St. Cloud Community Orchestra

Wednesday, December 16

The concert last night went very well. No major problems. We played about 5 pieces that I hadn't played since last Christmas concert, but they "came back." In one, I even had a solo which I managed to play OK, though I'm not sure I was playing loud enough to be heard well.

The next rehearsal is Monday, January 4th.

Tuesday night we will have our Christmas concert, followed by a feast of finger foods. As I've missed the last two rehearsals, I'll be somewhat hesitant during the performance. I've played every piece before, but perhaps a year ago, except for one: All is Calm, a version of Silent Night. The cello part does not look difficult. Phil will video-record the concert; I've given him strict instructions to keep the video on everyone in the orchestra and NOT to just aim it at me. Jeanne will be in NC so I'll be the only cello player.

Maitland Symphony Orchestra

Annual holiday concert was last night; best yet! This year's concert seemed shorter than the last couple of years. Another full house and it was a mad dash when the doors were opened at 7 p.m. Phil, Emily, Lois and Bob managed to grab seats about 5 rows back on the cello side of the orchestra.

The theme this year was surprise gifts; each gift led to a different piece of music. My favorites were Cirque Du Solie and The Polar Express. There were 12 celli. We were on the floor as well as the alter area. Next January, assuming everyone returns, we will probably have 13 or 14 celli.

All music went off without any major problems.

Bach Suite III Bouree I and II

January 29

In I, still not watching the dynamics; also played too fast

In II, play pianissimo throughout. Make sure the bow travels and make sure to use the whole bow. Make sure that Bouree I and Bouree II are very different in style. Be more confident.

Put fingers down firmly when playing.

For next week, will continue to work on Bouree I and II but will also work on the first part of the Gigue. B wrote in fingerings, bowings, etc. No staccato where she slurred the bowing.

Played Bouree I and II for lesson on January 8, 2010. Actually went better than I thought it would.

Bouree I:
Make sure to show difference between P and F dynamics, especially in measure 2. In measure 6, play smoothly and evenly, not skippy and eractic like I did. Overall, play p for those sections that are not the main theme of the piece.

Bouree II:
This has a very different feel than the first Bouree; it is seemless, dream sequence, hazy, pastel and muted tones. Even though ther piece has many staccato marks, ignore them. Most of the piece is played p. In the first play through, use first position; in the repeat, play in 2nd position. Make sure the CC chords throughout are in tune. The chord can be broken.

I will start working on these pieces for my next lesson, which is January 8, 2010. Unsure of the bowings; I have 5 different versions of the Suites, ranging from virtual sheet music to the Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics and the bowings are different in every version. I think I'll go with the Schirmer and hope for the best. My main concern will be the notes, tempo, dynamics; if I can get those decent in the next 3 weeks hopefully any bowing changes B makes won't completely throw me.

January 15, 2010

Bouree I

There is not enough difference in the dynamics. Keep the bow moving. Use index finger to help control the bow especially in 6-9 and 27-29. Make sure those sections are even and not skippy.

Overall, I is still too punchy; needs to be more fluid. Lots of squeaking; make sure fingers are firmly on the strings.

Bouree II

Recheck fingerings; should not be any fourth fingers played above the D on the D string.

Overall, use more bow.

Will stay in 2nd position throughout II.

Schroeder Notes

Schroeder #40

I like this piece, especially since B changed the bowing; only time I follow what is printed is the double slurs. The long slurs are downbeat followed by two up beats and then separate bowing. Since there is very little of the piece played out of first position it is a good piece to work on dynamics and other elements that I tend to forget about as I'm too busy trying to hit the right notes. Haven't viewed on You Tube yet but am sure I am taking it a lot slower than it is supposed to be played. Will work up to tempo.

Will also try some of the long slurs as written just as a good practice, though B indicated that she has never had to play a staccato slurred long piece like #40.

Haven't come up with a name for this piece yet; hopefully one will suddenly appear as I am practicing it.

Schroeder # 39

Played this for the first time at lesson on Friday, February 12th. Had been taking it to hbot for the last week to "read" over during the dives. Viewed on YouTube; guy played it really, really fast and seemed to use all the bow, rather than the suggested half bow. I played really slow and will work up speed for next lesson, in two weeks.

