I am feeling nervous. This is a fiddlers performance, as part of a weekend musical festival here in town. Our group is on first. I will play cello. I know melodies for handful of tunes (maybe five) for memory on the cello (and have played others on the fiddle so have a general idea of how to play them), but on most tunes, I will improvise a backup, focusing on staying with the guitar. We don't know the list of tunes we will play in advance, which just adds to the excitement.
Fortunately, this is one of the most welcoming groups I have ever played in, so I expect the nervousness to disappear and that things will go well. We are playing inside, in a hall that has plenty of folding chairs, so I will not be bringing my new cello chair.
Unfortunately, I can't practice much today, due to work deadlines.
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- Maricello
- I play classical, folk, and fiddle music on the cello. I began as an adult and also play flute, write, and dabble in art.
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2 comments:
How exciting! Good luck with the performance. What do you do for your improvised backup? I played with a fiddling group a couple times and all I could figure out to do was play root notes of the chords. It got pretty boring.
Thanks! I have collected numerous books on cello fiddling and accompaniment so use some techniques based on my smattering of knowledge of legitimate music theory, some techniques based on back-porch "if it feels good, play it" philosophy, some sort-of walking bass patterns, and some other methods, such as playing a couple of measures in a tune I sort of know, and then just waiting until those measures come around again, and playing them again. Sometimes, I actually play a couple of measures of another tune in the midst of a tune I don't know.
Yes, sometimes I play boring stuff too, to take a break, or play nearly inaudible pizzacato. But I am looking at it as an onward and upward process. Eventually I will work out some great accompaniments, add those chops and grooves, and take my turn when the solos go around. :-)
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