Highly Strung

Strings and bridge height

2009-03-15T15:18:00.002Z

My quest to find the perfect 'A' string for my particular cello - English, 1862 - has taken a turn for the better, I think.

A few months ago I had coffee with a new friend who just happens to be a professional cellist, and she gently suggested my bridge was too low. At the time I had just put on a set of Pirastro Aricore. To me they sounded lovely, except for the 'A', which was extraordinary, all grating, 'wowing' and WRONG! My supplier obligingly sent me a replacement which was equally bad, so I came to the conclusion that the A was definitely not for my particular instrument, although my teacher loves all four of her Aricores. (She has an English cello as well, circa 1820s.) Even when my luthier made a higher bridge for the Perlon core Aricores, the A was unplayable.

In the course of an internet search for another string I filled in the 'assessment form' Pirastro has on their site, and amazingly, they sent 2 'A's for me to try - free of charge!! One was Obligato and the other, Synoxa. I tried them both and sent Pirastro my comments. Neither were right, both having either a very bad wolf or the same problem the Aricore had, or were far too shrill on my instrument.

Imagine my amazement when I got yet another string, this time one that (I think) is not yet on the market! It sounds amazing on my instrument. Those higher notes that I steel myself to play, are rich and resonant . I have had the string now for 3 weeks and it is stable in every way, in my humble opinion. I can't thank Pirastro enough. They have saved me a lot of money in trial and error. I only hope it comes onto the market before I need a replacement. It blends quite nicely with my Aricore 'D', but when it is available, I shall buy the A and D - if not the whole set!

It says 'Ring Gelb' on the packet, by the way.

Now I have to ask my luthier about bridge height again as this is not Perlon core. And what happens if I have a 1 or 2 Perlon and 1 or 2 "steel/chrome steel" mix? Maybe it is something I should ask Pirastro! I have never noticed advice on bridge height when looking at string info.

Right shoulder pain

2009-03-03T17:52:00.002Z

In the New Year I began to get a niggling pain in my right shoulder, under the shoulder blade. It has rapidly got worse, and I am wondering if anyone else has had something similar and blames it on faulty bowing habits. It goes down my arm and into the 3rd and 4th fingers. I am taking paracetamol to the daily limit, having tried various other analgesics. Anti-inflammatories don't touch it. The funny thing is, it hurts when I am still, and is greatly relieved by constantly moving. It is not stiff in the morning, though I wake up in the night with it. I went to the GP last week and he sent me for x-rays, but the results won't be with him for another week. (Cheers for the good old NHS!). Playing the cello causes no pain.

Has anyone had this? It is jolly painful. I hope it does not mean I have to rest it and stop playing for my usual hour or so a day. I should be grateful for any advice.

Cello scrotum? It’s a load of . . . nonsense, admits Baroness Murphy - Times Online

2009-02-01T16:05:00.001Z

Hello there....... if anyone at all still looks at this blog which I have neglected disgracefully for the past few months ! I thought this article may 'tickle your fancy', as we say in the UK.

I intend to write some more in the near future as there are one or two celloing issues that I would like an opinion on. Happily, being a woman I can relax over the truth or not of the article below!

Cello scrotum? It’s a load of . . . nonsense, admits Baroness Murphy - Times Online

Nothing to play on - but the band played on - Times Online

2008-03-11T13:44:00.000Z

Nothing to play on - but the band played on - Times Online

Intelligent practise - wrong sections

2008-03-08T19:30:00.005Z

Another orchestra session rather like a Magical Mystery Tour - which is a bit unfair having read Yarnplayer's thoughtful comment! I had dutifully practised difficult phrases, fingering, timings etc. Singing, clapping, as well. I homed in on certain passages and really concentrated on them rather than practising the whole lot. What happened? We did not touch any of them! We went full tilt into the fast passages which I had saved for the future! Arrh well, I suppose I did not do too badly having (almost) mastered the technique of playing the beat notes and letting the genius section fill in the rest. Afterwards, I, and one of the other cellists, about the same standard as myself, went to her house and played some duets together for an hour or so. It was really enjoyable, and we plan to do it again in about 3 weeks' time.