B's comments: Don't bother with the staccato notes in the runs as they are in upper half of bow; just keep them relatively short. Towards end of second page, there are three repeats of D,B F#. I didn't play them well; try them as a chord, 1-4-3, and move the thumb back toward the left hand. That seemed to help during the lesson and will work on that.

Suggested trying to play this in front of a mirror; maybe Emily will hold one for me; don't look at bowing arm, look at left hand and fingerings, etc.

Said OK to use more bow in long runs and pull the bow.

Will work on this for two more weeks. We looked at #40 and B indicated to skip the staccato markings. Don't know if I'll be up to beginning 40 but may go over a bit.

Am giving this Schroeder the name "Inglorious Bastards" as it sort of reminds me of the great cello background music in the movie when Shoshana is running away from the horrible Nazi. Also, has a slightly Native American/Indian feel to it and in a very non-PC way, the scalping of Germans, etc. in the movie sort of fit into this.

Schroeder #38

Friday, January 29

Due, hopefully, to medical problems only, began having real problems with 38 and seriously thought about ripping the pages and shredding them. B suggested I just copy the pages and shred and that way I wouldn't destroy the surrounding music.

Played Schroeder #38. As expected, I will take one more week to tweak this piece. I like this piece a lot and will not mind working on it another week. Not sure the dog will appreciate it, though he does seem to prefer #38 over #37.

Following comments from B:

Intonation not the greatest; many of the low D's were out of tune

Slow down

Use the thumb to help hit the correct notes; second page, top line and third line where I was having problems. Line 1: 3rd measure E flat; Line 3: first measure D

When playing on the C and G string, the thumb can be more under the A and D strings

In line 4 (second page) use a D drone from the metronome to make sure the low D is in tune; also use flycasting technique for the low D in order to get the rest of the notes in

Need to apply more weight when playing the low D

Play at the tip for the 8 notes in order to have enough bow for the 16th notes

Make the 16th notes smoother

TRY THIS: Start upbow and see if the bowing is easier.

Make sure my fingers are not flat; should be slightly bowed

Use the thumb to hit correct notes.

Friday, January 22

Will use from mid bow to point and not just at the point; this should make the piece more manageable. Pay attention to the dynamics. In the long crescendo at the top of page 2, subdivide the measures to that can go from p to ff gradually. Make sure there is enough bow to play the 16th notes without being choppy.

Did not play for B at today's lesson as spent all the Schroeder time on #37. Will continue to play this each day, at least up to the permata.
If I need more to work on, I can work on the beginning to the fermata halfway down page 1. Except for being at the point, this at least looks doable.


Schroeder #37, "Emily's Song"

Friday, January 15, 2010

Watch intonation; fix immediately if out of tune. Play notes in chord separate to make sure they are in tune. Measures 18 and 33 are harmonics. Can remove thumb from fingerboard in some of the more difficult to reach extensions. Overall, use the whole bow and aim for as smooth as possible. Work on dynamics. One more week on this. Will mainly work on the first two lines of music; try to memorize them so I can concentrate on intonation, bowing, etc.

Friday, January 8, 2010 Lesson
Played this better than I thought I would. For next week will need to slur the chords in each measure and make sure I use the entire bow. Watch the extensions and intonation. B didn't say anything about dynamics, but I also need to work on this.

Tuesday, December 15: This is getting better, though still not nearly were I hope it is by the next lesson.


Sunday, December 13: Practice on this piece definitely went better than yesterday. Still pathetic, but I guess working on it every day will eventually get me to the point where it is somewhat decent.

Saturday, December 12:

This should be a disaster! I don't like double stops to begin with, and these aren't even melodic. Measures 4, 11, 22 are all extensions, so will need to watch out for them. B said to watch the dynamics and use the whole bow. Also, when I get better and do the correct bowings, I will need to try and make sure the chord changes are smooth. I will attempt to practice with the metronome in hopes of eventually playing this at a consistent tempo. Suggested is Allegro moderato, but I will first play largo or grave. She said I could do them separate bowing, at first, until I feel comfortable with the piece, if ever. Will keep reminding myself to keep right elbow higher as this seems to help getting a sound out of the lower note in the chord. B indicated she thought I would like the second part of the piece when it switches from D minor to D major, but when I played it for the first time yesterday, I found that part VERY difficult. Hopefully, this will improve; I have three weeks until my next lesson.Schroeder #37 (For January 8th)


Below are the notes I took about #37 which are included with the lesson notes for 12/11.


