I was delighted to receive the very generous gift of an iPad from my daughter this Christmas. I wanted one primarily to store sheet music. One of the women in the women's fiddle group I play with already had one. She plays the tin whistle, so it is a little easier for her to position the iPad close enough for her to see it when she plays, but it is, I have found, quite possible to use a iPad for cello music too.
So, I walked into the women's fiddle group this past Saturday, with my new iPad (still very few songs in my sheet musica library, and not yet ready to play from it,) I was amazed to see three other women with iPads--and actually using them!
I haven't seen anyone locally using the iPad for classical music, but the fiddleers have really embraced it. In part, this is because, I think, that fiddle tunes are short and more easily viewed on an iPad than more complex classsical musc, and because there is an abundance of online fiddle music libraries already formatted for iPad. Fewer for cello--I have to transpose a lot of the fiddle music for cello or otherwise convert the music to PDF.
The Borromeo String Quartet uses laptop computers to store and play from their sheet music, but such use of digital devices is still apparently rare in the classical world.
I am currently using a program called Scorecerer to store PDF files. It also allows you to ddfingerings, bowings, and other markings, just as you might with a pencil, except you mark with your finger. There are some other programs I might also try, but for now, I think I need to focus on getting my music into PDF files so I can actually use this wonderful little device in sessions.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Orchestra Music
It was nice to get back to orchestra this week, though the music is challenging. We (the cello section) received an e-mail the day before the rehearsal with fingerings for Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." It is in five flats, with bass, tenor, and treble clef--goes up to a high G flat, but only briefly. The rest remains more playable, no higher than a high D, thumb-positiony.
After going over it a bit, myself, in orchestra, and with my teacher today, I think that it is going to be as horrendous as I though it would be.
It is, at least, adagio. The hard part might be remember which clef I am in.
Here is a fine version of the piece, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich:
There are eight other pieces, all with their own challenges.
I am very happy to be playing Bach's Fugue in G Minor (the Lesser), which I used to play with my flute quartet. Playing it fast enough will be the issue.
We are also playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," which I know well from playing it on flute every week in the summer during our Town Band concerts. It is fun taking the lower part for a change.
Our pops tune is Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Symphonic Reflections," a medley of Jesus Christ Superstar, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, King Herod's Song, and Memory. That one seems pretty doable.
Unfamiliar to me is "Tatarian Dances" by Elena Roussanova Lucas. We don't have much in the way of melody, but I really like these dances.
"Band of Brothers" by Michael Kamen has an unrelenting section of triplets that will require some focused playing, and counting.
We are also playing "Variations on a Theme by Handel," by Maurice Whitney, "Legend" by Merle Isaac, "Poem Symphonique 'Les Preludes,'" by Franz Liszt.
It will keep us busy for a while.
After going over it a bit, myself, in orchestra, and with my teacher today, I think that it is going to be as horrendous as I though it would be.
It is, at least, adagio. The hard part might be remember which clef I am in.
Here is a fine version of the piece, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich:
There are eight other pieces, all with their own challenges.
I am very happy to be playing Bach's Fugue in G Minor (the Lesser), which I used to play with my flute quartet. Playing it fast enough will be the issue.
We are also playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," which I know well from playing it on flute every week in the summer during our Town Band concerts. It is fun taking the lower part for a change.
Our pops tune is Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Symphonic Reflections," a medley of Jesus Christ Superstar, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, King Herod's Song, and Memory. That one seems pretty doable.
Unfamiliar to me is "Tatarian Dances" by Elena Roussanova Lucas. We don't have much in the way of melody, but I really like these dances.
"Band of Brothers" by Michael Kamen has an unrelenting section of triplets that will require some focused playing, and counting.
We are also playing "Variations on a Theme by Handel," by Maurice Whitney, "Legend" by Merle Isaac, "Poem Symphonique 'Les Preludes,'" by Franz Liszt.
It will keep us busy for a while.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Cello Resolution!
I am in my 12th year as an adult beginner. Sometime I think I am making excellent progress and am clearly an adult intermediate! Other times, such as when I record myself, I am distressed at the sound I make, Not music at all. Funny how the ear seems to correct pitches and rhythms and emotive content when one is listening to oneself play; yet the ear is not tricked by a recording. Yikes. Suddenly one can really hear how one sounds.