In the "Will I ever make it?" stage....again

2008-03-01T15:40:00.002Z

I've just returned from orchestra and we sight read some of our new pieces. Tenor clef all over the place, four sharps, dodgy timing, 'presto' final movement - all the usual crisis factors. If there was ever something that makes months appear to dissolve into seconds, it's the contemplation of practising sundry pieces of music way over one's ability and personal experience and expectations in order to perform them in public in the fairly near future. And yet we do it, don't we? Twice a year this crisis turns miraculously into triumphant joy when we've actually performed in the concert, and the family and friends cheer and clap and we sink back and say, "Yes, it was worth it". And then it starts all over again!

This time we will be playing The Gordion Knot Untied by Henry Purcell, Salut d'Amour, Chanson de Matin and Chanson de Nuit all by Elgar, and the Prague Symphony by Mozart.

I am resolved not to panic and put my recent study day on Practice to good use. Thus, I am calmly wading through the short Elgar pieces organising the fingering, identifying trouble spots to concentrate on, listening to the cds whilst reading my part, singing, clapping etc. And then I go to orchestra, and we don't touch them. We do the Mozart instead! Actually that is not entirely true. This week we did touch on them but so often we don't do what I have been expecting and practising. Never mind. It is all in expectation of the final triumph!

Thanks for the practice tips

2008-02-13T22:02:00.002Z

I've been catching up on the cello blogs I regularly read and am really impressed at how many of you are going into details on aspects for practice. I have made a list - at last- of the posts I want to refer to again. Some of the comments on particular entries are really useful as well. I find it quite difficult to take it all in in one reading but have never, until now, made a note of where to find them again, and time goes on....

Anyway, thank you all, especially GGP.,Guanaco, Terry, Emily, Marisa, Cellodonna, Erin and others.

The concert last Saturday went really well. We had a long practice beforehand, were freezing cold as the heating seemed to be non-existent, but in the end overcame any obstacles and really enjoyed the occasion. I had made the decision some time ago that fast passages that were beyond me I would modify and as a result I did not get lost, did not go out of tune and felt confident. Best of all, no one seemed to notice!

We're really very healthy!

2008-02-03T19:17:00.000Z

I decided to spring clean our medecine cupboard recently and here, dear reader, you see what I found! I hasten to explain these were all the old homeopathic tablets accumulated over 35 years! They are meant to last for ever, but enough is enough, and they could not possibly be reliable after all this time. My husband took them to the chemist shop for disposal and I never asked what the reaction was when they saw the quantity! I am rather more meticulous with the regular disposal of the usual type of medication, and so I should be as a nurse/midwife. I feel quite ashamed. Anyway, now my cupboard is almost empty and I feel self-satisfied at creating space in there. This is my long term goal - to gradually work my way through the house weeding out, rationalizing, filing , recycling and disposing. My husband is looking decidedly nervous, but I think I'll keep him!

Yesterday was the last Saturday before our concert. It went well. The harpist arrived for the Mozart flute and harp Concerto, and it was really lovely. At one point our conductor praised the cellos and then looked horrified and said," I've broken a cardinal rule, 'Never praise the cellos if you ever want them to play pianissimo again'! It's just as bad as smiling at the brass"!

Musical bears

2008-01-18T15:22:00.000Z

These chaps sit and listen to me celloing every day so it seemed fair to give them a bit of publicity!

I have not commented on my progress recently since being taken up with the Violin Saga. Now that my son has collected the third and, this time, full size violin, from our worthy luthier, I can concentrate on my shiny new bow. Practices are certainly going well, although my general novice status is still very apparent, of course. "Rome was not built in a day...". However, the different balance point on the bow is helping it to stay down on the strings during the 'presto' passages. I think I am going to re-hash my practice sessions and do what everyone advises...namely start very slowly and try not to speed up until my playing is relying to a much greater degree on my 'muscle memory'. I am inclined to rush away thinking, "I've got to speed up for orchestra on Saturday", and end up doing a scrappy job. I fear it is too late for this next concert in early February , but we live and learn and next time......I'll blow their socks off!