Until I can play reasonably well, if ever, use separate bowings. Sustain the notes and use the entire bow. Make sure the chord changes are SMOOTH!!! Watch dynamics.


Some measure to watch out for:
There are extensions in measures 4, 11, 17 and 22. Make sure these are extensions.


7: Do a shift off of the first finger
12: Challenging measure; bar the notes
13 and 14: Use the whole bow, from frog to tip
15 and 16: VIBRATO
18: Challenging measure; get the correct pressure using the harmonic
37 +: Switches from D minor to D major; a more lyrical section of the exercise; B thinks I will like this part.




Schroeder #36


This will be for lesson on December 11th. At least it is not at point and is only one page. All notes have carrots, so use only 2 to 3 inches of bow. WATCH THE DYNAMICS. Try to use upper arm for strength, not shoulder. As I practiced this piece I realized that my "dyslexia" between 1st and 4th fingers on the middle two strings was really showing; I had to write in much of the fingerings. Also found the cramped page difficult to deal with; the piece should have taken two pages (12 lines on the page). As I played the piece at my lesson, I "lost" the carrots in about the third line of music and began playing legato. Also, I played the 4 or 5 extensions as shifts. So for next lesson, January 8, 2010, I will revisit but will play in the middle of the bow.




Schroeder #35

I actually like this piece. Not sure I am playing as much on the point as I should but I do try and check myself throughout the piece. Need to work on the dynamics as well as the fingerings out-of-position throughout the piece. Hopefully I'll be ready for Friday's lesson.


Didn't play as well at lesson as I have at home. Was especially upset that measures on second page, fourth from top were so bad at lesson as these have been consistently good at home. Not as much at the point as it should have been, but my right shoulder is sore, so that doesn't help. Didn't pay enough attention to dynamics, especially the hairpin sections. Need to really hit the notes on the C string. Many more comments, but I can't remember any right now.

Schroeder #34


I may need an extra week on this lesson; some of the chords sound really screechy. Practiced this a bit yesterday after my lesson. Shouldn't have too many problems, though some of the chords sound weird, so I need to make sure I am actually playing the correct notes. Make sure the entire bow is used, from frog to tip so that there is enough bow for the combined whole note/half note, up bow chords that occur throughout the piece. Not too much in terms of dynamic changes. Is cut time; should be easier to play the faster I can play.


Schroeder #33

This is quickly becoming my least favorite of what I've played thus far. Having problems with the bowing (down, slur three up, down, up) before going into the next measure. If I take it very slow I can play OK. Anytime I take the speed close to allegro, I have problems and I find myself playing up bow at the beginning of each measue. BH said to take this piece no faster than I can play the most difficult part well, so I guess my slow speed will be OK.

Also, I find myself using too much of the bow (supposed to be U.H. throughout).

Alternating between staccato and legato is going OK. Am probably not watching the dynamics as much as I should (especially since BH wrote that on her instructions).

Schroeder #32

I liked this exercise. Was fun to use entire bow.

December 11, 2009 Cello Lesson

Today's lesson was somewhat better than the last couple. Next lesson will be Friday, January 8th at 11:30.

OVERALL: Need to work on Vibrato every day, not just with orchestra music, but as a separate exercise. Need to try to vibrato faster and not just slow vibrato with half and whole notes.

Schroeder #36

All the notes must be carrots; I ran out of steam after the first line or two of music. Make sure there is space between the notes.

I did shifts instead of extensions; this was mainly with the G, C and F sharps. DO NOT SHIFT!!!

There are three places where there are accented notes; make sure I play them (toward the end).

For next lesson, keep working on this one, but try it in mid bow rather than upper half of bow; perhaps the carrots will be easier. Continue to watch the dynamics.

B said that Dotzauer likes to deal with left hand issues.

Schroeder #37 (For January 8th)

Until I can play reasonably well, if ever, use separate bowings. Sustain the notes and use the entire bow. Make sure the chord changes are SMOOTH!!! Watch dynamics.

Some measure to watch out for:

There are extensions in measures 4, 11, 17 and 22. Make sure these are extensions.