At least this is the case for me. But, something about the cello pulls me onward. A good practice session makes me think, yes, I can do this. The trouble is that the good practice sessions are not so frequent as they ought to be.
So, here is my simple resolution for the new year, bright, hopeful 2012: to practice every day, even those jam-packed days when work consumes my every waking minute.
I want to improve pitch, vibrato, dynamics, and musicality.
Orchestra starts this week, and I want to, for once, feel really confident of my playing. This means more time spent on practicing the pieces than I have in the past.
Fiddle music is ongoing, and I want to improve my ability to play by ear, to increase my repertoire of fiddle tunes (by memory/ear) by one a month. My favorite fiddle tunes for cello are still those by Abby Newton.
I hope to play cello duets or trios with others this year, depending on everyone's busy schedules.
Finally, I need to spend more time on scales and etudes. I know they are important, but I tend to skip over them to quickly.
I started on the resolution early, since I had the time off around the holidays. I have now practiced 2 hours a day for four days in a row. I don't expect to be able to continue that, but, as they say, even 10 minutes on those busy days is better than skipping a day.
Happy New Year to all!
At least this is the case for me. But, something about the cello pulls me onward. A good practice session makes me think, yes, I can do this. The trouble is that the good practice sessions are not so frequent as they ought to be.
So, here is my simple resolution for the new year, bright, hopeful 2012: to practice every day, even those jam-packed days when work consumes my every waking minute.
I want to improve pitch, vibrato, dynamics, and musicality.
Orchestra starts this week, and I want to, for once, feel really confident of my playing. This means more time spent on practicing the pieces than I have in the past.
Fiddle music is ongoing, and I want to improve my ability to play by ear, to increase my repertoire of fiddle tunes (by memory/ear) by one a month. My favorite fiddle tunes for cello are still those by Abby Newton.
I hope to play cello duets or trios with others this year, depending on everyone's busy schedules.
Finally, I need to spend more time on scales and etudes. I know they are important, but I tend to skip over them to quickly.
I started on the resolution early, since I had the time off around the holidays. I have now practiced 2 hours a day for four days in a row. I don't expect to be able to continue that, but, as they say, even 10 minutes on those busy days is better than skipping a day.
Happy New Year to all!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Concert Tomorrow!
Our first orchestra concert is tomorrow, Sunday, 3 PM in Brewster. We are playing:
Brandenburg Sinfonia by J. S. Bach/Isaac
Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens/Isaac
First Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber
Sea Song by Vaughn Williams (just the winds)
Jazz Pizzicato by Leroy Anderson/Applebaum (just the strings)
South of the Border (5 dances) by Jerry Neil Smith
Remembering the Beatles arr. Bob Lowden
Hungarian Dance No. 6 by Brahms/Isaac
Skaters Waltz by Emil Waldteufel/Pfortner
We do it all again on Friday, November 18, in Centerville
I meant to spend yesterday and today practicing, but things came up.... Still time today, but I am off to play cello in the fiddle group now. The fiddle group performs frequently, and I join them occasionally. I do hope to join them on a holiday concert in December.
Brandenburg Sinfonia by J. S. Bach/Isaac
Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens/Isaac
First Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber
Sea Song by Vaughn Williams (just the winds)
Jazz Pizzicato by Leroy Anderson/Applebaum (just the strings)
South of the Border (5 dances) by Jerry Neil Smith
Remembering the Beatles arr. Bob Lowden
Hungarian Dance No. 6 by Brahms/Isaac
Skaters Waltz by Emil Waldteufel/Pfortner
We do it all again on Friday, November 18, in Centerville
I meant to spend yesterday and today practicing, but things came up.... Still time today, but I am off to play cello in the fiddle group now. The fiddle group performs frequently, and I join them occasionally. I do hope to join them on a holiday concert in December.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Orchestra
We are about halfway through the orchestra rehearsal season (concerts are in mid-November), and I still haven't managed a regular practice time. Fortunately this music is much more doable than last season's array of difficult music, so it is easier to manage on my minimal practicing, but there is still a lot of work to do. My work schedule remains overwhelming, so it is hard to squeeze in the time, but I really need to do it.
