Thank you so much for your tutorials Sarah...they have re-ignited my cello passion that had been hidden inside me for 50 years. Yes, I played a cello in school all those years ago but my parents insisted I switch from music to a more "useful" subject - typing - ugh! Life takes us in many directions but doesn't stop the yearning deep in our hearts for what truly brings us joy and that for me was the cello. I'm retiring in October and the very first thing on my bucket list is to buy one :-) Thank you again Sarah!
When you said switching between strings so quickly with the bow was difficult, it opened my eyes. A few minutes ago I played this for the first time on an octave mandolin (playing it in D instead of G, but other than that, all the same finger positions), and I was pleased with how easy it was. But this is one of those pieces that are much easier to pick than to bow. Not all pieces are that way.
Thanks Sarah. I'm an old man but have been working on this piece for 10 years (never get sick of it because I still think I'm just beginning to understand it). I particularly liked your emphasis on playing this musically. I'd love it if you could take us through it phrase by phrase...
Perhaps I will do that at some point. It's an intimidating project as there are so many different opinions on the phrasing. Someone will be sure to contradict.
...well I really appreciate your videos. I live in the bush in a remote part of Australia and my days always begin with Bach. As the nearest internet is 2 hours drive away, I have to download them so I can watch at home (visiting Melbourne at the moment so I have internet access and can reply).
this is incredible... I hope one day I can play this.. one day.... I wish I had the fingerings for it since I cannot read music yet.. ugggg.. I have a looooooong loooooong way to go before I can do this..
+Sarah Joy ur right im not playing the cello this year but i will next year but even with my instrument now (piccolo) i started off this year with an advanced piece of music and i just came from beginning band the year earlier so i saw this piece and i thought man i would nevwr get this down. But its litterally the 4th week in my school year and i memorized the whole forst and second movement. Just keep practicing and practicing. You'll get there. 😌👍👍
So, I have been trying to play this and everyone plays it different apparently. Its okay because Im learning different ways to play the same notes. Great video. Beautiful tone! I love the Baroque Area!!! I eat dinner there all the time.
I’m a 7th grade girl trying to play this! My family want me to play this and to me it’s gonna be hard because this is my second year playing the cello but I don’t wanna let my family down and I’ll try to learn it so thank u so much 💖 hope you reply because I have been 3 years late lol💖
I've been thinking of picking up the cello again, I played in grade school, and I totally forgot about having to actually read music, and I've also completely forgotten how to do it! this is going to be fun!
my wife and I decided to take up instruments together and self teach ourselves due to budget. she chose violin and I chose cello. we started in april and can play a few pieces already from the phantom of the opera music... but of course I aspire to play this piece. I really like your videos thank you for explaining things clearly. I think I need to go back and spend more time with a metronome. tricky beats are hard for me. do you have any advice on what bad habits there are and how to avoid them or overcome them? I'm sure that I have picked up many since I am self teaching myself. perhaps you could do a video about good and bad habits?
Haha Hopefully that video can help. Honestly, (not to discourage you at all), but inevitably there will be some issues that go unresolved without the help of a teacher. You might consider just taking one lesson every two months, just to have an overall assessment.
+Sarah Joy that's the plan. we really want a teacher so bad and I found one for her violin that she can start soon... but it's been hard to find a Cello teacher out in Las Vegas that works with my schedule. I hope I can find one in the next handful of months! I want to learn the right way so bad.... thank you so much for replying and the advice!
I like how you stressed putting emphasis on the first notes/bass notes. I also like the mention of metronome work. That's a big part of how I learned. A lot of people tend to race through it and it sounds really rushed, and those notes end up sounding glossed over. If that happens on stage it makes for a horrible sound effect. Acoustically, if the room is right, that note will ring through the entire room.
The note that you called the drone or I would say anchor note is very important on that piece as you say. The waterfall is just that beautiful legato with the crossing strings. Well, Is a month since I have my cello and I'm not planning to be able to play that piece any time soon. I'm listening to Rostropovich play the same piece. I sense a Ritardando somewhere in the legato as you land back on that drone note you mention, beautiful.