7: Do a shift off of the first finger

12: Challenging measure; bar the notes

13 and 14: Use the whole bow, from frog to tip

15 and 16: VIBRATO

18: Challenging measure; get the correct pressure using the harmonic

37 +: Switches from D minor to D major; a more lyrical section of the exercise; B thinks I will like this part.

Vivaldi, Sonata in E Minor

I still have to keep working on this.

2: Bar the E and B; Vibrato the B and C

3 +: Vibrato the lower notes in the 8th note section; use a fast vibrato; play the 8th notes more on the pad of the finger and not so much on the tips; overall, work on a faster vibrato

14+: Watch the staccato notes and use a quick vibrato, especially with the F#

29+: Bar the fingers; treat more like a chord and try for smoother string crossings

24+: Carrots; no flat fingers (did this really bad; almost used my entire finger; accident)

23+: Play the run more on the tips of my fingers.

For next lesson, 3 weeks in the future:

Continue to work on Vivaldi, Sonata in E minor

BEGIN:

Bach Suite 3 Bourre I and II

Bach Suite 1 Gavotte

Schroeder #37 and #38 up to the fermata, as well as continue to work on 36

December 4, 2009 Cello Lesson

Vivaldi, Sonata in E Minor, from Lesson on Friday, December 11, 2009

I still have to keep working on this.

2: Bar the E and B; Vibrato the B and C

3 +: Vibrato the lower notes in the 8th note section; use a fast vibrato; play the 8th notes more on the pad of the finger and not so much on the tips; overall, work on a faster vibrato

14+: Watch the staccato notes and use a quick vibrato, especially with the F#

29+: Bar the fingers; treat more like a chord and try for smoother string crossings

24+: Carrots; no flat fingers (did this really bad; almost used my entire finger; accident)

23+: Play the run more on the tips of my fingers.

Sunday, December 6th

Wasn't able to practice much yesterday; today's practice is still not going well.

Horrible lesson Friday; Don't understand how I can play something decent at home and then an hour later play it like I'm sight reading. (Probably didn't help that cable repair people were right outside during the lesson; I'm sure they had a laugh at my expense.)

Vivaldi, Sonata in E Minor

Going measure by measure; hopefully I'll remember everything I did wrong and since pretty much everything was wrong, it will be like starting from scratch.

Overall: Make sure to play the low notes on C string well and get a good sound. Also, use vibrato. And longer bow strokes except for the carrots in the second section. Repeat the first section; do not repeat the second section; can ritard at end.

1 Play first note in this measure (and others) solidly; also use vibrato

2 16th notes; make first note in each section slightly longer; vibrato the B 8th note

3 play the 8th notes deliberately; make sure I stay in tempo and don't rush them; don't look at the fingerboard; don't have to play the inner two notes in each phrase as loudly as the outer two notes? Attempt to exaggerate bouncing the bow off the string and maybe that will help me play these notes?

7 B changed the bowing based on her copy of the sonata; will really need to work on this!

8 and 39 Make sure the low E sounds good and vibrato

9 And opening to 9, watch the dynamics, this run is p; all other comments from 2 above apply

11 Watch dynanics; slightly longer bow stroke; 11 and 12, make sure to hit the F# cleanly on pad of finger; was not a true sound at lesson. Use first position fingerings.

14 Watch staccato; bowings--work on getting this consistent; make sure crescendo is there; there are two crescendos in this section.

18 Need to move quickly from the G to the C (did do this today during practice)

Second section of the allegro

Overall vibrato 8th notes and longer; make sure pay attention to dynamics; B changed the bowings on various measures throughout this section

23 First note, E, is SF; 8th notes in downward run are slightly longer; watch the G# and F on the C string

24 8th notes have a carrot on them; play deliberately; use only 2 to 3 inches of bow with each stroke

25 Back to original theme; all same rules apply as mentioned above

29 + Only part of either section I played remoted OK was the "hard" part, but B changed the bowing on the intro to the section.

32 Changed the fingerings and bowings in this measure; can keep first finger down

34 and intro Same as previous in the previous movement; play deliberately; don't look at the fingerboard; try thinking of bouncing the bow off the strings; exaggerate; deliberate

37 and 38 Changed bowings; can ritard the last measure; would normally not repeat this section.

39 Make sure final E sounds good

Would normally repeat the first section and play second section one time.

Next lesson is Friday, December 11th at 11:30. Will not have a lesson the next week as will be in hospital and then home recovering.