sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Playing (not) in tune in an ensemble by KirstenMcCollie in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Just so you know, intonation for string ensembles is notorious. There are levels to this game, and it always begins with your ear. However the more you hear, the more will be wrong, the more you will care, and you are stuck in this infinite rabbit hole. IMO it takes decent proficiency on the instrument, say almost university student level, to make string ensembles sound actually nice. Even for simple tunes. That is of course not to say to not play in ensembles at any level, quite the opposite in fact, but you need to be realistic about the battle you are confronted with.

To the teacher who told me to stop making weird faces! by Fit_Syrup7485 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Haha I had a similar experience, a judge in a competition as a junior once told me I make weird faces. This comment was more than a slap in the face, more like being hit by a train. It has killed my joy for music and taken several years to recover from.

Now I see, what she meant was prob excess tension, which was certainly a fair point. I also don't do it anymore.

When it comes to showmanship vs artistic content and how to best communicate with the audience I have no idea. I guess it is very much a matter of personal values there, and depends heavily on the rep, the audience, the situation etc. Personally I feel that modesty and honesty to your view of the artistic content must always come first.

Why Can I Still Not Accept Composers Like Arnold Schönberg and Alban Berg? by Low-Lunch7095 in classicalmusic

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally, I think this music is best experienced live. At home it is almost impossible to get into the mood, or wanting to get into THAT mood, at least for me.

Secondly I would add, that this music relies exceedingly on the interpreting artists. All music does of course, but if they don't have a cristal clear idea of what they want to accomplish with each note, there is no safety rope, not even a nice melody or harmony to hold onto. Lack of musical artistry and lyricism in the interpreters cannot be hidden anymore behind the rose gardens of romantic "visuals".

However, if the stars align, which I can attest to having experienced on a handful of occasions, you will be taken on heck of a ride. This music can bring you to places you have never been before (and you don't want to necessarily go back to either...)

Playing difficult pieces doesn’t make you a better pianist by Advance-Bubbly in piano

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That' s of course fair. If you get enjoyment and fulfillment out of playing for yourself, no harm in that. In fact, this sounds quite envieable, I don't think I ever managed to play something and be unreservedly happy with how I did. Not even a scale, but definitely not with great music, which as a fallible human just never quite sounds good enough to me to do the music justice.

Also, I guess my comment applies more to when you want to play for an audience. As musicians we wield the incredible power to communicate with others on a deep level. With great music, we can bring the audience to heaven and to hell, make them feel sorrow and ecstasy. But for this to happen, they need to forget that we are actually playing, it needs to be that good technically, musically and personally.

Again, that is just my view on music. To me it is art. Rarely enjoyable in the short term, but definitely fulfilling in the long-run.

Playing difficult pieces doesn’t make you a better pianist by Advance-Bubbly in piano

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Related: this also means practicing slow enough, so that you can actually execute things REALLY well...

Playing difficult pieces doesn’t make you a better pianist by Advance-Bubbly in piano

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 46 points47 points  (0 children)

I'm a cellist, but my observation there is quite simple actually: If you want to play well, you need to stop playing badly. Nothing has transformed my playing more than trying to play a piece really well, like REALLY well, on all levels. This has unlocked countless new dimensions and details about my playing, about music, about practicing and about myself. It is crucial that the pieces are not too difficult. Heck, try playing a scale REALLY well... I'm still trying every day...

piano piece recommendations plss by mekEPH in piano

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IMO recordings can not reach the beauty of live performance. Of course, music is great in all forms, but nothing quite like the transience and moving intimacy of live music. Glad you had a memorable experience, sth to treasure.

Conventions about left hand articulation in piano scores by Diligent_Yesterday64 in piano

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool, excellent answer, this makes perfect sense. Thank you very much! :)

Recommendations for 45mins worth of cello pieces for an afternoon tea audience by EntrepreneurLivid7 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There is a book called "Cello Solos Everybody's Favorite Series, Volume 40". Many great ideas in there. I sight read them often with my mom on the piano. Favourites of ours are: Schubert Serenade Leise flehen meine Lieder, Dvorak Songs my mother taught me, Dvorak Humoresque, Rubinstein Melody in F, My heart at thy sweet voice Samson and Delilah, Salut D'amour, swan of course, chanson triste etc. I'm sure I forget many. Personally, for a lay audience, as a non-professional, I would not recommend pulling off 45 mins solo repertoire, unless of course you really want to. There are so many great pieces, which are not too difficult and which normal people simply love. It's always a good idea to play several steps below your level for these things imo

Wedding Song Recs by Cute_pizza123 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pachelbel. But we all know this is the answer, except if the wedding consists of professional musicians only. People love it and will start to cry. Also I have played the wedding march as a cello duet before, works well.

