Goal Adjustments...

Although I am making progress, it doesn't look like I will be reaching all of my goals for this project. Putting together a music video will not be happening, but I will still work towards recording piano accompaniments for the pieces I am learning on cello. I've asked Kristiana to scan and send me songs that come with piano music, so I will get started with those soon.  

I've had two more Skype lessons with Kristiana since my last blog update. She has been excellent at correcting my mistakes and teaching me new skills to improve my technique and sound quality. 

- Phrases begin with a down bow (pulling the bow to the right). You continue with an up bow (pushing the bow to the left) and repeat down and up throughout the song. Unless playing staccato, which I haven't done yet, keep the bow always moving smoothly.

http://forum.makemusic.com/default.aspx?f=5&m=336012 

- All the fingers above the position being played should be resting on the string. This is a hard one to follow because my fingers tend to tense and curl up when I'm focusing on the music.

- The left thumb needs to be very loose on the neck of the cello. Originally I was touching the neck with the pad and inner part of my thumb, but Kristiana says the side of the thumb tip should be the only thing touching. This will help me loosen my grip!

- The bow doesn't need much pressure to make a sound on the string. Pushing down too hard makes the growly noise that I've been trying to get rid of.

As soon as Kristiana sends them through, I'll post some of the music I will be working on this week.

Busy as a Bee

Life is so busy! 

This week will be especially busy as I attempt to keep up with my job, schoolwork, student council planning, fundraising for 30 Hour Famine, playing semi-final and final soccer games, performing at my piano recital, applying for scholarships, travel plans for next year, and on top of it all- practicing cello! I have decided that I will practice cello for at least 15 minutes every day so that it doesn't slip through the cracks.

So, as I enter this action packed week, I need to remember that God is the one who sustains me. It turns out that music is very therapeutic when I find myself feeling overwhelmed and stressed about the things I need to accomplish. David is the perfect role model for me to follow. He was a wonderful musician and composer now that I think about it. I wish every Psalm that says, "For the director of music: A song of David." there would be a stack of sheet music in the Bible so I could hear the melody too! He honestly made music to God for every up and down in his life and expressed every emotion he felt... ever! I love it!

Here's some wise words of David to guide me this week:

2 Samuel 22:1
David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

 

Psalm 108:1

My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

 

Psalm 18:28-34

Oh Lord, you give me light;

you dispel my darkness.

You give me strength to attack my enemies

and power to overcome their defense.

 

This God- how perfect are his deeds!

How dependable his words!

for all who seek his protection.

The Lord alone is God;

God alone is our defense.

 

He is the God who makes me strong,

who makes my pathway safe.

 

He makes me sure-footed as a deer;

he keeps me safe on the mountains.

He trains me for battle,

so that I can use the strongest bow.  (cello bows included) :P

This is a great video about the Landfill Harmonics!
Another cellist from Paraguay is featured at 27 seconds :)

Landfill Harmonic

Believe it or not, my learning to play cello has already enriched the way I experience music.

On Sunday I was excited to see the Landfill Harmonic Recycled Orchestra perform at NKMB church. They are a group of students from Paraguay who have been a part of a remarkable program in their community. Living in the poorest slum of Cateura, these students (along with devoted teachers) began making orchestral instruments out of garbage from the landfill. The orchestra grew with the help of the Global Family Foundation and is currently on tour in Canada to raise money for a community centre back home.

The orchestra played alone and together with the MBCI band which was really cool. They had a musician from each band who played the same instrument come up and play together. The recycled alto saxophone sounded almost identical to the shiny new one that we would play in Canada.



Photo Credit to Rebecca Bertrand
and the providenceplace blog


 I especially enjoyed hearing from the girl who played the recycled cello. The body of her cello was a 30 litre oil can, the neck and scroll were carved wood from an old pallet, but I believe the bow and strings were commercially made. She was just as happy playing her cello made literally from garbage as I am playing my new one! It's so beautiful how music can bring joy to everyone- no matter their circumstances.

The musicians were waiting in the back to show people their instruments as we left the concert, and I fought the crowds to get to see the girl who played the cello. Although she couldn't speak much English, she understood that I had just started learning and handed it over for me to play! I was honoured to play her instrument- it was a great moment that I won't ever forget!

I could go on and on about the musicianship and uniqueness of this orchestra, but I'll leave it at that today.
It's interesting that until now, I haven't though of my piano, cello, and trombone as possessions God has blessed me with. Access and money to buy instruments has definitely made it on to my "Thank you God" list!

The keys of a recycled alto saxophone.
Photo Credit to Rebecca Bertrand
and the providenceplace blog

Piano Hands

I have tried to get to my cello at least every other day this week, and guess what? - I'm improving! My fingers are settling into the proper positions and I have made it through Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star without having to repeat notes to fix the tuning. My G major scale is coming along nicely as well.

Since I have not yet planned another lesson with Kristiana, I decided to find another song on my own. I printed off Beethoven's Ode to Joy and was excited to get started learning it. After I tuned and was all set up to play I realized that I didn't really know enough to figure out the positions for each note of the song. I printing a simple fingering chart so I could write in the finger positions that I didn't already know. Problem solved :)

Up to this point I've mostly been plucking (aka playing pizzicato) when I practice. It is easier to make a consistently rich sound this way, the only downside is the raw blister I'm getting on my pointer finger. I've started bowing the scales and Twinkle, Twinkle little star but it doesn't sound great. It seems that my left hand messes up when I'm thinking about bowing, and when I shift focus to my finger placement my bowing quality goes down.

I'd like to get better at bowing this week so that I can at least save one of my soft piano hands and start focussing more on more technical pieces. It seems there's no hope for my left hand though, that one will just have to toughen up!