I have had this musing on my mind for about five months when I decided to make some drastic changes in my music world... and....reach for the top of my cello mountain...
The beginning of a New Year is always energizing and exciting for me as I look ahead and plan what I want to accomplish in it...I know this year will be a most challenging one in my cello journey :-)
I want to write about my journey as it progresses, so , there will be sequels as milestones are reached...I have not yet figured out how to do that logistically, but, I will:-)
My goal when I restarted playing the cello , many years ago, was to be the very best cellist I could be....for me, that meant making smooth beautiful sounds and playing music I loved....the good thing about a goal like that is...you never know when you have reached it... ...who knows what could happen if I worked just a little harder...so, I keep working ...I realized several months ago, I needed to make changes if I was to make ongoing progress and play the music I expected and wanted to play...
The first step I took was to take the summer off from lessons...I worked harder than ever on my own and while I was working I gave much thought about things like technique, sound, and the music I saw in my future if I was to continue as I was.....this time off, which allowed me total freedom with my cello efforts, was the best thing I ever did ....and I made some serious decisions during that time.....
In every musician's life who is learning to be better , there comes a time to move onto a different teacher...to gain different perspectives, techniques, and also, as in my case, to play more advanced music....a difficult decision, for sure, after so many years,....but, it was one I knew had to be made...
I always had a piece of music in mind that I considered the top in cello difficulty...You don't hear many professionals playing it (publicly) due to its challenges...a point my new teacher, Heidi, makes when I get a bit glum about my progress :-)..this piece of music is by Bach...from his Sixth Solo Cello Suite...Sarabande ...
Over the past few years, I have been collecting various editions of Sarabande 6...I have eleven of them :-)....In my initial emails with my new teacher.... Heidi....I gave her a lot of credit...she never batted an eye when I said I wanted to learn Sara 6...she said it would be a huge mountain to climb...it was way above my technical level....but, one that would be doable with very hard work and she would support me every step of the way....She suggested that Starker's edition is the one I should go with ...
My journey with Heidi and Sara 6 started the 2nd week in August and words can not express the excitement, the challenges, and the knowledge I have experienced since that first lesson....
Sarabande 6 consists of 32 excruciatingly difficult measures full of almost impossible chords...I felt from the first that it would take about a year and a half at best to be able to actually say I could play it...the process is very slow ..for several reasons...first the understanding of "how" to play each chord...then the work to accomplish this ...then tying all the measures and chords together to sound like music...it is a process of continual improvement and expanded understanding......
I feel privileged to be in a position to learn it and it is such a joy to accomplish these chords...fortunately, I have solid support with Heidi who knows what needs to be done...tells me...and all I have to do is..do the work....which is a pleasure...
So, after 5 months, where am I in this adventure?....as for the understanding part...I am 3/4 of the way thru...I am about to start working on the last 8 measures of the 32.....as for the playing part....it is an ongoing process of building on minute successes over time.....it has taken me the 5 months to be able to record the little preview I am giving here...it is a slow process of many hours every day...but, well worth it....the top of ANY mountain is :-)
At the top of my cello mountain, there is another piece of music sitting next to Sara 6....it is the most beautiful music I have ever heard a cello play....Haydn's Adagio from his first Violin Concerto... yes, violin....there is no edition to be had for cello....so, I am in the process of transcribing it for solo cello...I am not sure when I will finish and when we will be starting it....I like to stay focussed on one major project at a time....as a rule ...but,in one of these sequels, I will start talking about it, I am sure :-)
Thank you for stopping by and reading the first sequel of my journey to the top of my cello mountain:-)
This little preview is the first 4 measures of Sara 6's 32...or for non- musicians..the first phrase of the music story...
The beginning of a New Year is always energizing and exciting for me as I look ahead and plan what I want to accomplish in it...I know this year will be a most challenging one in my cello journey :-)
I want to write about my journey as it progresses, so , there will be sequels as milestones are reached...I have not yet figured out how to do that logistically, but, I will:-)
My goal when I restarted playing the cello , many years ago, was to be the very best cellist I could be....for me, that meant making smooth beautiful sounds and playing music I loved....the good thing about a goal like that is...you never know when you have reached it... ...who knows what could happen if I worked just a little harder...so, I keep working ...I realized several months ago, I needed to make changes if I was to make ongoing progress and play the music I expected and wanted to play...
The first step I took was to take the summer off from lessons...I worked harder than ever on my own and while I was working I gave much thought about things like technique, sound, and the music I saw in my future if I was to continue as I was.....this time off, which allowed me total freedom with my cello efforts, was the best thing I ever did ....and I made some serious decisions during that time.....
In every musician's life who is learning to be better , there comes a time to move onto a different teacher...to gain different perspectives, techniques, and also, as in my case, to play more advanced music....a difficult decision, for sure, after so many years,....but, it was one I knew had to be made...
I always had a piece of music in mind that I considered the top in cello difficulty...You don't hear many professionals playing it (publicly) due to its challenges...a point my new teacher, Heidi, makes when I get a bit glum about my progress :-)..this piece of music is by Bach...from his Sixth Solo Cello Suite...Sarabande ...
Over the past few years, I have been collecting various editions of Sarabande 6...I have eleven of them :-)....In my initial emails with my new teacher.... Heidi....I gave her a lot of credit...she never batted an eye when I said I wanted to learn Sara 6...she said it would be a huge mountain to climb...it was way above my technical level....but, one that would be doable with very hard work and she would support me every step of the way....She suggested that Starker's edition is the one I should go with ...
My journey with Heidi and Sara 6 started the 2nd week in August and words can not express the excitement, the challenges, and the knowledge I have experienced since that first lesson....
Sarabande 6 consists of 32 excruciatingly difficult measures full of almost impossible chords...I felt from the first that it would take about a year and a half at best to be able to actually say I could play it...the process is very slow ..for several reasons...first the understanding of "how" to play each chord...then the work to accomplish this ...then tying all the measures and chords together to sound like music...it is a process of continual improvement and expanded understanding......
I feel privileged to be in a position to learn it and it is such a joy to accomplish these chords...fortunately, I have solid support with Heidi who knows what needs to be done...tells me...and all I have to do is..do the work....which is a pleasure...
So, after 5 months, where am I in this adventure?....as for the understanding part...I am 3/4 of the way thru...I am about to start working on the last 8 measures of the 32.....as for the playing part....it is an ongoing process of building on minute successes over time.....it has taken me the 5 months to be able to record the little preview I am giving here...it is a slow process of many hours every day...but, well worth it....the top of ANY mountain is :-)
At the top of my cello mountain, there is another piece of music sitting next to Sara 6....it is the most beautiful music I have ever heard a cello play....Haydn's Adagio from his first Violin Concerto... yes, violin....there is no edition to be had for cello....so, I am in the process of transcribing it for solo cello...I am not sure when I will finish and when we will be starting it....I like to stay focussed on one major project at a time....as a rule ...but,in one of these sequels, I will start talking about it, I am sure :-)
Thank you for stopping by and reading the first sequel of my journey to the top of my cello mountain:-)
This little preview is the first 4 measures of Sara 6's 32...or for non- musicians..the first phrase of the music story...
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