In other news, a group of about nine cellists have agreed to get together after orchestra ends to play Christmas carols at nursing homes. We will only have a couple of weeks of rehearsal for this, but we've got some easy music, and some music that we've played together before in smaller groups. The nine cellists have played together in several cello quartets over the past 8 or 10 years. I'm really looking forward to this!
In other news, a group of about nine cellists have agreed to get together after orchestra ends to play Christmas carols at nursing homes. We will only have a couple of weeks of rehearsal for this, but we've got some easy music, and some music that we've played together before in smaller groups. The nine cellists have played together in several cello quartets over the past 8 or 10 years. I'm really looking forward to this!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Fiddling through the Earthquake
As the members of the fiddle group (2 fiddles, guitar, tin whistle, bodhran, cello) readied ourselves to play at 2 PM on Tuesday, outside in the ArtMarket, the Washington DC-based earthquake struck the town. I wish I could say that the earth moved when we started to play, but, honestly, none of us felt a thing.
We were probably too engrosed in our first "public" concert. We had performed twice before, both for large family parties hosted by the leader of our group, but this was the first time we were out in public. It wasn't really a concert--there were no chairs set up for people to sit down and listen, but our music was amplified and sent throughout the art fair, so everyone could hear. There is a grassy area in front of the musicians so that people could sit there (some did), but music at the fair is mostly background music.
We had prepared (to varying degrees) lots of music for this 2 and a half hour concert, and for the most part it went well. I probably made a mistake in every tune though. Some more than others. Some because I knew the "hard part" was coming up and froze, some because I was thinking, "This is going well...."
Our list of music did not last the full 2 and a half hours, and when we started at the top of the list again, I felt I was playing better, more relaxed, less inclined to give in to the "hard parts." A friend in the group assured me that no one heard my mistakes. Maybe. But I knew they were there.
Initially we got no response from the audience. No applause, no one looking and smiling, no one coming over to say something nice, as had happened the previous week with the classical group. Then, midway through, people started show some interest (in part families and friends of the players). But a man asked if he could videotape us ("My mother would love this!"), promising he would not put it on YouTube. We said sure, and played our best "Over the Waterfall" for him. I noticed someone else videotaping too. I tried to look pleasant, as I am frequently scowling in photos of my playing the cello.
All in all, it was fun and the weather was gorgeous. I am looking forward to the next time, hoping to weed out a few more errors.
We were probably too engrosed in our first "public" concert. We had performed twice before, both for large family parties hosted by the leader of our group, but this was the first time we were out in public. It wasn't really a concert--there were no chairs set up for people to sit down and listen, but our music was amplified and sent throughout the art fair, so everyone could hear. There is a grassy area in front of the musicians so that people could sit there (some did), but music at the fair is mostly background music.
We had prepared (to varying degrees) lots of music for this 2 and a half hour concert, and for the most part it went well. I probably made a mistake in every tune though. Some more than others. Some because I knew the "hard part" was coming up and froze, some because I was thinking, "This is going well...."
Our list of music did not last the full 2 and a half hours, and when we started at the top of the list again, I felt I was playing better, more relaxed, less inclined to give in to the "hard parts." A friend in the group assured me that no one heard my mistakes. Maybe. But I knew they were there.
Initially we got no response from the audience. No applause, no one looking and smiling, no one coming over to say something nice, as had happened the previous week with the classical group. Then, midway through, people started show some interest (in part families and friends of the players). But a man asked if he could videotape us ("My mother would love this!"), promising he would not put it on YouTube. We said sure, and played our best "Over the Waterfall" for him. I noticed someone else videotaping too. I tried to look pleasant, as I am frequently scowling in photos of my playing the cello.
All in all, it was fun and the weather was gorgeous. I am looking forward to the next time, hoping to weed out a few more errors.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Where Did the Summer Go?
Ok, we still have a couple of weeks of summer, but it has slipped by so quickly. Our end-of-summer performance that was so far in the future is this Tuesday. This will be the fiddling group concert. The classical music quartet performed last Tuesday.
