One of the things that I both enjoy and hate about golf is that it's a lifelong process. No matter how good you get, you can always improve. Additionally, golf is an absolute symphony of muscle movements and coordination. As one swings, one is constantly making small adjustments.
As I started my cello career, I quickly found that cello had many similarities to golf. It's clear that even after only a handful of lessons, that one can never consider themselves "finished" with the cello. Additionally, the coordination required for left-hand and right-hand is immense, and I've only scratched a tiny bit of the surface.
While the realization can be daunting, it's also refreshing. It's great to know that my new interest holds a lifetime full of possibilities and there will always be new challenges.
I'm grateful that my instructor seems to be doing a great job setting me up with a solid foundation. We spend a great deal of time on posture, hand position, lack of tension and the like. I think that's going to serve me well for the rest of my career.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
How naive can one person be?
So when I started taking cello lessons, my goals were not large. I know I'm not going to be the next Ma, Isserlis, Finckle, Casals, Rostropovich, Chang or any other great cellist.
My goal is to simply be able to play some music I want, and perhaps be able to play with friends or in some simple group settings, like a community orchestra or church.
However, my naiveté was immense. I knew that it took 15 years or more to become great and a lifetime to become a master. However, I wasn't reaching for that. I knew it took children 5-10 years to become good. But they were children. Surely the majority of that time could be attributed to their lack of discipline and Xbox interference.
I figured given how dedicated and serious I would be, I could probably be playing pretty well within a year or so. After all, I was an adult who could handle complex instruction and had tackled numerous challenges in my life.
Yep, pretty darn stupid.
Naturally I now know that learning the cello is a lifelong journey no matter how modest your goals. I've gotten a grip on my adult impatience and have learned just to enjoy the process.
My goal is to simply be able to play some music I want, and perhaps be able to play with friends or in some simple group settings, like a community orchestra or church.
However, my naiveté was immense. I knew that it took 15 years or more to become great and a lifetime to become a master. However, I wasn't reaching for that. I knew it took children 5-10 years to become good. But they were children. Surely the majority of that time could be attributed to their lack of discipline and Xbox interference.
I figured given how dedicated and serious I would be, I could probably be playing pretty well within a year or so. After all, I was an adult who could handle complex instruction and had tackled numerous challenges in my life.
Yep, pretty darn stupid.
Naturally I now know that learning the cello is a lifelong journey no matter how modest your goals. I've gotten a grip on my adult impatience and have learned just to enjoy the process.
My adventure began
When my daughter decided to take up the cello, I began as well.
I'd never really had any music whatsoever. Well, that's not completely true, there was this one time when I was about 11-years-old when I came home from a summer camp with a burning desire to play of all things, the banjo. There was a guy at this summer camp in the North Carolina mountains who could really play. So I decided I wanted to be the next great banjo player.
My parents tried to talk me out of my newfound interest, but I was not to be denied. Off to the music store we went, and I returned home with rental banjo in hand.
Fast forward a grand total of probably about three weeks and my interest in the banjo had come to an end. The lessons were over and the banjo returned.
My family has never let me live down the banjo incident. The needling has always been in good fun and deserved, but my stupidity was always a bit embarrassing.
So a big part of my motivation is to erase this bad memory by surprising my family with the ability to play an instrument.. The cello appealed to me, and I thought it would be fun to learn alongside my daughter.
Thus, we went to the music store together and I came home with my own rental cello.
I'd never really had any music whatsoever. Well, that's not completely true, there was this one time when I was about 11-years-old when I came home from a summer camp with a burning desire to play of all things, the banjo. There was a guy at this summer camp in the North Carolina mountains who could really play. So I decided I wanted to be the next great banjo player.
My parents tried to talk me out of my newfound interest, but I was not to be denied. Off to the music store we went, and I returned home with rental banjo in hand.
Fast forward a grand total of probably about three weeks and my interest in the banjo had come to an end. The lessons were over and the banjo returned.
My family has never let me live down the banjo incident. The needling has always been in good fun and deserved, but my stupidity was always a bit embarrassing.
So a big part of my motivation is to erase this bad memory by surprising my family with the ability to play an instrument.. The cello appealed to me, and I thought it would be fun to learn alongside my daughter.
Thus, we went to the music store together and I came home with my own rental cello.
About CelloJello…
Hello cello world.
CelloJello is a blog to document my adventures of learning the cello at the ripe not-so-young age of 44 in Nashville, TN.
About three months ago, my nine-year-old daughter attended an introductory talk by the Williamson County Youth Orchestra. She came home excited about joining their beginner strings program. Next, we had to decide on an instrument. That part was fairly easy. My daughter, not being the hardiest of souls, was somewhat aghast to realize that she'd have to hold a violin or viola up on her shoulder for lengthy periods of time and have to stand a lot. When she realized with a cello she'd be able sit, the deal was sealed. The cello was the instrument for her.
To encourage her, I had the crazy thought that I might try it too. But more on that next post.
So why the CelloJello name? Just something silly we call my daughter when it's time to practice.
CelloJello is a blog to document my adventures of learning the cello at the ripe not-so-young age of 44 in Nashville, TN.
About three months ago, my nine-year-old daughter attended an introductory talk by the Williamson County Youth Orchestra. She came home excited about joining their beginner strings program. Next, we had to decide on an instrument. That part was fairly easy. My daughter, not being the hardiest of souls, was somewhat aghast to realize that she'd have to hold a violin or viola up on her shoulder for lengthy periods of time and have to stand a lot. When she realized with a cello she'd be able sit, the deal was sealed. The cello was the instrument for her.
To encourage her, I had the crazy thought that I might try it too. But more on that next post.
So why the CelloJello name? Just something silly we call my daughter when it's time to practice.
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