Positions in Cello

Cello Positions

Material for Getting Practice in Various Positions

    Learning the positions on the cello is usually a big job. Getting introduced in an ideal manner helps ease the tension created by just the thought of the new skill. Teachers that seem to have just what it takes to read a student, but more importantly, how to get the student to think in a logical sequence of motions will go a long way toward developing a solid system of shifting. 

    Shifting is the manner in which we get from one position to another. While one may initially think that it can't be all the complicated, "Just move your hand/arm, right?". That is not really the case, since form and posture play a significant role in getting around. 

    Beyond the posture of the right arm and hand, it is more a matter of getting to know which notes constitutes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, position and so on. There are some excellent books out there that get you thinking more concretely about the positions. 

    The exercises range from the dry to the musical and everything in between. I am going to name and provide links to several in this post. If you are currently finding it difficult to know when to choose to shift into an different position or don't realize the distances between notes/positions these two books are particularly useful. 

1. Position Pieces, by: Rick Mooney (Vols. 1 & 2)

     - Volume 1 is for positions up to 4th, including ½ position. 

     - Volume 2 targets 5th through 7th positions. 

      (- Both of these volumes start each position with certain "Target Exercises" that are                      excellent for focusing the student on finding the each position from both below and                  above.)

Position Pieces Vol. 1  https://amzn.to/3zsbuHn

Position Pieces Vol. 2  

2. Harvey Whistler's Introducing the Positions for Cello, Volume 1

    - This is a very technically oriented work. One will become very familiar with every note          of the position and how to think about the approach to shifting. 

    - For any student that has not yet thought about the notes in a thorough and clear manner         this will start the process.

Harvey Whistler's Introducing the Positions for Cello, Volume 1

https://amzn.to/4grF1S6

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Cello Duet arr. of "Song Without Words"

 https://www.patreon.com/posts/cello-duet-song-92426481?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Online Lessons on Preply

 Preply

Have you ever taken lessons/classes online? 

Nowadays, the answer is more likely than ever, "Yes". 

Not only can you take Cello lessons from me on this platform, Preply, but you can choose from hundreds of other teachers as well. 

You might want to learn another instrument. Ok, choose piano, guitar, drums. 

It could be that you need some tutoring in a school subject. Cool, do a quick search for a seasoned tutor to guide you to better grades and understanding of the material.

Whatever the subject, whether MUSIC or science or language, etc. you can find teachers for that on

Search for a Tutor on Preply

Preply.

Click on this link to explore and sign up for lessons.

https://preply.com/en/?pref=ODY0NTU4&id=1695972218.235969

 You Tube Subscribers +4

Thanks for viewing my channel. It has been a long two years of weekly (sometimes daily) uploads. Some people get the gist of social media quite soon in their journey and others search for their path for ages. *Which one do you think I am?

Hey, if you would go visit my channel, Traveling Cello , and like one of my videos I'd appreciate it immensely. There is lots of content. Performances, tutorials, lessons, practice videos, behind the scenes, and even brief looks into my personal life (like a fraction of a blip on the time continuum). 

I love cello music and will continue on this path forever. One of my favorite things to do is what I am doing right now--exploring Forgotten Cello Music. 

Another interest of mine has been traditional music. I've only dabbled in it, but I can say that I have taken lessons as well. You should check out my former teacher (online only), he is incredible. Mike Block, take a look at the Artist Works website where he holds his online Multi-Style Cello Lessons. 

If you want an awesome book to accompany you after learning the techniques of a rhythm cellist click here.

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/contemporary-cello-etudes-sheet-music/20655164?aff_id=721495

Podcasting: Creating a New Project Cello

Creating a Podcast 

The incredible tools that we have at our fingertips today allows us to create studio quality things at home. (Provided we have most of the right equipment.) One of those tools is the access companies like Spotify give us. One of Spotify's offshoots is its Podcasting Platform. There you are free to create and upload as much content as you wish. 

This platform's name is "Anchor.fm" by Spotify.

My own ambition, since I first found out what a podcast was, was to create my own. Now, I can happily say that I have done just that. You can listen to this podcast directly at Anchor.fm or at Spotify, where it is automatically uploaded to once you have done the initial uploading to Anchor. 

My own podcast is called Forgotten Cello Music. I'll write more about this what is behind this title in another post. Suffice it to say, the podcast is entirely about music for the Cello that has largely been forgotten or at least neglected.

Some Cellist/Composers who I have researched and played as a result and are featured in my 36 podcast episodes:

1. Georg Goltermann
2. Julius Klengel
3. Oscar Brückner
4. Joseph Hollman
5. August Nölck
6. Bernhard Romberg
7. G. Gabrielli
8. Giacobbe Cervetto

and there are many many more. 

Each episode has background music throughout. Sometimes it features entire movements or pieces and other times only excerpts from compositions of composers talked about on the podcast episode.

It is a dream of my come to reality. The enjoyment level is at a high. However, there are still relatively few people who listen and engage. The next part of my dream is to get thousands of listeners and likes, comments, engagement of some kind from at least a small percentage (1-2% I think would be great).