Don't "work" the cello, "Play" the cello!
Change the view and jump into the most exciting part first before you get bored.
Just a play of words.
This just recently popped up into my head today and was excited to share more about the thought of “Don’t work the cello, Play the cello!”
Sometimes we just need to start and take a different approach to playing our cello. It’s not work! It’s play! Let’s learn more!
Seeing the cello in a new way.
Instead of seeing your cello as your boss. A.K.A. Working for him and hopefully he would sing praises of how well you’ve done (Via working the cello).
Let’s look and view your cello as a friend, that you can play together. You are on the same level, no one has more authority over another. Just friends who would like to explore, learn, and discover to see what sounds you can create together. Your cello is your friend and you don’t have to work for it or against it.
Having this new mindset opened me up to lots of new exciting things and trying out new things. Before I always thought it was super hard to play the cello. Pressing really hard, slaving away as I bow up and down. But no more once I’ve learned this new way of seeing the cello. It’s great, now I’m enjoying every moment I practice each day. It’s amazing how mindset can change the experience and results.
What I’ve found super helpful!
So here are some things that were difficult for me but are now so much easier and more enjoyable when I practice every day!
Playing the cello without getting super tired, sore, and with pain in my hands, shoulder, and back. “It was a nightmare, every time I practiced for 30 minutes, I would feel the pain in both my left and right hand, and also my shoulders were so tense and my whole body just ached to the point I just couldn’t play anymore. But after changing my mindset, I’m asking myself “Why am I slaving away when I play.” No this should be effortless and easy! So every time I start playing, I remind myself to relax my entire body and consistently remind myself to release the tension and play with the cello. Do not work against it. You’d be surprised that you don’t need to put so much force into playing cello. It’s nice and easy.
The sound quality sounded really bad. The cello didn’t really sing for me… It was more like it was screaming at me… After realizing that the sound that was coming out was not what I wanted. I played with the cello and learned to listen to what it wanted. Paying attention to the balance of how much weight I need on the bow and also how fast the speed is for the bow and not pressing so hard down on the strings with the left hand, helped me figure out what the cello loves and how it prefers to sing then letting me work and force out a beautiful sound. Listen and look for the problem. Experiment and play with the cello. It likes the special touch.
I hope these discoveries will help you approach your cello as a friend instead of a boss of someone you're working for. No! You work together and if the cello has something to say, as a good friend you would listen and learn and see what you can do together to solve the problem. Friendship takes time so go on a journey together!
Mini exercise
So this week, try out these tips and advice so you can be your cello’s friend! Let’s learn from one another and experiment, fail, and solve problems together. No one working for anyone, it’s playing together. I hope you enjoy your practice.
See you all next week with discoveries, tips, and advice!
So there are my discoveries, Tips and Advice on how to improve your cello playing. I hope you enjoy this fun new way of practicing!
Do you need help with your cello learning?
Feel free to leave a comment on certain things you're stuck with and need a fellow cello friend to take a look at it from a different perspective! Maybe we can figure out something together!
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