Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part II)

[CoteDAzur]

Previous thread is here.

We filled one thread, so here’s another

Hi, I'm new. Recently started teaching myself to play the cello. Keep thinking I should probably find a teacher but it's finding the money/time. I have previous music experience (JD as a kid - joint principal clarinet and piano, grade 8 music theory, play recorders to a decent level and grade 5 viola and flute) and wanted a challenge.

My practice strategy has always been play the bars I can't do over and over until it's right. Then speed up to too fast so when it's played in context it's easier than it was in practice, but it does require a lot of self-motivation to keep going.

Welcome Closest You are brave to tackle learning an instrument like cello by yourself. I did something similar with guitar as a teenager, but that was just strumming chords to accompany my singing, really. Good luck!

"How do you guys structure your practice?"

I don't do any scales & figure that playing Rameau's Gavotte & 6 Doubles and Handel's Air & 5 Doubles (from 8:28 to 16:00) once a day gives me all the strength, agility, and precision that I need

The only rule I have is that I start my practice with the piece I'll play for my teacher that week, because that is the one I'll have to start with during my lesson - so I want to be used to playing it even when not warmed up. The same goes for when I am practicing for a concert - I start each practice with that piece.

Other than that, I don't have any rules. I practice one piece until I make good progress or get bored or physically tired, then move on to the next one. Typically I end up practicing my entire repertoire at each session, which can take ~ 2 hours. I stop when my arms start hurting because I worry about tendinitis and the prospect of not being able to play for months because of it.

I'm going to do .

You like bangy pieces, Never

I do!

I've done a Haydn sonata for a while and it's very very nice and satisfying to play but I need MORE SOUND.

I have a good ear and some bowed string experience, so it's going pretty well so far, although I wish there were further abracadabra books as I've finished the first one. I've also bought a second hand oboe, so I'm hoping my woodwind experience helps.

Closest I'm very impressed!
At the moment I'm struggling to fit in practice apart from marathon sessions at the weekend but I've decided the best way is to chose one tricky bit even if it's just three bars and focus on that every day along with a minor scale.

I've managed to get myself in an orchestra with my flute, playing Messiah - its fantastic! I haven't played my flute for literally years and I'm surprised how easily it is coming back. Its so lovely to be playing in an ensemble again. Lots of twiddly bits to practise.

The G5 piano pieces are starting to come together. The Scarlatti sonata in A (kp 232) is definitely improving, and I'm managing to up the tempo a bit - it is supposed to be really fast. Still struggling with arpeggios in two hands - its the coordination that i find hard, rather than learning the actual notes. I guess its just putting the hours in with loads of practise. X

Wow some really musical people here! Please can I join the thread... I play the viola which I took up as an adult (having learnt the violin and piano up to grade 8 at school). I'm now on maternity leave with a four month old. I told myself it's a good chance to do some proper practice for once and do lots of scales and exercises but inevitably it's not happening!

Hello Greymalkin!

The viola sounds so lovely. Brandenburg 6 is the best thing ever.

But I think you are ambitious to be thinking about practising with a 4mo.

I play the piano and I had violin lessons when I was young (probably got up to about grade 2 standard) and I fantasise about picking it up again some day.

"you are ambitious to be thinking about practising with a 4mo. "

Then again, it would be good for the baby to get used to the sound of mum's instrument

Hello can I join? I played lots of music as a child but not much in the last 25 years. About a month ago I suddenly realized there was a massive and fundamental gap in my theory knowledge. Plugging that gap has had a dramatic effect - I can play much better, I understand what I'm doing, plus now I can improvise and play by ear. I finally feel like a musician and it's wonderful! I'm playing mostly piano but a bit of other instruments too. I'd love to chat more about music as I'm now completely obsessed with it!

Welcome It's good to see you here.

Thanks Cote. I promise I've calmed down slightly since my crazy thread last month!

I really loved Musicophilia. Thank you for the recommendation. I'm reading " The Music Instinct" by Philip Ball at the moment and enjoying that too.

Wow Tintini, just read through your other thread which is an incredible read. I have a distinct lack of harmony and theory knowledge (which probably explained why I found the composition element of gcse music so mystifying), but hope to plug the gap, probably by rereading your thread again! But it does make me feel I'm missing a lot especially when playing Bach.

Epiphany wise the last few years I've really got into playing string quartets - the viola part so loads of delicious harmony!

Yes GCSE music composition was completely mystifying to me too. If I had only grasped chord progressions back then! Ah well - better late than never.

I think there must be a lot of good resources around for music theory but I think for me it was crucial to actually bring the theory into what I was playing. So the classic AB guide to music theory was NOT the way to go for me - in my mind when I used this book I was thinking of theory as a separate subject.

On my crazy thread someone recommended "Piano by Ear" by Lucinda Mackworth-Young and I've found this to be fantastic. Even if you don't want to learn piano you can treat it as a theory book - it is using the keyboard to show you how the theory works.

DS1 struggled for quite a while with GCSE composition - luckily he got there in the end but he says he knows a lot more about chord progression now from his bass guitar teacher and it's helping a lot with A level.
I read your very inspiring thread Tintini and have ordered several books as a result! I think DS might be inspired to try keyboard!

That's great that your DS has a good understanding already Loose. I think playing an instrument that can play chords such as guitar or piano/keyboard massively helps with theory.

Now I think about it, that must be why once I got to an intermediate level at flute as a teenager my teacher suggested doing piano lessons to 'support' the flute. Unfortunately my piano teacher only taught me to 'type' the notes from sheet music without exploring any more deeply how the music was constructed.

She did have an awesome name for a music teacher though - Miss Sharp!

What's everyone enjoying playing at the moment?

I'm learning Bach's prelude in C from the Well-tempered Clavier (that really famous one) and Mozart's Turkish March (that other really famous one). The Mozart is very hard for me but I love it, so I thought why not? I can make the first two lines sound pleasing at least.

Anyone have any suggestions for more Bach on the level of the prelude that I could try?

Hi tintini

The bach two and three part inventions might be an idea?

I don't practise much realistically but when I try I work through Beethoven piano sonata no 5 (op 10 no 1 c minor). On the viola just things I already know to keep the playing ticking over -random scales, movements from Bach cello suites and the prelude from Vaughan Williams Suite for Viola.

Second the 2- and 3-parts inventions.

I'm playing Bach's C minor partita, and a Chopin nocturne. But what I really want to do is Beethoven's Waldstein sonata ... Haha ...

Thank you, I'll try those.

On Wikipedia it says that Bach described these as "Forthright instruction, wherewith lovers of the clavier, especially those desirous of learning, are shown in a clear way..."

Sounds ideal - I am indeed "desirous of learning"!

I think the reason I'm finding it all so fun and exciting is that it feels like I'm starting something from the beginning (with all the exhilaration that holds) but yet I do have a bit of skill based on my old training, so it's not too daunting.