"You wait ages for a bus and then three come along at once"

2008-01-10T15:36:00.000Z

Can you believe this? F was delighted with the 3/4 size and 1/2 size violins found in a rubbish skip and has been trying them out with the children and having fun. Then 2 days ago a neighbour of M's who were moving house heard from her the tale of the treasure in the skip and came round with this model you see above! Full size, attractively dullish rather than glossy and looking used and elderly. Perfect! Our worthy luthier opened up for us yesterday evening and said it is probably German, and just over 100 years old and worth several hundred pounds when smartened up. It is now residing with him having a makeover and Fergus will pick it up next week. The final miracle is that our luthier, Peter V., is donating a 3rd bow to the cause! (If you click on the picture you will see the bow is having a 'bad hair day'!) When he knew Fergus wanted to play fiddle music, he said he would adjust the sound post and put on strings suitable for fiddling. Three violins in as many weeks....for free! The last one is The One, and we are spending some money on it but not so much, considering.

Musical discoveries

2008-01-07T14:40:00.000Z

My older son has always wanted to play fiddle music. He played the trumpet as a youngster until he had a bicycle accident and lost some front teeth which shot his embouchure to pieces. He's now 34, married with 3 children and and the desire is still there. As we all know, the price of a nice new violin is rather too much to risk if bought and it lies unused through pressure of daily life. And so I suppressed the idea of buying one for him for Christmas. I did not want to put more pressure on him to feel the obligation to use one if he felt he had no time at this stage in his life.
Now comes the exciting bit...! We have a local website called 'freecycle' where no exchange of any kind is undertaken, but anyone can request anything or put anything up for acquiring or giving away for absolutely nothing...zilch...gratis! My daughter asked if anyone had an old violin they did not want and lo! within a few hours someone e-mailed "yes..I've got two I found in a skip!!". We charged round to her house and she had fished them out of her loft and we bore them triumphantly away to Mr V., the luthier.
Now to get back to reality, they are not long lost Strads. or Gaglianos, just modest basic violins of no real value. But hey, they were free! Reality check again... one is a half size and the other a 3/4.
Mr V. said when he opened the first case,"Oh, yes" in a sort of flat voice, and then "Even better" on opening the next one. However, he put on 2 missing strings and a new nut and donated two bows to the cause!
On my birthday my son and family came round and sang Happy Birthday whilst F played the larger of the two instruments! He is talking now of acquiring a full size one and taking lessons! He looked on e-bay and saw one but it had already reached £30,000! He let it go! But how's that for success?

Well, that was nice!

2008-01-05T12:52:00.000Z

So, Christmas is over, and so is New Year....almost. Where was I? What prevented me from the gentle art of blogging? I didn't even keep up with the reading of others until last night, and I have to return to some who have some interesting items I need to take in more thoroughly. Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone and may we all pray for a peaceful 2008 memorable for good and blessed things rather than 'wars and rumours of war'.

My day of playing Byrd and Palestrina on Dec. 20th was really lovely. I learned a lot and look forward to attending another. I see they do one on how to get the most out of practise. I need that.

I have bought a new bow!! I took my own to be re-haired and was loaned 3 from my worthy luthier, because I wanted to try some with a different balancing point to my own. I ended up realising that my own, though great when I was starting to play 2 years ago, was now creating some difficulty with, for example, spiccato, changing to another string at speed and long, slow bowing. The weights are about the same but the balance is very different. The price was eye-watering but happily a savings plan matured just at the right time and so I feel very fortunate indeed. I also asked Peter V. to tweak my sound post and check the bridge in an effort to soften the 'A' string. It seems to have helped. There is less 'lemon' in the 'A' and the 'A' and 'D' strings sound more 'together'. The real sound is up to me now that I have been 'tweaked', and have an impressive new bow! No excuses!!

