Cello, Bow and You: Putting it All Together
- Author: Benedetti, Evangeline
Evangeline Benedetti, a veteran cellist of more than four decades with the New York Philharmonic, set herself the ambitious task of discussing all aspects of cello playing within 230 pages. She... — More…
Book
$42.50Special import
Contents
- Table of Contents
- Prelude
- Forward
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I: Sound Image, Cello, Bow and You
- Chapter 1: The Sound Image
- The sound image, or what you hear in your head
- Playing by ear or reading music
- Shaping the sound image
- Becoming your own conductor
- Becoming your own teacher
- Elements of the sound image
- Non- negotiable elements of a musical image
- Negotiable elements decided by the artist
- The cellist's objective
- Part II: Cello, Bow . . .
- Chapter 2: The Cello and The String
- Observation, the approach to the cello and bow
- The beauty of the instrument
- The bridge and the sound post
- The strings
- The nut, tailpiece and fingerboard
- The role of the bow
- Chapter 3: Stringing
- The intersection where the bow meets the string
- Stringing: the quintessence of string playing
- Chain reaction of vibrating the string
- Newton's laws in cello playing
- A sound: beginning, middle and end
- Articulations
- Volume of sound
- The varying amplitude makes the phrase
- Analogy to a triangle
- An exploration of placement
- Amount of hair touching the string
- The shape of the string
- Optimal placement of hair on the string
- Using placement for dynamic changes
- Placement on the four strings
- Chapter 4: The Fingerboard
- The fingerboard grid: an image-based approach
- The blueprint
- Harmonics
- Playing the grid
- Notes in one location
- Changing locations
- In support of intonation
- Learning the fingerboard: positions versus the grid
- Chapter 5: Tools of the Trade: The Left Hand and The Bow
- The left hand
- The left hand tool
- The bow
- Introduction to the bow
- Characteristics of the bow
- The hair
- The screw
- The length of the bow
- Gravity, natural balancing point and center of gravity
- Chapter 6: A Gravity Based Technique for Bowing
- The natural laws and how they affect bowing
- Gravity
- Weight
- Balance: the CG is the NBP
- Gravity-centered approach to the whole bow
- Differences in approach to learning: gravity based compared to traditional learning
- Changing the vocabulary for bowing instruction
- Legato, the soul of the cello
- The neutral whole bow
- Equalizing the weight of the two ends of the bow
- The shape of the bow guides the movement
- Changing directions respecting Newton
- Imbalance as an ally
- String crossings or changes, using the unbalancing factor
- Chapter 7: Short Notes as Part of the Whole Bow Stroke
- Short Notes: on and off the string
- On the string: detache, martele and accented notes
- Off the string: the bouncing bow
- Some things all bounced bows have in common
- Bounced bowing techniques
- The scoop spiccato
- The ball bounce spiccato
- Bowing techniques with more than one note in each direction
- Up or down-bow staccato/spiccato
- Ricochet or jete
- Arpeggiated richochet
- Coda
- Part III: . . . and You: Putting it all Together
- Chapter 8: An Overview of You
- Coordination and the Alexander Technique
- Whole body playing
- Opposition as cooperation: co-handedness
- Chapter 9: Sitting and Holding the Cello: Anatomy and Application
- Anatomical vocabulary
- Sitting: the first technique
- The overview of the spine, torso, pelvic basin, legs and feet in playing
- Details of the pelvis
- The legs and feet as part of cello playing
- The coccyx, sacrum, lumbar spine and thoracic spine
- The anatomy of the head and cervical spine
- The role of the brain and spinal chord in playing
- How to sit: moving from standing to sitting
- The squat-sit process
- How to squat
- How to squat-sit
- Holding the cello: the relationship of the cello and the cellist
- Holding the cello: the perspective from a biomechanical engineer
- The weight of the cello
- The neck and the scroll
- The length of the endpin
- The size of the person
- Bring the cello to meet your body. Do not take your body to the cello
- Chapter 10: Breathing: Anatomy and Application
- Breathing
- The anatomy of the dorsal spine, ribcage, and breathing
- The function of breathing
- The cycle of breath
- The role of breathing when playing
- Breathing naturally
- Breathing for a purpose
- Chapter 11: Hands: Anatomy and Application
- Anatomy of the hands
- Functions of the hands
- Function of the metacarpals
- Function of the thumb
- Rotational function of the forearm and humerus
- Function of the fingertips
- Function applied to cello playing
- The left hand
- The three grips applied to the left hand
- Rotation of the left hand when playing
- Anatomy of the shape of the end of the finger and its role in playing
- Thumb position
- The right hand
- Rotation of the right hand when playing
- Chapter 12: The Arm Moves the Hand: Anatomy and Application
- The shoulder girdle and the shoulder joint
- The anatomy of the shoulder girdle versus the shoulder joint
- The movement of the shoulder girdle
- The movement of the shoulder joint
- The role of the shoulder joints when playing
- The anatomy of the wrist and elbow joints
- The elbow
- The wrist
- The anatomy and function is over
- Chapter 13: Playing the Cello: Anatomy and Application
- Bowing
- The whole bow
- Detache
- Martele
- Bounced bow strokes
- Shifting
- Shifting when using thumb position
- Timing of the shifts
- Vibrato
- The finger on the string
- The sound of vibrato
- The speed and width of vibrato
- Energetic force for playing
- Direction of force to the strings with both hands
- Equalizing the energy used by both hands
- Part IV: Practice
- Chapter 14: Practice as Process
- Creative practice as experiment
- Creative practice as research
- Progress is never a straight line and it takes time
- Two paths of learning
- Creating your practice space
- Creating concentration and consciousness
- Setting an agenda
- Assessments
- Pitfalls
- Embrace what is right
- Chapter 15: Rhythm, Melody and Harmony
- Rhythm
- Rhythm as coordinator: the time-space relationship
- Location of the beat within the body
- The intellectual beat
- The sensory beat
- The emotional
- The all inclusive beat
- Illustration of the inclusive beat
- Scales and Harmony in Music
- Scales and melody
- Scales and harmony
- Chapter 16: Auralization and Visualization as Learning Techniques
- Using auralization
- Using visualization
- Learning the skill
- Visualization as looking inward
- Chapter 17: Warming Up
- A practice warm up routine
- Warm-ups before playing
- A rhythmic routine away from the instrument
- Warming up at the Instrument
- Putting it all together
- Chapter 18: Practice Techniques
- Preserving our energy through no-energy practice
- Just the beginning of the note
- Correcting wrong notes
- Changing learned habits
- Reversing
- Postlude: Putting it All Together
- About the Author
- References
- Index