Reviewing Art

I met with a local artist this morning to discuss guidelines for artists and others who want to write art reviews. She brought some reviews that had run in the paper, and I brought some guidelines that I had found online.

Here are some thoughts we had:

1. Reviews should support the local arts.
2. Reviews should be honest and served the readers' needs for information about the show.
3. Reviews should contain constructive criticism.
4. Reviews should be educational for the reader (and probably for the writer).
5. Reviews might include interviews with the artist(s) about their methods, intent, process, and background; thoughts on other issues like framing, hanging arrangement, and setting; and personal opinion, so long as it is supported.
6. Descriptions of art should use art terms and concepts--rather than simply saying it was a lovely painting of a beautiful sunset.
7. I suggested 700 words, though longer or shorter could be fine. When I first started writing music reviews, they were 1200 words, but now I try to keep them under 900, aiming at 600 or 700.

It's a start.

Busy Summer!

I just noticed that NaBloPoMo's theme for September is "art." I haven't posted in ages, but art and the arts is a theme I can relate to. So, I will try to resume this cello blog.

It has been a busy summer. I have been to countless plays, concerts, and art exhibits. Well, I could probably count them. Probably 2 or 3 a week. Not so overwhelming, except that I review them for the newspaper, and that does tend to take longer than the actual event.

Reviewing the local art scene, as a person without a specific education in the arts, can be challenging. One wants to support the arts, yet, at the same time, provide reliable information to those who spend money on tickets to plays and concerts. Art gallery receptions are free, and there are usually refreshments.

Sometimes the music is great, but way too loud. Sometimes the acting is great, but the play is insipid or hopelessly dated. Sometimes the audience loves it, and I don't. Sometimes, I am completely awed, but at a loss for words.

I sometimes ask others to write reviews for me--if there are multiple events on the same night, or if I feel another person is better qualified. So, I am in the process of putting together some guidelines for other reviewers, and will share my thoughts on writing reviews over the month of September.

(NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, which used to be only in November, but has been every month, with themes, for a couple of years now.)

I am still playing the cello, still taking lessons, still playing with several groups: a trio of cellists, a group of fiddlers, and a community orchestra. More on all of this another time. Orchestra starts a week from today.

There's a Cello App for That!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to change my cell phone service. I really didn't use my cell phone much. For one thing, I didn't have service at home, so my cell phone number wasn't a reliable communication device. I liked the GPS that I paid $25 extra per month for, and finally came to the realization that I should get a separate GPS device, and cut my cell phone service down to the bare minimum.

Still, I was intrigued by what my son and daughter could do with their cell phones, including connect to Facebook and e-mail. So I asked the helpful young man in Radioshack to show me what other options I had, since I really couldn't made head or tail of the multitudes of different kinds of phones listed on my cell phone provider's website.

He showed me his iPhone, and, after I realized that it was actually cheaper than my old cell phone service, I switched to AT&T. I have only had the phone a short time, so I am no expert, but there are a multitude of apps that are particularly useful for cellists (and other musicians).

I bought a tuner app to have one on hand in case I forgot to bring my tuner to a rehearsal. At $4, this is one of the most expensive apps I have purchased. Most of the ones I use are free. It is an amazing device, and very sensitive. I prefer it to my $60 tuner.

You can also get a metronome. I chose a free one. Last week, we timed our concert pieces with the stop watch app that comes with the iPhone. You can record audio or video with the phone. At my lesson, last week, I recorded my teacher demonstrating how to practice a tricky passage, and I can play it back any time I want, right from my phone. The audio quality is very good.

You keep track of your rehearsals, lessons, concerts, and other events with the built-in calendar, which is very useful for me, because I go to a lot of concerts, plays, and art shows at different locations (I review them for the paper). It is much better than my former system of writing events, times, and addresses down on scraps of paper. There are also GPS systems built in. The free ones are not as fancy as the one I had on my other phone, but such systems are available for purchase. There seem to be a zillion of them, so I haven't figured out which one is best yet, and the free ones are just fine for local use.

You can get apps that turn your iPhone into a cello (at least three, all functioning differently) so you can make music wherever you are. Here is an example of ThumbJam's cello from YouTube. It seems best for New Age, jazz and improvisation, though I have been working on "French Folk Song," and will post it if I can. (You can get different effects on this app, like staccato.) This video shows cello (sound by Zoe Keating) along with several other instruments, including the flute, which has a nice sound quality on ThumbJam.



Here is another amazing app called String Trio that turns your phone into a stringed instrument. I haven't tried this one yet. Looks interesting!



You can buy sheet music apps which display sheet music on your phone. I have not seen any sheet music specifically for cello, but have seen it for flute and piano. I don't know how one is supposed to read the sheet music. It is quite tiny on an iPhone, but I'll bet it looks good on an iPad!

There are music tutorials and learning games, including flashcard-like programs to teach the tenor clef, rhythm, chords, or whatever you need to learn. There are record-keeping and list-making apps that could be used to track your practicing, or your gigs, or your sheet music or CD collection.