Anticipating Byrd and Palestrina

2007-12-11T20:25:00.000Z

Actually these photos were taken a month ago but what with internet trouble, Christmas shopping etc I have neglected the gentle art of blogging, so here they are to remind us of the lovely autumn we had this year. The leaves have all been blown away now but it is amazing how some of next year's buds are formed already, for example, on the magnolia trees.

Celloing has not been neglected, I am happy to say. The squeaks and scratching are coming on a treat. So much so, in fact, that today I visited my very nice, flirty, bachelor luthier to obtain advice on re-hairing my bow and giving Jacob the 'once over'. We have arranged for the full examination to take place next week after I have been to Lewes on Saturday for a full day course playing Byrd and Palestrina. I can hardly contain my excitement. For those who read my blog back in ...April, I think it was... I went to a lunch-time concert in the Chapel Royal in Brighton and heard early Baroque and Renaissance music played by 4 female cellists and the experience will remain with me for ever. I discovered they were in Lewes, which is down the road a few miles from me and they give courses there and in Spain, if one feels so inclined! I booked about 10 days ago and got the music by return of post. The Byrd is arranged for 4 cello parts and the Palestrina for 6! Can you imagine the beauty of the sound? I just hope I don't squeak my way through it too much. I don't think so, as the music is measured and slow with no jumping around or hectic speed. The squeaks are Mozart and Bach inspired during orchestra rehearsal, I am sorry to say.

Musical soup - another interesting orchestra

2007-11-16T15:33:00.000Z

I saw these guys in the The Times today. They are part of The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra who play music with fresh vegetables! Preferably organic. After the performance they make soup out of them! Sounds good to me. Apparently the performance is amazing, with the added delight of being surrounded by the smell of fresh vegetables as well as music.

Have you heard this? Take heart!

2007-11-13T14:19:00.000Z

Sorry for the long gap in posts. Internet trouble etc. I seem OK now, at last. For everyone who has had an iffy day at orchestra practise, click on this wonderful site. http://www.thereallyterribleorchestra.com/ . Their rendition of "Yellow Submarine" will gladden your heart. Read the page about some of the members and you will discover they are just like us - middle aged and over, and wonderfully optimistic!

I was tagged a long time ago and have been thinking about it . Seven things are rather a lot, but here goes!

1. I was born in Middlesex, North West London, daughter of an industrial chemist for Eastman Kodak and a domestic science teacher.

2.One of my first memories is sitting in a deckchair - the old fashioned sort that amputated fingers rather frequently - in our back garden and watching Dad launching our chickens over the washing line "to give them some exercise". I also remember helping my mother feed them whisky to make them drunk just before Dad wrung their necks! She wanted them to die happy.

3. I went to at least three church meetings every Sunday and on one memorable occasion wet my nickers during Sunday School! When I think of it now, I die a little!.

4. The three best things I ever did were a) become a Christian at about 14yrs, b) marry my husband, and 3). produce our 3 children.

5. There are too many "worst things" but 3 that come to mind are

a) the first intramuscular injection I ever gave unsupervised as a junior nurse. It was Streptomycin - a thick white liquid that needed a huge No 1 needle. It bounced off the poor man's upper outer quadrant of right buttock and I slowly ground it in at the third attempt and felt the needle hit bone. Aaaaghh! Back to the Jaffa oranges for more practise!

b) There was a registrar on night duty who always demanded, without a please or thank you, a drink of Horlicks, very strong, and without fail, however busy we were. One night we put Dulcolax and Lactulose into it, and we also injected his orange with Liquid Paraffin, and he was off with a tummy upset the next night! Result!!

c) When I was about 10yrs I looked up in the telephone directory the name Smelly, phoned the poor individual and said "Are you Smelly? What are you going to do about it then?" In those days you were safe from being traced.

6) Our first house was a converted barn in Somerset overlooking the wonderful cathedral town of Wells. You approached through a short tunnel in the bank on the Bristol Hill and came out onto a 10 acre meadow, with cows and flowers and a single palm tree that was all that remained from a big house that had been burned down years before. In Spring it was like Heaven.