Both performances were/are at an outdoor art fair, where people do not actually sit down and listen to us, but get to hear us amplified throughout the entire craft fair. There's no escape for them. I have pretty much gotten over my "don't mike me" attitude, having been convinced by the "when in doubt, play out" school of performing that a strong, resonant, robust wrong note is better than a scratchy, tentative, wimpy right note. That, and we have improved.
Our recent quartet performance, a 2-and-a-half-hour gig, was much better than our June concert. We did have a few breakdowns, but nothing terribly dramatic, and some pieces we played better than ever. Pachelbel's Canon, for instance. As you may know, the cello part for this is the same 8 notes over and over and over and over again. And, even though I have them memorized, I read from the sheet music so I know where we are, even though I admit this is silly.
One of our flute players has had problems with the piece, and we omitted it from our June performance. This time we decided to go for it. The flutists played perfectly. My mind wandered and I got lost, briefly. The viola player also got lost, but she is a great improviser, and found her way to the end.
Because there wasn't really an audience, there was no formal applause after each piece, though we did get intermittent applause and yells of appreciation, and some people came over to tell us they enjoyed our playing, pleased to hear chamber music outside.
I don't remember if Pachelbel's Canon got any applause, but more important for me was our satisfaction in playing a mostly intact version of it. In addition, we played Haydn's London Trio, no. 1; a long-time favorite, Handel's Water Music excerpts, a new favorite; Ash Grove, Simple Gifts, Sellinger's Round, works by Boismortier, Wiseman, some Rodgers and Hammerstein show tunes, and more. We prepared a lot of music for this event, given its length. We only had to repead a couple of short pieces to round out the 2 1/2 hours.
This Tuesday, it's 2 1/2 hours of fiddle tunes! This is a women's fiddle group with fiddles, guitar, tin whistle, mandolin, and me on cello. We use sheet music, which I love because it is hard for me to memorize so many fiddle tunes and harmony parts. But I have probably spent more time transposing fiddle parts and working out playable arrangements (simplifying the fast runs, figuring out which octave works best, etc.) than I have practicing.
Practicing--a good idea! I will do it now!
Both performances were/are at an outdoor art fair, where people do not actually sit down and listen to us, but get to hear us amplified throughout the entire craft fair. There's no escape for them. I have pretty much gotten over my "don't mike me" attitude, having been convinced by the "when in doubt, play out" school of performing that a strong, resonant, robust wrong note is better than a scratchy, tentative, wimpy right note. That, and we have improved.
Our recent quartet performance, a 2-and-a-half-hour gig, was much better than our June concert. We did have a few breakdowns, but nothing terribly dramatic, and some pieces we played better than ever. Pachelbel's Canon, for instance. As you may know, the cello part for this is the same 8 notes over and over and over and over again. And, even though I have them memorized, I read from the sheet music so I know where we are, even though I admit this is silly.
One of our flute players has had problems with the piece, and we omitted it from our June performance. This time we decided to go for it. The flutists played perfectly. My mind wandered and I got lost, briefly. The viola player also got lost, but she is a great improviser, and found her way to the end.
Because there wasn't really an audience, there was no formal applause after each piece, though we did get intermittent applause and yells of appreciation, and some people came over to tell us they enjoyed our playing, pleased to hear chamber music outside.
I don't remember if Pachelbel's Canon got any applause, but more important for me was our satisfaction in playing a mostly intact version of it. In addition, we played Haydn's London Trio, no. 1; a long-time favorite, Handel's Water Music excerpts, a new favorite; Ash Grove, Simple Gifts, Sellinger's Round, works by Boismortier, Wiseman, some Rodgers and Hammerstein show tunes, and more. We prepared a lot of music for this event, given its length. We only had to repead a couple of short pieces to round out the 2 1/2 hours.
This Tuesday, it's 2 1/2 hours of fiddle tunes! This is a women's fiddle group with fiddles, guitar, tin whistle, mandolin, and me on cello. We use sheet music, which I love because it is hard for me to memorize so many fiddle tunes and harmony parts. But I have probably spent more time transposing fiddle parts and working out playable arrangements (simplifying the fast runs, figuring out which octave works best, etc.) than I have practicing.
Practicing--a good idea! I will do it now!
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