The iPhone has a built-in iPod. I had an iPod-type device a few years ago, but could not figure out how to find music on it. It was a little too touch-sensitive for me. This one is great and I am gladdened and amazed by it and by other music services like Pandora Radio (which, if you have not found it on the Internet or your phone, is just wonderful, and you should stop everything and try it out. You type in the name of a favorite artist or composer or composition and it plays an endless stream of music by that artist or composer or like that composition, and related music that you will probably also like).

It reminds me of that day, long, long ago, when I bought my first transistor radio, for $10, I think (which was a lot of money way back then), and suddenly could have music everywhere. But, as I was perhaps the last person on the planet to get an iPod, you probably know how wonderful an iPod can be.

I wondered if there might be a music stand light app, and found flashlight apps. I downloaded a free one, which is kind of dim, but can help you find your way in the dark, and looks like it would be great for those times I have to take notes in a pitch-black theater. I have used a regular cell phone to light my way, but the advantage to these flashlight apps is that they stay on; you don't have to keep closing and opening your phone.

Some of the items that could be replaced by my iPhone: clockwise, camera, tuner, metronome, stopwatch, audio recorder, and video recorder. This photo was take with my iPhone.

About the only thing I haven't found is a music stand app, but the way things are going, I am sure there will be a levitation app before long that will allow your iPhone to float in front of your eyes, hands free.

An extra bonus, for me, is that my new iPhone actually works in my house so I can actually use it as a phone too.

Still Playing Cello

I haven't written in months, but thought I would check back in to confirm that yes, I am still playing cello. Life has been busy though, and I don't have much real cello progress to report.

I am focusing on improving intonation, vibrato, and general cello technique, rather than  trying to keep up with cello orchestra music for now. I do love to play with others though and several of us have gotten together to play cello. The composition of the group has changed a bit since we started in the fall, but now we seem to have a stable cello trio, and lots of music to explore: classical, folk, fiddle, and Irish arrangements at the moment. We established the group with the idea that we would have regular coaching from a cello teacher, but we haven't brought the coach in yet.

As sort of a substitute for coaching, I have been videotaping the group with my new FlipVideo camera. Watching (and listening to) the tape is a real eye-opener (and ear-opener). And, no, I am not going to post any of the videos here yet!

As always, I need more time to practice, but the trio has been great fun, and wonderful motivation.

Catching Up with Orchestra and More....

It has been a long time since I have written a post, and a lot to catch up on.

When I last wrote, I was in the Cape Community Orchestra, preparing for a concert. I was one of seven cellists, because the CCO is not an auditioned group and seems happy to take anyone. Even with seven of us, we seemed dwarfed by the brass section.

We had a couple of easy pieces, a couple of challenging pieces, and one nearly impossible piece (The Hebrides, by Mendelssohn). At first I concentrated on the Hebrides, learning a couple of measures at each lesson. That part was fun, seeing an impossible section suddenly become playable with the proper fingering. But, in between lessons, I did not find time to practice, so the work was for naught, or next-to-naught, because even if I could play those sections, I couldn't play most of them fast enough. I loved the music, and with sufficient time to practice, might have become more proficient, but "sufficient" time was not at hand.

Some weeks I didn't practice at all. I didn't even think about practicing. It is not like I though, gee, I should practice, right after I finish this pressing project. It just didn't even occur to me to practice, until I suddenly realized that orchestra rehearsal was the next day.

After a while, when I realized the concert was almost upon us, I changed my strategy and decided to work on the easy and intermediate pieces so I would be able to play most of the concert relatively fluently. For the Hebrides, I did what I could, often playing the first note of a 4-note run, rather than all of them. For me, this was a good idea, to focus on focusing: riveting my attention to counting, and getting the first note of each group of four 16th notes, so that, at least, I would know where we were. I didn't get lost, and that is a good thing, even if I didn't play every note.

I wavered for a while, but finally decided not to continue with the orchestra in the spring season. My work schedule just won't allow it at this time. But, more than that, I have found orchestra playing not to be conducive to working on a beautiful tone, or to getting every note, two priorities for me. It is too easy in orchestra to fake it during certain passages. With seven cellos overwhelmed by several trumpets, saxophones, and tubas, how beautifully one might play a particular passage is not really a concern (at least in the back row of cellos).

I think my focus, for the next "semester," will be on myself, my own playing. I haven't given up on ensembles though. I love ensembles. I will continue to play in the fiddle group (more on that in another post) and am seeking to establish a cello choir here, perhaps with a stray flute or violin (more on that later too--we are playing tomorrow at an informal concert at an assisted living center: 3 cellos, a violin, a flute, and an alto flute. We haven't really rehearsed. The concert is sort of an open rehearsal, but I expect it to be just dandy!)

Meanwhile, I am still playing with the beginning/intermediate piano students, to give them experience in playing accompaniment, and to give me practice in playing with a pianist. I noticed one time that one of the pianists complimented one of the students for being able to follow me when I stumbled, or words to that effect. I refrained from telling her that it was me who was trying to follow the pianist.

