VibrAAaaAAaaAAto!

Since my last lesson, I have been working on smooth bowing and quick string transitions. Kristiana gave me some exercises, like bowing finger one on each string back and forth, to improve on these. She noticed that I was doing a lot of "bow crossing" (accidentally bowing on two strings) while playing harder songs. I need to focus on keeping my bow very parallel to the ground to avoid that.

Kristiana also taught me to play vibrato even though my skill level isn't high enough to play it nicely yet. Beginners usually only play vibrato on half or whole notes, but she said that she plays it on almost every note because it comes so naturally. To play vibrato, you twist your wrist back and forth to roll your finger and make a controlled wavering pitch. It's very pretty and can really enhance a legato piece with longer notes.

Unfortunately, Kristiana can't find the piano book of accompaniments for the little cello songs I have learned, so I won't be able to record those ones together. I do, however, have music for the cello and piano of Say Something by A Great Big World. This one is harder to play because it has extended positions beyond the first position that I've learned, but I really want to play it for my class presentation so I'm going to try.

There's only one more week of classes left! My last project goal is to present to my Bible class about what I have learned through pursuing my passion.