Lesson 20 - Mr. Wolfie

Today we addressed some issues that I had with string crosses which I faced increasingly during practices, particularly for the Bourree pieces by Muffat.

Deryn gave me some exercises from the Percy Such book (Exercise 10) which I will incorporating into my daily exercises that will hopefully help me settle comfortably into those fumbling string crosses.

This reminds me that I should take a look at Feuillard's Daily Exercises or even Sevcik's Variations which I did previously but it was far too advanced for me then.

Next we touched briefly on upper first position of concept I am still trying to get my head around. Like most music theory, the concepts almost always become clearer when paired with the practical aspect so it is only a matter of time and practise.

Finally, we proceeded with the Bourree I and II. It was not as bad as I had heard during practise but being unfamiliar still with the piece, I was still fumbling with mostly my bowing. However, my intonation was good and I managed to express the "spirit" of the Bourree so overall I was in the clear. One aspect of bowing technique that really needs looking into is when to apply them; whole bows when needed, retakes and detached slurs.

It was during this that there was an apparent need to address another issue of my cello - Mr. Wolfie. Out comes the wolf eliminator and behold, he is surpressed. Finally I can play that warbling F note sans the warbling. Well, not as much as before. Still, what a marvel of the cello and her many personalities; always keeping you on your toes.

Deryn seems very pleased with my effort which encourages me to play even better. The pieces always sound "whole" when played with accompaniment. Hopefully, by next week we can focus on the little touches that will make the piece, as Deryn puts it, "sparkle".