I must say that as a beginner that I am, I have no idea or concept to follow as far as the bowing is concern. Another thing troubling me is that I'm left handed Sarah. Well, as a beginner I will begin the right handed way with a bowing problem. But, with a good left hand start.
Hi Sarah Joy, thanks so much for this tutorial. I had hoped you would do something with the Prelude ever since I heard your wonderful Garden Sessions rendition. Very excited to see more. I discovered you while perusing youtube looking for cellists giving tips and techniques, all of your videos have been great and I pretty much just stick with you now and find myself looking forward to your Friday submissions. I have been studying cello for about seven months, and my wonderful teacher put the Prelude on my music stand on month two. Very big challenge at that stage, (or at any stage I think) but also an incredible opportunity to learn technique and note reading quickly and well. Getting along better and better as my technique improves, and now ready to put some musicality into my own playing of the piece. All of your videos have been very helpful, to say the least. By the way, I am 64 years old, and pretty much work on classical cello pieces, Schroeder etudes, scales and other, more mellow pieces to study line and vibrato. Who says you can't learn cello after 30! Oh, btw, loved that piano piece you wrote a couple of weeks ago, beautiful and haunting. Thanks again!
Hi Doug! Well I'm flattered that you would watch my tutorials so consistently, and I'm very very glad that they are able to help. That is quite a challenge for the second month, but it really is such a great training piece. You learn so much about string crossings, bow distribution, and phrasing. I find that it definitely helps to memorize it as you go. That frees you up to focus more on those details. You are very brave to be learning a new instrument, and I love it! Most of my students are adult beginners/intermediates, and it is incredibly rewarding to watch them make such fast progress.
How do you make such a clear and full sound? I’ve been playing for 8 months and I switched from viola (1 year experience) and it’s challenging from a violists standpoint. Thanks!
BE careful with your thumb pressure and posture on the left hand and be careful not to bend your right hand's wrist while holding the bow. Other than that, if you have a decent ear, guitar playing is an advantage...
What microphone and setup are you using? Do you have to adjust the volume levels for lower pitches or for the parts where you're speaking vs. playing, after recording? I've had difficulty getting reliable recordings of lower notes, since a lot of microphones have either a dampened response to low pitches or a non-linear response to low pitches, (e.g. quieter notes are much quieter and louder notes are much louder, so it keeps sounding like it's cutting in and out), but the sound in your video seems quite good, so I figured I should ask. I'm hoping to record a tutorial series of a cello transcription I've done of Wieniawski's 2nd violin concerto, but I want to make sure I have a good setup for recording both my voice and the cello. :)
For this video, I think I used my AKG mic. I sometimes lower the volume when I play cello, as it is much louder than my voice. Other than that, I don't edit at all. That'll be a fun series! Hope it goes well!!
Hi Sarah. This is so helpful, but it would be even more so to be able to see further down the cello in order to see your bow action across the strings.
Do you think you could also play this without as much binding? My version is notated with usually only the first three notes in a measure together I think it also sounds good (and it's easier to play) but i don't want to do i "wrong"
Bach didn't write any slurs so you can play it as you want. E.g. I've got slurs from my teacher who got it from her teacher who got it from his teacher(don't know how far it goes), they are entirely different to what I've ever heard but I like them so I play them. I also don't like any edition of slurs which are on imslp.org. For prelude and gigue I use slurs from my teacher, because they are suporior. For the rest I make my own. I think you should try to make your own too, it really helps you to get "inside" the piece and express it in your own way, rather than just playing what someone else wrote.
Thanks for this! Definitely good practice tip on hitting different points on the bow without the left hand. Is there a portion of the video that you might have that shows the bow going across the strings for the first part? :) (maybe it was edited out? - 2:42 to 2:58)
where did you find the sheet music for this piece? I've found so many with different amounts of slurs and with different tempos, I don't know which one to choose. Thanks so much 😊
i know i asked you this before but i cant find it. how do you determine the size of cello you need? does it go by height? im 5'9 female, so what size do i need?
