Halloween is coming up fast this year! What is your favorite part about this holiday? For me, it is the candy (twix!)~ I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to enjoy most of the scary things of Halloween :) . In this video, I talk about how to make some spooky sounds on the cello. Perhaps you can even create your own scary soundtrack for yourself! I talk about: tremolo, ponticello, glissandos, Bartok pizz, using the body of the cello, col legno,…
Are you learning the Franchomme Caprice No 3? (I refer to it as an etude, but I suppose the official term is caprice :) ) My latest Youtube video covers all the tips you need to help you master this etude. This would be really helpful to those who are opting to take the All-Region or All-State audition since this is one of the etudes on the list. (The other one is Popper 16, which I also have a video on). If…
In this new video I give you practice tips on how to play Popper Etude #16 successfully. Popper etudes can be a challenge but with the right mindset and paying attention to details you can master this Popper etude. Remember it is often the little things that will set you apart from other cello players playing the same thing. There is a reason Popper is such a standard in the cello repertoire, but just keep practicing and you will get…
Here is my newest video in the Cello 101 series! I cover the first position on the cello talking about all the notes on the d string. This post contains an affiliate link. Click here for full disclosure The technique I use to teach beginner cello players is one that I learned from Dr. Laurie Scott when I took her music education class. (Thanks Dr. Scott!) I use her book that she co-wrote with William Dick called Mastery for Strings…
Disclaimer: If you are a beginning cello player, I really encourage you to have a private cello teacher for a bit. It is good to have someone who can keep an eye on establishing good foundations of playing cello. Check out some local teachers or myself via: liz@cellomoji.com Getting Started First Position is really important to establish when you are first learning the cello. Make sure that either a private teacher or a music shop has put on some dots…
This post contains some affiliate links. Click here for full disclosure statement here Keep It Simple but Relevant I admit this to actually being a second draft. I recently just finished the book The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women by Glynnis MacNicol and Rachel Sklar. At first, I was going to talk about important points of each “episode” in the book. Then going over it I realized that no one would want to read all of that AND the book,…
What is that? One of the most important things you can do as a cello student in learning is really learn your notes. In the beginning, this can be a struggle, but I promise that it will increase the speed of your learning exponentially. The best thing is that you don’t even physically need to be by your cello in order to improve this skill. Fingering means nothing If there is one downfall of a lot of the beginning…
You hear a great song that you really love, either from the radio, a movie, or a show. You’ve probably listened to it many times, on repeat. The next thought might be, “How can I play this on my cello?” Here are a few resources that I find are super helpful. This post contains affiliate links. Click here for full disclosure Local Music Store Almost every town will have a music store relatively nearby. These are just great resources because…
When learning about playing the cello, there is always the anticipation of learning a new hand position. It is exciting to have more options of notes to play and to be able to freely and easily move around the cello. However, I think there are too many method books, and music that emphasize what “position” you are in, rather than just learning if you hand is in this place you are going to be able to play these notes. So…
This post contains an affiliate link. Click here for full disclosure Hi there! Here's a new video about a few tips to help you play Rascal Flatt's Bless the Broken Road on the cello. I love this song for the message~ we all go through ups and downs in life and yet I believe we end up where we were meant to be. You can purchase the sheet music here: http://bit.ly/2E6l57U and I really hope you give this song a try!…