Cello Wars

Here's a video suggested by number 1 son. Enjoy! But kids, if you sword fight with your bows, be warned that you may be subjected to several days of only playing pizzicato!

Perlman on Practice

Itzhak Perlman answers questions from his Facebook page.

Repetition

Slowly

"If you learn something slowly, you forget it slowly."

The best excuse not to practice - or - Why my sink is full of dirty dishes

It's a mental debate I have with myself every evening after supper. Do I do the dishes and practice my cello later, or do I practice my cello and do the dishes later.

It may not sound like a serious issue. But you see, a cellist relies on having somewhat tough, calloused fingertips, and after having hands in the dishwater, you know what happens! Picture Madge in the Palmolive TV ads, "You're soaking in it!" (How, after 10 years, were these ladies still surprised that little dish had Palmolive in it?)

And, never quite sure how long after washing my hands they will be ready for the strings, I naturally choose cello first. Then, somehow, the thought that there are still dishes in the sink escapes me and becomes either an unpleasant surprise at bedtime, or a guilty feeling when I hear hubby rattling the pans.

Fun with math

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever
wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We
have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%.
How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these

Questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

AND, look how far the love of God will take you

L- O- V- E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Good with faces?

How many composers can you name?

C'mon now, give it a try, let me know how you did!
(I only got 9! You can check your answers... but don't peek yet!... on Wikipedia's article on classical music.)

Easy christmas music for cello

One of the things I enjoy about teaching is finding new music for my students.

Last year we waited and waited for the new edition of Cello Time Christmas (Oxford) which included the play-along CD. In the end Christmas came before the books, but we were all set for this year! Those with violinists in the family purchased Fiddle Time Christmas, and several pieces in it(though not all) are compatible. There are also Viola Time and Piano accompaniment books also available.

This book is packed - 32 Christmas songs, and my students are loving it and practicing more than the assigned pieces. Some are duets and they are all at an easy level in first position. There are even open string duet parts on some so that absolute beginners can be included.

Just like the other books in the Cello Time series, the CD includes fun accompaniment with bass and drums, etc.

Check it out HERE.



A fortunate find last summer was Weihnachten im Barockstil (Christmas in Baroque Style) published by Dowani International. It is available for violin, flute, recorder... maybe more? But of course we are talking cello! My students haven't been introduced to this gem yet, but I know some will really like it.

This book features 11 Christmas songs, familiar to my German friends, and familiar to me from having a few European Christmas CDs, but refreshingly different from the usual Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, etc. North Americans will still recognize a few of these older pieces though, like Es ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming) and Stille Nacht (Silent Night).

These are the things I love about this book:

• Includes keyboard accompaniment, Cello 1 and Cello 2 (Basso Continuo), and a play-along CD.
• The CD includes three recordings for each piece: One recording of a performance - using baroque instruments (harpsichord, organ, viola da gamba) as well as cello, one recording at a slow learning tempo, and one is an accompaniment recording.
• While the music isn't difficult (several can be played in first position), the 2nd part and accompaniment make it sound quite sophisticated and elegant.
• Oh, and the German words are included on the keyboard accompaniment if you want to sing along.

Go take a look HERE!

Autumn weekend work

We have had some wonderful weather Saturdays in these parts lately, helping to motivate me to take care of fall gardening. I would be interested to know just how many leaves are on that maple tree! Not finished raking yet!

The raspberry canes which fruited last summer and the smaller new canes have been cut out, and the strong healthy first year canes which will give us next year's berries have been cut to a manageable size.

The flowerbeds haven't all been tackled yet, but it feels good to have a good start anyway.