Hi Sarah,Was just wondering about how soon do you have your students start to learn the Bach Suites. My teacher said probably near the end of Suzuki book 4 and i just wanted to get a second opinion!
Dear Sara, your work is amazing and helpful. I wonder if you could make a tutorial on the first Popper Etude from the "High school of Cello Playing". I'd love to get some advice for that :) Greetings from Berlin
Thank you for this, Sarah. I have been playing for a year now and have learned the Minuet 1 and 2 for Bach's Suite 1, as suggested by another online teacher. I have tried to learn the Prelude, but it is still very difficult for me. I am currently beginning the Suzuki book 4 and the String Builder book 4, plus a book on learning the tenor clef (I have also finished a dozen other "beginner" books along the way and am currently in a beginning string ensemble-- just to give you an idea of my progress). My question is this: When is the appropriate time to start leaning the Prelude? Is it too early for me? Or is the timing about right? Thanks for any guidance you can give! Your videos are very helpful! --Erin
I think it would be alright to start learning the Prelude, but only by using the metronome. Don't try to play all the way through it. Treat it like you would a scale.
Just a suggestion on the actual video. I can't see your bow hand on my screen, so it's hard to try to mirror that, especially for the novice. Otherwise, love your tutorials!! Just getting started.
+Sarah Joy, i would like to reguest a song. zoltán kodálys op.8 movement III you seem like a great performer although this song is exrememly difficult i think you can work out the bowing techniques you can find it on youtube if you look up (hardest cello solos)
thank you so much! this helped a lot. can you also please do a tutorial on the bach cello suite 1 sarabande as well? I've listened to Mischa Maisky's interpretation and its my favorite by far. I just haven't figured out which articulations and ornamentations i should use to really bring the piece off. czcams.com/video/PvOo0cS8w10/video.html
Have just learnt this on bass guitar but it's really good to listen to tutorials like this.
Thank you so much for your tutorials Sarah...they have re-ignited my cello passion that had been hidden inside me for 50 years. Yes, I played a cello in school all those years ago but my parents insisted I switch from music to a more "useful" subject - typing - ugh! Life takes us in many directions but doesn't stop the yearning deep in our hearts for what truly brings us joy and that for me was the cello. I'm retiring in October and the very first thing on my bucket list is to buy one :-) Thank you again Sarah!
When you said switching between strings so quickly with the bow was difficult, it opened my eyes. A few minutes ago I played this for the first time on an octave mandolin (playing it in D instead of G, but other than that, all the same finger positions), and I was pleased with how easy it was. But this is one of those pieces that are much easier to pick than to bow. Not all pieces are that way.
Thanks Sarah. I'm an old man but have been working on this piece for 10 years (never get sick of it because I still think I'm just beginning to understand it). I particularly liked your emphasis on playing this musically. I'd love it if you could take us through it phrase by phrase...
Perhaps I will do that at some point. It's an intimidating project as there are so many different opinions on the phrasing. Someone will be sure to contradict.
...well I really appreciate your videos. I live in the bush in a remote part of Australia and my days always begin with Bach. As the nearest internet is 2 hours drive away, I have to download them so I can watch at home (visiting Melbourne at the moment so I have internet access and can reply).
@@SimonPockleyVideos you're a lucky man! God bless you
Need to see the bow on the cello to get a sense of the movement
You're so awesome! Thank you always for your videos! New cello player and you give great advice!
This is a great tutorial especially for the students with limited access to cello lessons during the global pandemic! Thank you
this is incredible... I hope one day I can play this.. one day.... I wish I had the fingerings for it since I cannot read music yet.. ugggg.. I have a looooooong loooooong way to go before I can do this..
Yes, but you are making incredible progress. It may not be as far off as you think!
+Sarah Joy ur right im not playing the cello this year but i will next year but even with my instrument now (piccolo) i started off this year with an advanced piece of music and i just came from beginning band the year earlier so i saw this piece and i thought man i would nevwr get this down. But its litterally the 4th week in my school year and i memorized the whole forst and second movement. Just keep practicing and practicing. You'll get there. 😌👍👍
+Rachel Engle
+Rachel Engel still in the way for the prelude? :)
I am brazilian, and all is good! CONGRATULATION!!!!!!!
