In my first lesson yesterday, one main thing that Dr. Edberg pointed out about was my bowing . Lifting my bow before I start new phrases, not just bigger phrases but also between short sentences in fast scales, clarified my vague struggle that I had for a long time. I knew how to phrase notes, but I could not put my phrasing in sounds. My performance tended to get tighter and smothering when it came to the melodic parts, then I killed myself in the fast scale parts after that. But as Dr. Edberg advised me, lifting a bow slightly, not too much, makes phrasing so much more obvious, apparently, that I can breath naturally, and can get settled every time before I start new phrases. Especially in fast passage, if I lift a bow between phrases, my left fingers get time to lift themselves and shift easily in the air, rather than pushing down or up and sliding fingers on finger board, so it is much easier to shift, and fast notes get more clear. Lifting bow is one easy but amazing tip.
And, thank you to all of you for all those advises today. I learned a lot by so many other perspectives on my piece. I was pretty nervous to perform in front of a group of great cellists, but it was such a nice opportunity to have at the beginning of my cello career here.
Good post, Kazuki. Slight lifts of both hands can make an enormous difference. With the bow, it can help musically as you clarify phrasings and note groupings. It can also help release tension when you are shifting, as you've observed here.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good timing to practice those points, because I have a piece I've worked on for a long time. I know the structure of the music well, so now I need to try to make what my image of the piece realized by practicing releasing tension and lifting a bow.
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