I played my 5-string Dean EAB and kind of brought a little bit of extra low end to the group’s sound.

Really enjoyable, hope to play more with the group.

There were two things in his presentation that really stuck with me.

One was a metaphor that he used:
“You can’t cram on the farm.”

He went on to make the analogy that like a farmer can’t rush a crop out at the last minute, we can’t rush things into a ready state in our musical preparation either.

When my church asked me to play some solo music for the Maundy Thursday service I was really excited. “I’ll play some solo cello rep.” But, as I got closer to the date, I realized, “geez, I’m not too comfortable with any of that rep right now”. Truthfully, I haven’t been working on any of it. I’ve been working hard on trio and quartet rep, and there’s only so much you can do.

So, rather than try to rush anything out, I thought, “well, I’ve been playing tons of gamba rep”, so rather than stress the gig, I called up my consort-mate Tom and we’re going to play some simple Lassus duets, and a Bach chorale that I know very well.

Another thing that he mentioned is taking full responsibility for the sounds you produce. Constantly monitoring your tone, intonation, bowing, etc, and taking full responsibility at all times for producing the best sound you possibly can. I think that’s just great.

I’m currently playing on an amazing cello, a Jay Haide, which has amazing tone, but when I’m playing my upright bass (which is plywood), I’m too often not taking responsibility for producing better tone. I’ll just say in my head, “well, this bass just has no good tone in it, so that’s that”. In fact, the analogy I often use is that my bass is like eating a cardboard pizza box when you were expecting pizza. But, that approach really doesn’t move me along as a player. My bass can sound better, I can always produce better tone on it. (Although on the other hand, the experience of renting the Jay Haide has made me consider renting a decent bass at Rutman’s, because the Haide just responds and has so much tone potential, it’s really exciting right now. )

Anyway, Gabriel Bolkosky was very inspiring. Definitely check out his playing at http://www.gabrielbolkosky.com

The Tufts Chamber Singers, Tufts Early Music Ensemble, directed by Andrew Clark & Jane Hershey, present secular & sacred music by the cosmopolitan sixteenth-century master Orlandus Lassus. They will be joined by the Somerville Renaissance wind band Seven Hills.

Host: the Tufts Chamber Singers and Early Music Ensemble
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009
Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University

“A recording of the piece the student is practicing-a recording of Kreisler, for instance-should be played for the child at home. After the lesson I ask, “Who is your teacher?” and the student answers, “Kreisler.” Then I laugh and say, “Give my regards to Kreisler.” What I mean is that Kreisler is the teacher. The student should have a lesson with him everyday. I want the student to know that I am only helping him in his lessons with Kreisler. The children will be happy and proud because they are the students of the best in the world. Further, by listening to good music continuously, they will internalize it.”

That couldn’t be better said. Fantastic stuff! If you haven’t read this book, check it out, there’s a lot of great stuff in it.

It really made me think about my own practice routines, and it seems, being New Year’s, a great time to be thinking about tightening that up and getting a bit more focused. In the book, he talks a lot about practice routines where people practice things outside of their actual activity. Football players weight training and running, for example. When I consider that, I realize that I don’t do so much of that stuff musically. I used to practice scales, arpeggios, and string crossing exercises and the like when I was younger, but as I got more experienced, I felt that was a waste of time. Sort of along the line of Yngwie’s famous quote, “why play scales when there’s such great music to play?”.

While I still agree with that, I have to make sure that my practice time is filled up with things that are difficult for me, and not merely playing what is not a challenge. Maybe the difference between running and jogging to make a running analogy.

I play usually about 2 hours in the morning before going to work, and that’s usually a mix of playing, listening, transcribing, gig prep, repertoire review and activities like that.

This book has really inspired me to take a look at my practice regimen and see where I could improve. Maybe that will be something compelling to blog about in 2009.