Thank you!!
É bom ver outros brasileiros estudantes de cello por aqui! 😊
This is one of my favorite pieces! It's so beautiful!
Indeed it is very beautiful!
So, I have been trying to play this and everyone plays it different apparently. Its okay because Im learning different ways to play the same notes. Great video. Beautiful tone! I love the Baroque Area!!! I eat dinner there all the time.
I like your gracious way of teaching. Thanks, I'm beginner yet, and I'm loving it!
I’m a 7th grade girl trying to play this! My family want me to play this and to me it’s gonna be hard because this is my second year playing the cello but I don’t wanna let my family down and I’ll try to learn it so thank u so much 💖 hope you reply because I have been 3 years late lol💖
I’m sure you can do it! Just practice very slowly, carefully, and with the metronome. :)
Sarah Joy thank you 💖
Play what YOU want, not what your parents want
I've been thinking of picking up the cello again, I played in grade school, and I totally forgot about having to actually read music, and I've also completely forgotten how to do it! this is going to be fun!
Haha it really isn't so bad! I think once you've learned it, it comes back fairly quickly and easily. At least that's what I've heard.
Thank you so much for this and all your videos! They are practical, clear and the tips are always needed.
What a treat it is to hear you play this, even if it's just a few measures at a time :)
You r the best
Thanks learning the cello now
my wife and I decided to take up instruments together and self teach ourselves due to budget. she chose violin and I chose cello. we started in april and can play a few pieces already from the phantom of the opera music... but of course I aspire to play this piece. I really like your videos thank you for explaining things clearly. I think I need to go back and spend more time with a metronome. tricky beats are hard for me. do you have any advice on what bad habits there are and how to avoid them or overcome them? I'm sure that I have picked up many since I am self teaching myself. perhaps you could do a video about good and bad habits?
oh... I guess I should look at more of the other videos you have done before making a request... "5 Practicing Mistakes to avoid" lol... sorry!
Haha Hopefully that video can help. Honestly, (not to discourage you at all), but inevitably there will be some issues that go unresolved without the help of a teacher. You might consider just taking one lesson every two months, just to have an overall assessment.
+Sarah Joy that's the plan. we really want a teacher so bad and I found one for her violin that she can start soon... but it's been hard to find a Cello teacher out in Las Vegas that works with my schedule. I hope I can find one in the next handful of months! I want to learn the right way so bad.... thank you so much for replying and the advice!
Spencer Kotte I can't find a single one in Vegas either it's annoying
Chloe Gardner try a Skype instructor.
I like how you stressed putting emphasis on the first notes/bass notes.
I also like the mention of metronome work. That's a big part of how I learned.
A lot of people tend to race through it and it sounds really rushed, and those notes end up sounding glossed over.
If that happens on stage it makes for a horrible sound effect.
Acoustically, if the room is right, that note will ring through the entire room.
Right, exactly!!
The note that you called the drone or I would say anchor note is very important on that piece as you say. The waterfall is just that beautiful legato with the crossing strings. Well, Is a month since I have my cello and I'm not planning to be able to play that piece any time soon. I'm listening to Rostropovich play the same piece. I sense a Ritardando somewhere in the legato as you land back on that drone note you mention, beautiful.
I must say that as a beginner that I am, I have no idea or concept to follow as far as the bowing is concern. Another thing troubling me is that I'm left handed Sarah. Well, as a beginner I will begin the right handed way with a bowing problem. But, with a good left hand start.
Thank you so much
This is so helpful!! Also you’re gorgeous!!
SIMP
Hi Sarah Joy, thanks so much for this tutorial. I had hoped you would do something with the Prelude ever since I heard your wonderful Garden Sessions rendition. Very excited to see more. I discovered you while perusing youtube looking for cellists giving tips and techniques, all of your videos have been great and I pretty much just stick with you now and find myself looking forward to your Friday submissions.