7) What shall I say for my last item? There is no mystery lurking in my family, but a curious fact emerged about my father after he died. His old secretary phoned my mother and referred to the "MI5 episode" and "x"(she mentioned a name we knew from Dad's work) being sent to meet someone on a train on the Continent! We had no idea what she meant and when she realised my mother knew nothing she would not elaborate! Was my Dad a secret agent? We will never know!

l

Improvement - to a degree

2007-10-20T12:39:00.000Z

Orchestra went better today, so I am feeling upbeat. Granted, Our Dear Leader actually went slower on the 'presto' passages to give us a chance, but I was not so completely out of my depth as I was before. Maybe having his daughter in the cello section has influence at home, but she is very good so probably not. One very nice member seems a likely subject for the other half of a duo after Christmas. She is probably better than I am, but I think we could enjoy a get together maybe monthly and play together. I hope so.

I've been introduced to some Dowani sheet music which comes with CD. There are three speeds on the CD, and also the full concert version. I am looking forward to using it - Vivaldi Concerto for cello and orchestra in C major.

Practising for speed is going slowly! The recommended exercise from Terry is proving quite difficult and I have scarcely got off the starting blocks. I think the shoulder and wrists seize up at the very thought. WD40 on those parts and a gulp of plonk would probably work wonders!

For a non- sporty couple we have an exciting couple of days. Snooker finals (husband), Rugby World Cup/Jonny Wilkinson (me), Grand Prix (just because 'We' are in with a very good chance).

Meanwhile our daughter and family are in Tenerife for half-term and she's just phoned to say it is 33 deg. by the pool. That makes me feel like packing my bags and heading South myself!

Finger exercises, anyone?

2007-10-07T13:02:00.000Z

Has anyone got an exercise for speeding up the left hand? After a particularly difficult and embarrassing session at orchestra yesterday I have decided that somehow I must do something to promote speed in my fingers. Although I am left handed, well usually left handed, this is my slowest one. I remember learning scales on the piano and finding the right hand used to work faster than the left. I said 'usually left handed' because sometimes my brain cannot decide which hand is best for a particular task. It works rather well for table tennis and painting, but I don't really have an option for the cello. Obviously practising must be the main activity, but I am just hoping someone can come up with another piece of tried and tested wisdom. I thought I was getting on rather well with my concert pieces, but yesterday we went so fast I completely lost it several times. Meanwhile the young teenager beside me flew along, attacking the strings with confidence and verve. When I did manage to do something I was timid, out of time, and flat or sharp, I couldn't even decide which!

When I returned home I had a headache and acted like a consumptive poet for a while until I decided a tandoori might comfort my battered pride, so off we shot into the sunny Sussex countryside and indulged in an expensive repast. Things appeared better later after a snooze and the news that England had beaten Australia in the rugby quarter-finals (again!), so I retired to my music room (that's the dining room in our house) and played lots of pieces I learned a year ago and found hard. Then I got out some I had put away as they were too hard to attempt, and discovered I could sight- read them. Improvement happens in spite of things.

By the way, my picture is a watercolour I did 2 or 3 years ago of Flo, one of my granddaughters. She's the one who wants to play the harp.

Just a picture

2007-10-01T14:01:00.000Z

I cannot think of anything much to blog about so I thought I would post this picture of fishing boats in Malta I painted about 3 years ago. It was my first go at oils. I am a watercolour person first and foremost. When I could not find the time to paint a suitable Christmas scene for my cards last year I printed this off, added some twinkle in appropriate places and gave it the title "Christmas Morning". I thought as there were no people in the picture one could be forgiven in thinking they might all be at home opening presents! It seemed to work.

I was brought down to size last week, painting-wise, when I went to the Royal Academy in Piccadilly to see an exhibition entitled "Impressionists by the Sea". There was work by Whistler, Manet, Monet, Boudin and many others who really knew how to paint. It's good to get up close to some of these paintings to see the brushwork and how lack of detail seems to be transformed into wonderful detail when one steps back to view the whole.

