Cello+Thoughts

Great old videos of some of the titans of conducting. Every...

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:02:15 -0400

Great old videos of some of the titans of conducting. Every orchestral musician should watch this.

Ustad Zakir Hussain Good musicians access (and communicate...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:31:00 -0400

Ustad Zakir Hussain

Good musicians access (and communicate using) their innate sense of speech rhythms and their linguistic/rhetorical mind. Watch, in particular, from 37:00!

Beethoven and the Quality of Courage - Daniel Barenboim

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:59:55 -0400

Beethoven and the Quality of Courage - Daniel Barenboim:

An excellent essay on Beethoven in the NY Review of Books.

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my ax."

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:42:20 -0500

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my ax.”

- Abraham Lincoln

National Youth Orchestra (NYO) Cello Audition Excerpts

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:42:00 -0400

National Youth Orchestra (NYO) Cello Audition Excerpts:

My suggested bowings and fingerings for the audition excerpts required by the Carnegie Hall National Youth Orchestra (NYO):

http://bit.ly/Qtq56Q (PDF file)

Brahms: Symphony No. 2, Second Movement
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scherzo
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Second and Third Movements

Alistair MacRae
www.alistairmacrae.net
alistairmacrae.tumblr.com
twitter.com/MacRaeCellist
www.facebook.com/macrae.cellist

This is a video of Bruce Lee doing a screen test at the very...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:04:00 -0400

This is a video of Bruce Lee doing a screen test at the very beginning of his American film career.

[video was removed, but can now be found at http://mysp.ac/11kRjje]

Watch especially from about 4:30, when he starts demonstrating kung fu. Notable details: speed, fluidity, and economy of motion; stillness and ease in the parts of his body not in use; balance and poise: a true master of himself. Also interesting is his description of kung fu starting at 2:00: images of water and flexibility that, in my opinion, apply well to playing the cello. Bruce Lee’s deep study of martial arts led him to many truths of self-mastery. A fantastic read: http://bit.ly/TaoOfJeetKuneDo

"“πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει” καὶ “δὶς ἐς τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐμβαίης”..."

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:54:29 -0400

“

“πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει” καὶ “δὶς ἐς τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐμβαίης”

“You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you;”

or (variant translation):

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

”

- Heraclitus of Ephesus
as quoted by Plato in his Cratylus

Maxim Vengerov Masterclass: imagining a story (41:54-46:20)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:24:14 -0400

Maxim Vengerov Masterclass: imagining a story (41:54-46:20)

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings “Mondnacht”...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:50:00 -0400

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings “Mondnacht” (Schumann). A great musician to hear, imitate, and internalize.

David Finckel on the variable and excellent vibrato of the...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:49:00 -0400

David Finckel on the variable and excellent vibrato of the renowned baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

David Finckel on Vibrato Consistency

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:41:00 -0400

David Finckel on Vibrato Consistency

Brevard Cello Mock Audition Info

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 23:51:00 -0400

Brevard Cello Mock Audition Info

"A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time."

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:20:51 -0400

“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.”

- Mark Twain

Watch Pedersen (the bassist), especially from about 3:24: ease...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:27:12 -0400

Watch Pedersen (the bassist), especially from about 3:24:

ease and fluidity of motion
effortless, smooth shifting
multi-finger pizz technique

Cellists can learn a lot from bassists.

A good introduction to some Alexander Technique ideas from Lori...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:16:00 -0400

A good introduction to some Alexander Technique ideas from Lori Schiff, with whom I have had the privilege of studying AT.

Voltaire

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:35:00 -0400

Voltaire wrote: “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.”

The best translation, I think, is: “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” What this means to me, in relation to performing music, is that we should not strive for perfection but, instead, for excellence. Especially in an endeavor where our self-perception conditions our artistic ambitions and determines the manner of our efforts, we cannot afford to approach making music in fear of potential mistakes (the destruction of our aspiration to perfection). If we do, everything we produce will be worse.

For many people, this timid and nervous mindset leads to misuse of themselves and the commission of vastly more errors. Even playing that is free of any overt error will be limited by a cautious mental state and will fall short of the inspiration and artistry that lie within the performer.

We must not allow our inevitable imperfections to limit everything we will ever do to mediocrity. We should strive boldly for positive virtues in spite of any errors, real or imagined. Those who commit themselves to this idea every day gain two advantages: not only do they rid themselves of the destructive tension of playing in a state of fear, but they also develop the habit of taking bold, easy swings at greatness to the point that they will eventually be able to do this (and succeed at it) in public.

This is not an excuse for sloppy playing or poor practicing, but an assertion that we should aspire to excellence, attaching ourselves to our best abilities and most positive intentions.

"Trust yourself: ‘I can’. ‘I can not’…no! ‘I can. I can. I..."

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:17:00 -0400

“Trust yourself: ‘I can’.
‘I can not’…no!
‘I can. I can. I can.’
Move forward, not backward.
If you win, if you lose, it is all part of your learning experience.”

- Morio Higaonna Sensei,
GoJu-Ryu Karate Master

Key practice concerns

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:02:41 -0400

A list of key concerns for practicing the cello, in order of priority:

Ease: practicing playing in a relaxed and focused way (creating a productive context in which to learn and build specific playing habits)
Rightness: ensuring that the habits formed are good ones; practicing playing well as opposed to practicing playing badly (good use of self and technique; good sound, intonation, and musicianship)
Complexity: bringing together many simple, right elements in increasingly layered and coordinated ways (completeness, speed).

Notice that achieving the final product (the complete music, the full tempo, the end goal of our practice) is last on this list of priorities. By maintaining the first two priorities above the third, we arrive at our end goal most efficiently.

Video of Heifetz - some great playing footage - see especially...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:00:00 -0400

Video of Heifetz - some great playing footage - see especially 0:50 and 1:20 for slow-motion fingers (we should emulate this smoothness, coordination, and efficiency when practicing passages in slow-motion).

Two good books on Alexander Technique

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:57:09 -0400

Michael Gelb: Body Learning
http://amzn.to/BodyLearning

Pedro de Alcantara: Indirect Procedures
http://amzn.to/IndirectProcedures