I have been studying cello for about seven months, and my wonderful teacher put the Prelude on my music stand on month two. Very big challenge at that stage, (or at any stage I think) but also an incredible opportunity to learn technique and note reading quickly and well. Getting along better and better as my technique improves, and now ready to put some musicality into my own playing of the piece. All of your videos have been very helpful, to say the least. By the way, I am 64 years old, and pretty much work on classical cello pieces, Schroeder etudes, scales and other, more mellow pieces to study line and vibrato. Who says you can't learn cello after 30! Oh, btw, loved that piano piece you wrote a couple of weeks ago, beautiful and haunting. Thanks again!
Hi Doug! Well I'm flattered that you would watch my tutorials so consistently, and I'm very very glad that they are able to help.
That is quite a challenge for the second month, but it really is such a great training piece. You learn so much about string crossings, bow distribution, and phrasing. I find that it definitely helps to memorize it as you go. That frees you up to focus more on those details.
You are very brave to be learning a new instrument, and I love it! Most of my students are adult beginners/intermediates, and it is incredibly rewarding to watch them make such fast progress.
#goals
This is great help thank you
Wow... this helps a lot
Thanks! This helped tons.
Awesome!! I'm very glad that it could!
Thank you 💗
How do you make such a clear and full sound? I’ve been playing for 8 months and I switched from viola (1 year experience) and it’s challenging from a violists standpoint. Thanks!
There are quite a few tone production exercises that I do daily. If you've ever head of Fischer violin exercises, those are what I do. They're great!
I've been playing guitar for 14 years and I am just picking up the cello are there any bad habits I am prone to because of prior guitar playing?
Coby D I don’t really know! I have been playing piano for two years same with cello! And I wanna start with guitar too!
BE careful with your thumb pressure and posture on the left hand and be careful not to bend your right hand's wrist while holding the bow. Other than that, if you have a decent ear, guitar playing is an advantage...
Yo yo ma.....
I can both play cello....
AND YOYO!
Haha I think I've heard that one before
This is amazing! Great video Sarah!
Thank you!!
oh that helps!!
What microphone and setup are you using? Do you have to adjust the volume levels for lower pitches or for the parts where you're speaking vs. playing, after recording?
I've had difficulty getting reliable recordings of lower notes, since a lot of microphones have either a dampened response to low pitches or a non-linear response to low pitches, (e.g. quieter notes are much quieter and louder notes are much louder, so it keeps sounding like it's cutting in and out), but the sound in your video seems quite good, so I figured I should ask. I'm hoping to record a tutorial series of a cello transcription I've done of Wieniawski's 2nd violin concerto, but I want to make sure I have a good setup for recording both my voice and the cello. :)
For this video, I think I used my AKG mic. I sometimes lower the volume when I play cello, as it is much louder than my voice. Other than that, I don't edit at all.
That'll be a fun series! Hope it goes well!!
Sarah Joy Thanks for the helpful info and the well-wishes! :)
Hi Sarah. This is so helpful, but it would be even more so to be able to see further down the cello in order to see your bow action across the strings.
I know!! I thought of that while I was editing this video. :( I've fixed this problem in my more recent videos.
Fabulous. Thanks for responding :)
Hi Sarah thanks for this could you do a video on sight reading tips?
+K Lu I added it to the list. Hopefully get to it next week. :)
Do you think you could also play this without as much binding? My version is notated with usually only the first three notes in a measure together I think it also sounds good (and it's easier to play) but i don't want to do i "wrong"
Bach didn't write any slurs so you can play it as you want. E.g. I've got slurs from my teacher who got it from her teacher who got it from his teacher(don't know how far it goes), they are entirely different to what I've ever heard but I like them so I play them. I also don't like any edition of slurs which are on imslp.org. For prelude and gigue I use slurs from my teacher, because they are suporior. For the rest I make my own. I think you should try to make your own too, it really helps you to get "inside" the piece and express it in your own way, rather than just playing what someone else wrote.