After that I crossed the road to Fortnum & Mason and revelled in their new food basement and the wonderful ground floor with the teas and coffees they specialise in.

Last night I went through my Faure, Bach and Mozart pieces with the CDs playing whilst I endeavoured to keep up. Oh dear! It really came home to me how vital a conductor is. No matter how well one may know a piece, his gestures and meaningful, piercing looks really keep it all together.

Wookie

2007-09-21T19:12:00.000Z

This is Wookie. He is a Kawthals Griffon and is about 5 months old. I babysit him occasionally as he lives with 3 of my grandchildren. He looks remarkably like one of the family - rather laid back and shaggy. They say you choose a dog that looks like yourself and I have to say my son and his lovely family are all - well - laid back and shaggy! They are beautiful, all of them. Some folk are easy going, unmaterialistic, generous hearted and unworried. This is them, and I love them for it. I remember F saying when he was at university 'studying' chemical engineering, " Mum, I try to worry. I know I should, but I just can't!" Whilst his fellow students were dropping with stress, he just seemed to relax his way through, and when he got his degree, they said,"Jammy. Just jammy"!

I am listening to my concert pieces every evening and following with the scores. The original opinion I had that they were not as scary as the previous ones is true, I suppose, but I am beginning to find the knotty bits. M and I practised together yesterday and were truly awful, but we laughed too much which is fine for a cellist, but not so good for a flautist! "My dear, it ruins the embouchure"! However, we go to orchestra tomorrow and hope we will be better than last time!

Late summer harvest

2007-09-13T10:25:00.000Z

I picked some of my grapes this-morning. This will go on until October when they are usually all consumed. This year I have a race on with a couple of blackbirds who built a nest and reared two clutches of young. They look upon the vine as theirs but they are mistaken. I don't mind sharing - to a degree. I understand their enthusiasm, though. The grapes are smallish and very sweet. I have made wine from them in the past, but mostly we eat them as they are. I mentioned in a previous post, I think, that I made 'Folly' wine last year. This lovely light wine is from the fresh young leaves that one prunes off early in the season.

I am working my way through the new orchestra pieces, just plucking, and discovering the timing and rhythms. It is not really practising, but, rather, familiarising myself with task in front of me. It is certainly a task, but more importantly, it's a real pleasure and joy.

Late Summer Sun

2007-09-12T11:49:00.000Z

I am sitting in my summerhouse at the top of the garden enjoying the sun and looking at the late summer flowers. Without moving round I can see 9 different sorts. Purple, red, white and yellow. The grapes are ripening on the south wall, the dry stone wall is falling down, there is a 30" thistle which so far has evaded my attention, the slugs are enjoying a 'Hosta fest' and have invited all the snails as well. All in all, things are rosy today. I started off mildly unsettled so went for a walk to the town and deposited some overlarge lace tablecloths in the charity shop. I returned feeling slightly extravagant having purchased (not from the charity shop) some miraculous face and hand cream which is going to make me irresistible - for the first time in my life, as it happens. All wrinkles and blemishes are due to disappear in 2 weeks. I have their word.

The first orchestra practise took place last Saturday. We received the 3 pieces for the February concert. Bach, Mozart and Faure. I love them all, not least because they don't seem so frantically fast as the last lot. I think timing will be the problem and accurate intonation. I have a lesson today and so we will go through them and decide on a strategy for practise. I am really looking forward to them.

Paper serviettes

2007-08-30T20:39:00.000Z

Gottagopractice, you asked what paper serviettes were! Well, here they are. What do you call them ? They are for afternoon tea - not to eat, but to delicately dab one's lips on and discretely hide an item of food one does not wish to consume. They are ideal for surreptitiously spitting cucumber into though personally I like cucumber. Occasionally a hostess will generously wrap a piece of party cake into a clean serviette for a child, or Grannie back home. Perhaps they are very English, on the other hand, maybe you call them napkins and do similar things with them!