When I first started playing with a pianist, for my Suzuki book recitals, I had to memorize my Suzuki pieces and perform with the pianist. This was too much for me, to play from memory and know the piano part as well, and know how it all fit in together. I managed to get by, at least in the beginning, by blotting out the piano, and just playing, trusting the pianist to follow me. And she did. Now, it is nice to have a sense of the pianist and how a piece should sound when we play together.

Listening to the piano recitals has encouraged me to try piano again, and I am happy to say I learned "Joy to the World" on piano and played it at the recital last week at a nursing home. I play it incessantly now and am even thinking of learning another Christmas piece on the piano, before the holidays are over.

Have a joyful and musical holiday!

Seylan Baxter and Cheyenne Brown

I "met" Scottish folk cellist Seylan Baxter through this blog a couple of years ago when she commented on my posts about attending Scottish fiddle camp. She sent me a copy of her cello and harp CD, "2:40" (with harpist Cheyenne Brown, originally from Alaska, but now living in Scotland), and I was an immediate fan. The name of the CD refers to the 2 performers, and the 40 strings they play.

So, when I learned they would be relatively close, at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, Rhode Island, on their first U.S. tour, I drove the 70 miles to see them. It was a dark and stormy night, and I could barely find my way home through the torrential rains after the show, but it was a concert well worth seeing; I loved every minute of it.

I find it hard to describe Scottish folk music; it is fiddle music, Celtic music, but with an earthiness to it (perhaps the cello), a solidness and rustic flavor that appeals to me. The cello and harp are not a traditional instrumental duo, and the cello is not traditionally a solo instrument in Scottish music, but Seylan and Cheyenne make you believe that these two instruments, and Scottish music, belong together, and that the cello clearly deserves a starring role. The two instruments, the two young women, share the musical spotlight, and they were quite amiable and congenial as performers. In addition to playing the cello, Seylan sings; she has a wonderful voice, especially good for ballads.

I talked to them both after the show, and they said they hope to return next year for another U.S. tour. The Cumberland audience was wildly enthusiastic about their playing, and I think U.S. audiences will be very happy to see them again.

Seylan uses many contemporary techniques in her cello playing, chopping, rhythmic slapping of the wood, sliding up and down the string, pizzicato, and more. Seylan started out as a classical cellist, switching to Scottish folk music while in college. She did not learn by ear immediately, and had to work on that skill. She encouraged me in my continuing efforts to learn by ear. She was doing a cello workshop the day after the concert in Arlington, MA, and I wish that I had been able to attend (I had a fiddling commitment of my own and another concert to attend). Maybe next year!

The first think you notice about her playing is, of course, that she plays standing up, her cello balanced on a chair. Cheyenne stands as well, her harp elevated a few inches to make this possible. I talked to Seylan about the standing, and asked why she played that way, and whether it was difficult. She said she started doing it because she was often the only one sitting. She experimented with different methods, including strapping on an electric cello, but using a chair turned out to be the easiest thing to do. Some other fiddlers use a longer end-pin or other methods.

Not believing her, I gave it a try at home. It is easy to play this way, and I think the sound is more voluminous. Could be just from where I was in relationship to the cello, but I asked my husband for his opinion, and he agreed that I had a bigger sound when I was standing. I might have to explore this further.

It was a great concert; it was wonderful to see and hear Seylan and Cheyenne, and I hope they expand their tour next year to include a Cape Cod venue and cello workshop. There was one cellist (me) and one harpist in the audience in Rhode Island, and I think there would be many more of each on the Cape.

I am glad to have discovered the Blackstone River Theatre, a small 100-seat theater that offers a folk concert series, mostly Celtic music. I hope to go back again on December 5, when the Jeremy Kittel Band is playing. I have actually never heard of them, but cellist Tristan Clarridge plays with this group. (He is also in Crooked Still, another alternative folk, bluegrass group I enjoy.)

Orchestra semi-progress

It has been a busy summer and fall, and I have not written much here. Nor have I practiced much. For several weeks I continued to go to my lesson and orchestra rehearsal with NO practicing in between. Appalling. Especially given how much I need to practice. Now, in the last few days (I am on vacation from one of my jobs), I have found a little time to practice, and to blog again.

I am playing with a community orchestra, which I mentioned in an earlier post. Most of the music is easy, though a couple of pieces have challenging sections, and one, "The Hebrides," by Mendelssohn, does require a lot of practice. I have, thus far, concentrated my itty bitty practice time on "The Hebrides," as it is a beautiful piece and I would like to contribute to some of that beauty. But, it has been frustrating, as some of the fingerings are quite awkward, and the music flies by. One could spend one's entire practice time on a couple of measures.

So, my new strategy is to practice the easy pieces, to build my confidence. And then sneak in a few measures of the Hebrides. So far (two practice days), it is helping, and it is certainly a better approach than avoiding practicing altogether. Concerts are in November, all too soon.

Also in November I am going to a weekend fiddle camp. I haven't been practicing fiddle music either. But that's another blog post for another day.