Once you’re playing 10ths fluently, playing the top two lines makes for a tremendously fun and beautiful sounding exercise or warm-up. Here’s the best of 2 quick capture takes, not perfect, but will give you a sense of the approach for your practice.

No way I’d be able to play all of this, but doing the 2nd violin and bass part together could be something I think I could polish up. And, if I could convince either violinist in my trio to try it, I’d hand them a mandolin (so they’d be at a handicap), I’d put on a very loud metronome and give it a go.

While playing this piece takes a lot of technique, it also reminds me how great it is to learn music thoroughly. I just about sat down and playing the first phrase perfectly the first time (naturally before I was recording, lol), because the music has been so thoroughly learned. I’m playing this piece (on cello) with my trio. And, in so doing, we’re working through all the movements, listening to excellent reference recordings and just really digging in.

It’s a learning method that really works.

The Tufts Early Music Ensemble presents
Music of Venice
featuring Daniel Meyers, recorder & Thomas A. Gregg, tenor
works by Monteverdi, Gabrieli & Merulo

Tuesday, November 18, 8PM

Distler Performance Hall, Granoff Music Center
Tufts University, Medford Campus
Free event, No tickets required

www.tufts.edu/musiccenter

I was thinking of building a fun little quiz game where you take the first 10 studio albums and put them in order. Somehow that seems be a fun exercise in restoring order to the universe, just putting those in order.

I’ve recently been rediscovering Caress of Steel, what a fantastic album!

There was a signing line after the show, and it was a real honor to meet him briefly. What a super nice guy!

This summer I met my cello teacher, before I was even playing cello again. She was the conductor of the big band at the World Fellowship Early Music Week. I knew from our first rehearsal that she was a musician I wanted to study music with. We were playing a beautiful Lully piece and she was halfway between conducting and bouncing up and down, exuding this tangible sense of joy.

On Wednesday afternoon it was such a beautiful afternoon that she canceled rehearsal and declared a group swim. Fantastic! I went for a swim in this beautiful lake, and this part you got to visualize a bit. (I wanted to draw a picture, but I can’t draw.)

Start Visualize
So, I’m swimming in this beautiful lake with a mountain view. My cello teacher is about 10 yards ahead of me. Next thing I know, I look up and she’s standing up in the middle of the lake. Turns out there’s a big rock in the lake that you can stand on, just at the water’s surface, and she knew just where it was.
End Visualize

To me, that’s sort of what your teacher can do with music. Show you what’s possible! And, you should make sure that you feel that way about your teacher’s playing and coaching. When I was much younger I wasn’t so proactive about these things. For example, my studio placements at NEC I left entirely up to the school. And, that wasn’t a good idea. You have to be proactive about that. I would do undergrad at music school SO DIFFERENTLY now. Alas.

Anyway, so I’ve had two private lessons with her and it’s been really helpful to my re acclimation process on cello.

I don’t think she’d mind if I shared one anecdote from our second lesson when we took a look the Suite 1 prelude. And, this does (finally) relate a bit to electric bass. I’ve been playing this piece on electric bass since I got one when I was twelve. As such, I had really lost track of the phrasing and articulation and the composition’s structure. So, back on cello, I’m playing that first phrase with the first three notes in a down bow, and she has a really good coaching for me: “Think of those first three notes like the ringing of church bells in a cathedral. Really big on those three notes in your down bow. The rest of the notes, lighter, as if they are the reverb sounding from those three big notes. Call and response.”

Isn’t that fantastic? Here’s a video clip where I repeat all that, and then try to bring that coaching into the beginning of the phrase on my EAB. Really hard, but worth trying.

That’s what a great teacher does! I’ve been playing that piece for years, but I’ve got an entirely new way to look at it now. Fantastic!

Let me end by saying that studying is such a great part of the musical process, and no matter what level you’re at, participate in that dynamic. Take some lessons, help support the players you admire, and coach those that admire your playing. It’s really a core, special part of the process, and what connects and binds us all together. That and the Force of course!