Lesson 111 - Back to Bloch

We started the lesson with 3 octave scales, major, minor harmonic then melodic, with universal fingerings found in Feuillard's exercises on page 24.

During these playthroughs, improvements were noticeable during position shifts where I was able to prepare and shift confidently while anticipating the next note.

Deryn suggests playing scales in pairs to see the similarities, ie. C Major and C# Major.

Another suggestion was an actual scale calendar so the task of learning them seems not so overwhelming. One of the things that we both seem to do is mentally tell ourselves that we'll do it all by next week, followed shortly by a week full of anxiety and disappointment - haha!

So I've started doing that, going through the scales by note value. For example, Wednesday, 7-8pm C Major, C#Major, C Minor, C#Minor harmonic/melodic and so forth. I found that when I got going, the hour went by really fast and my grasp on a set of scales was a lot more stable as I increased speed and notes per bow.

Another thing I noticed was that there were just the right number of note values for each day of the week!

We ended the class with a piece that we haven't looked at in a long time - Bloch's Supplication. I've yet to get a proper freaking metronome, settling instead for the one supplied with the tuner or on some occasions, Youtube.

Deryn played through the piece which made me realise that I was probably playing it with too much rubato and possibly the wrong phrasing, diminishing whatever message was meant to be conveyed through the piece; a crime committed by most cellists playing this. The topic of metronomes came up again - the piece demands precision before interpretation, neither of which I have come close to grasping.

A suggested 80 bpm in quavers is a good start before increasing to the desired speed but most of all, be flexible and loose for ample space in vibrato and dynamics. Also, if possible, write down notes for when I'm facing problems so I can figure out solutions objectively from the standpoint of the whole phrasing and piece.

Again, these all seem rudimentary but the truth is, I've not actually done any of them! I fear I may have been a little slacking in the practise and obsession compared to the first couple of years, mostly to new jobs and responsibilities but you know, these are just excuses :}