the temptation to fudge a shift, a new hand position, a new hand shape... with vibrato. Also, observe when you succumb to this temptation and when you don't. For example, you never vibrate a not stopped with the thumb, rarely the first finger, never the 4th, almost always the second and third. And you rarely start a note with vibrato, but it sneaks in after you've held the note for a while. First know thyself. Then teach. I do agree with playing softly (mp) for this kind of practise. No point wearing out your bow arm, the neighbours' ears...
I am sorry if I offended. I am guilty of every sin that I accuse you of, in spades. The time and Zen-like discipline required to truly achieve "perfect" slow practise, free of anxiety, is rare for a busy musician, and we inevitably fail to one degree or another. Nevertheless our attempts are valuable and lead, as you correctly point out in the title of this wonderful video, to progress. I certainly rarely achieved perfection in my own longer but less illustrious career than yours. (I'm retired now and never play cello anymore). One of my most memorable practise sessions was fifteen minutes one lunch hour between orchestra rehearsals, when I practised simply placing the bow on the D string at the frog focusing my attention on the visceral sensation of; the hair's engagement with the string, the stick's engagement with the hair, my hand's engagement with the stick, my arm's engagement with my hand, my body's engagement with all of this including I daresay the chair and the floor, and my mind's engagement with the universe, so to speak, lol. I recognize the honesty and humility in your acknowledgement of your unwanted vibrato and am ashamed that I felt the need to humiliate you further with the tone of the previous comment. I don't deserve but do nevertheless hope for, your forgiveness. Not here in CZcams comments, but in your heart. You play absolutely beautifully. (I confess I do prefer my own playing, or at least what I remember of it, but I think as artists we all love our own art most, are our own biggest fan... or we should. I hope you're your own favorite cellist. I doubt this is a vain hope.)
I'm new to cello and have doing this intuitively. I thought I was just a really slow learner. I'm glad to hear I'm on the right track. 😊
For me, the most useful thing for me on the video was seeing a virtuoso like you making mistakes in practice... Gives me more courage 😉
To give you even more courage: I make all the time mistakes! 😄 We see on concerts, recordings,…the results. But during the process, the behind-the-scenes, we fail so much!
I’ve had a new teacher since january. I have a lesson every 2 weeks, and all we have played is D an Eb scales in three octaves, slowly. Now, without awarning, I’m moving forward at high speed. Crazy, but wonderful😊
You are a great inspiration to all of us cello players, regardless the level! Thank you!
Love the timbre of your cello, btw! Beautiful!
I love your demonstration of how to practice. Excellent video Ilia!
Hi there!! I'd like your opinion on something, if you don't mind? There seem to be 2 different 'schools' of thought on the bow angle when moving the bow up and down. When bowing down bow, (you always want to draw a str8 bow, yes) - but some think the tip should angle slightly down further than the frog when drawing the bow. Others think the frog should be a tad lower than the tip. Then the reverse for up bow. (Those angles are TINY, btw and more noticeable at the end of each bow) It's difficult to explain using words.....so sorry for that!!
Great points! I believe Rimsky-Korsakov once said that talent is just 10 %, and the hard work is 90 %. Thank you Ilia for another great video, this will remind many musicians that they need more patience and this kind of practice!
It's so encouraging to see and hear you mess up but keep at it, again and again! Big lesson here...
Besten Dank! Sehr interessant!
Thank you for this. I'm an adult learner and speeding is a bad habit of mine. I'm going to embrace my metronome and put my brakes on.
Essa sequência de notas é uma das mais lindas escritas para o violoncelo solo. Acho que até merecia ser mais lenta...👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Bravo, Mestre !!!😮🎶🌹👏🏿🎻🙏🏿
Thank you. New to instrument.
Practicing more slowly for me, gives confidence. 🐎🐎
For me, it feels like the difference between playing each note with committed intention and owning them vs merely playing them like a machine!
Thank you! 🙏❤
Thank you, it’s is just so helpful. I’m very grateful. Best wishes
😃😃awesome!! Thank you so much, this was so valuable!!!🙏🙏❤️❤️
You are awesome!!
Muchas gracias querido!
Thanks
🔥
❤❤❤❤
I am so afriad playing high notes and thumb position, can you give me some suggestions? I am an adult player, have Grade 8 level and now self learning.
^ I’m certainly not Laporev here, but, thumb position may just be one of those things you find yourself needing to use out of sheer necessity rather than a daunting obstacle to be overcome. Certain passages in the higher registers are simply impossible without thumb position.
It’s also definitely suggested you not self-learn (you could be building bad habits and poor technique) and find a teacher you can afford and work with well.
I began learning thumb position by simply shifting (Feuillard exercises) to positions which required the thumb to be out from behind the neck, though not necessarily stopping the string. Then gradually I learned (and am still learning) shifting to the thumb itself to stop a note. After that came being mindful of the proper left hand shapes when we’re in thumb position as cellists. This is still a little tricky for me. I used/am using Feuillard daily exercises, Yampolsky scales in thirds, sixths, and octaves, and of course Popper’s High School of Cello Playing, which is considered ostensibly the cello bible among many players.
I use to think „thumb position is not more difficult. It is just less practised“. This helps me.
While I heartily agree with slow practice sorry to say I never care for fast music on bowed strings.
Based
You remind yourself not to vibrate again and again then you vibrate again and again. Your slow practise is too fast if you cant resist the temptation to fudge a shift, a new hand position, a new hand shape... with vibrato. Also, observe when you succumb to this temptation and when you don't. For example, you never vibrate a not stopped with the thumb, rarely the first finger, never the 4th, almost always the second and third. And you rarely start a note with vibrato, but it sneaks in after you've held the note for a while. First know thyself. Then teach. I do agree with playing softly (mp) for this kind of practise. No point wearing out your bow arm, the neighbours' ears...
I am sorry if I offended. I am guilty of every sin that I accuse you of, in spades. The time and Zen-like discipline required to truly achieve "perfect" slow practise, free of anxiety, is rare for a busy musician, and we inevitably fail to one degree or another. Nevertheless our attempts are valuable and lead, as you correctly point out in the title of this wonderful video, to progress. I certainly rarely achieved perfection in my own longer but less illustrious career than yours. (I'm retired now and never play cello anymore). One of my most memorable practise sessions was fifteen minutes one lunch hour between orchestra rehearsals, when I practised simply placing the bow on the D string at the frog focusing my attention on the visceral sensation of; the hair's engagement with the string, the stick's engagement with the hair, my hand's engagement with the stick, my arm's engagement with my hand, my body's engagement with all of this including I daresay the chair and the floor, and my mind's engagement with the universe, so to speak, lol. I recognize the honesty and humility in your acknowledgement of your unwanted vibrato and am ashamed that I felt the need to humiliate you further with the tone of the previous comment. I don't deserve but do nevertheless hope for, your forgiveness. Not here in CZcams comments, but in your heart. You play absolutely beautifully. (I confess I do prefer my own playing, or at least what I remember of it, but I think as artists we all love our own art most, are our own biggest fan... or we should. I hope you're your own favorite cellist. I doubt this is a vain hope.)