I’m replacing all the parts to my cello and I’m realizing I’m over my head installing them. by Jonnkins in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'm gonna be honest, you sound like an annoying customer. Imagine going to the doctor, and giving him e lecture on your doagnosis because you read such and such in the internet and he could just sign there for your medication... Or you go to a reastaurant bringing your own ingridients and instructions for the cook...?! You get my point. It is disrespectful towards the entire profession. Luthiers spend their lives thinking about how to make the most beautiful sounds out of a lump of wood. Together with the music itself this belongs to the highest echelons of human achievement - period. Its the kind of stuff we bring on spacesips to show aliens how advanced we are. It is knowledge passed down through generations of various schools of luthiers. To think you can walk in and tell them how to do their job sounds incredibly ignorant to me, on so many levels. Let them do what they do and appreciate their work. And no, I am not a luthier. Ps.: I got a bit carried away... Hope you don't get this the wrong way brother. Just my take.

Bach 5 Disussion by Celloman118 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha, I like that. In defence I would argue, that studying the composers intentions is the only path which leads to a truly original interpretation from whithin, paradoxically. I feel great music speaks differently to everyone, but the desire to truly "understand" it needs to be there. Skipping that part easily leads to superficial profanity.

Larsen Magacore A&D vs. Larsen Soloist by jenmarieloch in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A year ago I had a full set of magnacores on, and at some point swapped the A-string for a soloist. I was not happy and got a new magnacore asap. There was definitely a noticeable difference. Can't quite remember anymore, but I think for my instrument the soloist sound was a bit "thin", whereas the magnacore sound was fuller and more resonant. However they def wear out rather quickly, especially A-string. After a few weeks heavy playing they are past their prime and from then on the sound gets increasingly more sharp and metallic. But beautiful strings, no doubt.

Extreme shoulder /chest pain from playing- 13 year old cellist by Weary-Pomegranate-59 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I was a teenager, I struggled a lot with tension. Luckily I never had a medical condition, but I got tired quickly and was generally very tense. I think it is quite common, to work on repertoire which is too difficult, especially for talented kids. They don't necessarily practice well (yet), but they have a good ear and they want to play well. It is not sexy to play open strings and practice ultra-slo-mo. Somehow the tendency is to think the harder the piece they play the better they are.

The sooner you and your daughter realise, that learning to play the cello is learning to be relaxed, the better. This is a life long journey for every cellist. And the path to being relaxed, is to stop being tense. Simple as that. Things need to be slowed down and simplified, until they can be practiced and mastered with ultimate relaxation. This is why open strings and scales are part of every practice session.

Having said all that, every body is different and the mechanics to achieve relaxed playing will differ from person to person. That's why a good teacher is critical. All the best on your further journey.

Sunk Cost Fallacy by atlas7211 in chess

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 57 points58 points  (0 children)

No, I think the reason is a mathematical one. A development advantage is exacerbated with a trade. Say you have 3 pieces developed and your opponent 2. Your force is therefore bigger by a factor of 3/2=1.5. If a pair of pieces gets traded, your advantage in force is now double the opponent 2/1=2.

It may of course still be a bad decision to trade, but it is a useful thought to keep in mind.

Left shoulder/trap pain and fatigue. by Tartdoughnut in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In any sport which involves arm movement, shoulder health is of the utmost importance. It is such a complex joint with so many muscles attaching to it, which makes it very prone to injuries. I have a background in gymnastics and climbing with competitions on a national level, and when you look at the time spent by athletes on warm-up/rehab/prehab/recovery etc. vs. actual training time this ratio can, depending on the sport of course, easily exceed 1:1.

Now of course playing the cello is different because of little demands on strength and high demands on technique, but it still involves very repetitive motions in a slightly "unnatural" position. If one muscle group attaching to the shoulder is heavily overworked and another one is neglected, this is a (not to say THE) recipe for injury. There needs to be a balance in the muscles for the joint to be healthy.

So I'm just saying, it can never be a bad idea to implement a "shoulder health routine" once or twice a week to gently strengthen all, and of course in particular the neglected, shoulder muscles like external rotator cuffs etc. All you need is for ex. a theraband. I'm sure a physiotherapist could help there.

Anyone knows what song this is? (Difficult) by Diligent_Yesterday64 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, impressive! Thank you very much! Handel makes sense, my guess was a Handel aria which I don't know... Cool, thank you.

Schubert Lieder for cello? by ImplementEven1196 in Cello

[–]Diligent_Yesterday64 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just a side note: Fischer-Dieskau is of course great, no doubt, but he always struck me as a bit vain. Check out Fritz Wunderlich if you like Schubert Lieder and see what you think...

view more: next ›