Busy

2007-08-29T12:07:00.000Z

My lovely daughter is spending a fortune on a new kitchen. I don't begrudge her the quality, the gadgets, the workmen doing it all for her. She does so much 'entertaining' at weekends as well as weekdays and gives so much pleasure to so many people that if anyone deserves a state of the art kitchen, she does. My kitchen is 23 years old, and looks it. I don't do nearly as much cooking as she does, in fact, since he retired my husband does most of it. He is happy in there, with a few cracked tiles, a floor we occasionally trip over, disgusting blinds, dodgy cupboard hinges, and a sad space that used to be our dog's spot but now is home to an ancient chest of drawers filled with old cutlery, place mats and paper serviettes that used to belong to my mother which I am laboriously working my way through.

Whilst M is ruminating over where to put the built in steam oven, microwave, the controls of the hidden radio/music facility etc etc, I am cogitating over which colour blinds to have from Trading 4 U. She has a drawer that hides bins for recycling, food waste, and something else, and we are contemplating whether we stick with our old pedal bin that constantly pirouettes in the corner so that the pedal is never easy to use. She now has a built in wine cupboard with temperature control for white as well as red. Ours is all together in the cupboard under the stairs.

The reason for my absence from the blogoshere is connected to this state of affairs. I am working my way round the kitchen walls, floor to ceiling, washing tiles, painting doors and skirting, swilling out the refuse that collects in the window frames. My husband has been laying a new floor because the folk who were booked did not come up with the goods, so we had to choose again and decided to do it ourselves.

I could go on...and on.....But I won't. Suffice to say, my cello practise routine is shot to pieces, I have a lesson this evening and what about my thumb position?

Catching up

2007-08-14T15:06:00.000Z

It's rainy today and I am feeling smug having checked my bank statement, filed and shredded papers, sorted some stuff for recycling and am now posting this. I did not realise how long it has been since posting anything. Actually, I already wrote this an hour ago, and when it was posted I could not find it at first, and then discovered it lurking on my blog BELOW the last entry!! Out of order! How did that happen? Anyway, I could not change it, so deleted it and here we are again. There is undoubtedly a simple reason it happened, but don't ask me. I am incapable of plumbing the shallows of my own IT skills. I would drown.

Tenor clef is losing some of its terrors, but the A-string still sets my teeth on edge when I get to 'f' or 'g' and above. However, when I think back a year and remember how anything above the open 'A' caused my fillings to loosen, I realise I have come far. Also, there is the pleasure of discovering new fingerings on the 'D' and finding a harsh phrase can be mellowed by changing strings. I must persevere, though with the 'A'.

I have been enjoying 'Greensleeves' by Vaughan Williams and thought I was playing it rather well (tenor AND TREBLE clef included) until, that is, I played it with my teacher and discovered that her sharps, flats and semitones were different from mine! There are many subtleties in a tone or semitone, aren't there? I have an old video of Tortelier playing a scale the Western way, then in the Eastern way and then - I think - in the Russian way. The differences were amazing. So, it's back to the drawing board for me and my English way.

That tenor clef book

2007-08-05T12:56:00.000Z

I promised the details of the 'Tenor Clef is Easy' book I am finding helpful. Here it is: Dr Downing's Tenor Clef is Easy by Sandra Downing. It can be found on http://www.drdowningmusic.com/ . I am finding it a great help, though I must say I am finding the 4th piece harder to learn in the bass clef before even attempting the tenor translation. Anyway, onwards and upwards...

I am enjoying the respite from the fast and furious pieces we play in the orchestra and am enjoying my goals of tenor clef and better tone quality. I am not entirely sure of my progress on either really, but know I am not going backwards. I was all set to book in a day in Lewes to play early music with the people I mentioned a while ago, whom I heard in the Chapel Royal in Brighton called String Theory Cello Ensemble. However I have decided to miss it this year and promise myself a week next year, all being well. I just feel too squeakily A-stringily amateurish, and am having a bit of a crisis of confidence.