Thanks for this! Definitely good practice tip on hitting different points on the bow without the left hand. Is there a portion of the video that you might have that shows the bow going across the strings for the first part? :) (maybe it was edited out? - 2:42 to 2:58)
nice job, thanks!
Thank you Daniele!
Thank you Sarah :)
+Claire Donaghy Well thank you for watching Claire. :)
+Sarah Joy no problem :). You're an amazing cellist
What do you think about Hauser’s Prelude?
where did you find the sheet music for this piece? I've found so many with different amounts of slurs and with different tempos, I don't know which one to choose. Thanks so much 😊
+jessica khaw I know the frustration! However, there really aren't any versions that are wrong.
i know i asked you this before but i cant find it. how do you determine the size of cello you need? does it go by height? im 5'9 female, so what size do i need?
Full size for sure!
ok thank you so much
Hi Sarah,Was just wondering about how soon do you have your students start to learn the Bach Suites. My teacher said probably near the end of Suzuki book 4 and i just wanted to get a second opinion!
Eh.. I might start a little sooner than that - maybe work on it in conjunction with material from book 3.
I LOVE CELLO
SAME
I just started cello do you have any recommendations. For songs I could do?
I would suggest pieces such as Shoe Symphony, Minuet In G, Can Can, Dance of Tumblers. Respectively
Dear Sara, your work is amazing and helpful. I wonder if you could make a tutorial on the first Popper Etude from the "High school of Cello Playing". I'd love to get some advice for that :)
Greetings from Berlin
Someone else just asked the same thing. I'll try to put that together. :)
Thank you for this, Sarah. I have been playing for a year now and have learned the Minuet 1 and 2 for Bach's Suite 1, as suggested by another online teacher. I have tried to learn the Prelude, but it is still very difficult for me. I am currently beginning the Suzuki book 4 and the String Builder book 4, plus a book on learning the tenor clef (I have also finished a dozen other "beginner" books along the way and am currently in a beginning string ensemble-- just to give you an idea of my progress). My question is this: When is the appropriate time to start leaning the Prelude? Is it too early for me? Or is the timing about right?
Thanks for any guidance you can give! Your videos are very helpful!
--Erin
I think it would be alright to start learning the Prelude, but only by using the metronome. Don't try to play all the way through it. Treat it like you would a scale.
Just a suggestion on the actual video. I can't see your bow hand on my screen, so it's hard to try to mirror that, especially for the novice. Otherwise, love your tutorials!! Just getting started.
+Natalie Hopner I need to be more careful about that! Most of my videos have the same problem. Sorry about that!
Hey there!! =) I recognized you from Instagram ^^ Following
Hi!! Thanks for finding me over here, and thanks for the subscription! :)
+Sarah Joy, i would like to reguest a song. zoltán kodálys op.8 movement III you seem like a great performer although this song is exrememly difficult i think you can work out the bowing techniques you can find it on youtube if you look up (hardest cello solos)
Wow.. The cello is very loud... I wish i can play the Cello like you...😭😭.. Lol. My neighbors and Grandparents would get very annoyed.. Lol😓😂😂
9:25 da faq
😱😍🎻🎻
Hanx my friend.
My muscles are too big to play cello, I give up lol
thank you so much! this helped a lot. can you also please do a tutorial on the bach cello suite 1 sarabande as well? I've listened to Mischa Maisky's interpretation and its my favorite by far. I just haven't figured out which articulations and ornamentations i should use to really bring the piece off. czcams.com/video/PvOo0cS8w10/video.html
you are gorgeous!!!
Thank you Gustavo!
shame we can't see your bow on the strings - defeats the point somewhat, otherwise very helpful.
why are you questioning vibrato, its bach, so no vibrato, no questions asked
it's not ''bakk'' it is "bakhh"
Ich weiss. Ich spreche Deutsche, aber meine Aussprache furchtbar ist. Es tut mir leid. Jeder sagt "Bakk" wo ich lebe. :D haha
Sarah Joy are you German
Very helpfull, but that is not a song, it's a PIECE!!!
Did I really say "song"? That's embarrassing...
dress less, play more
Boring