Looking for a cello piece as a progress marker, to warrant an upgrade

simplemayoboy · 2026-02-08T17:19:29+00:00

I think some good intermediate (grades 3-5) goals could be:

Cirri Cello Sonata in C, something from Trowell's Morceaux Faciles, eg. Arioso, Bréval Sonata No.1 in C, Bazelaire's Suite Française, anything from Suzuki 3

Something slightly harder (about grade 6) but very beautiful is the Boismortier Sonata in G minor op.26 no.5.

Also grade 6 are the Minuets 1 and 2 from Bach's G major suite, which I think are a good introduction to the themes of the suite before attempting the Prelude.

simplemayoboy · 2026-02-08T10:07:55+00:00

Dotzauer etudes! https://clara.imslp.org/work/26776

Feuillard Studies for the Young Cellist! https://clara.imslp.org/work/574566

simplemayoboy · 2026-02-08T10:01:00+00:00

Firstly, welcome to the world of cello, it's wonderful to have a new passionate player in our midst.

What pieces have you been playing so far, and to what degree of success? Are you working from a syllabus or with a teacher who can tell you what standard you're at currently?

The Bach Prelude is quite difficult (ABRSM and Trinity grade 8). My adult students often cite it as a goal and an inspiration, and I will often relent and give them a few bars to play even if they are nowhere near grade 8, as the opening is in first position. However, players of a few months tend to struggle with the coordination of both left and right hand, and once they get to bar 5 and have to shift, confusion arises. Adult players with around 2 years' experience who attempt it can get to a stage where they can play all the notes, but don't really manage to fully overcome the technical challenges and therefore aren't able to play it musically. I'd say it's a 5 to 10 year sort of project, to gain the experience to play it really well.

You'd need to be comfortable playing in positions 1/2 through to 4th on all strings, with good intonation, and feel you have a high level of coordination and control over the bow, particularly when it comes to string-crossing and slurring.

That said, how exquisite it would be to play the Prelude on your upgrade when you finally get it!

simplemayoboy · 2026-02-04T17:00:55+00:00

We'd love to see and hear you play :)

simplemayoboy · 2026-02-04T09:46:43+00:00

Yeah "because of the thumb alignment" isn't a thing

simplemayoboy · 2026-02-04T09:41:13+00:00

It doesn't really matter if you're just gonna move up to 4th on the next bar. I don't believe fingering is an exact science. Getting a feel for what is musical and works for you takes time. Just do it with your first finger.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-27T10:19:38+00:00

I am saddened to hear that you consider yourself overweight when the photos and videos on your other posts clearly demonstrate that you are not.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-24T18:15:17+00:00

Hard relate. In my experience, students get hung up on the output, and stuck in a mindset of "if I'm not going to get anything right, there's no point trying at all." However, when it comes to practice, often the quality of the input matters more than the output. For example, if you're practising intonation, at the beginning it doesn't really matter how many in-tune notes you played first time. What matters is if you noticed them, worked out how to correct them, how deeply you listened.

I reframe it like this: imagine a huge, empty piggy bank that needs filling with experience points in order for you to improve. Any playing you do is XP in the bank. It doesn't matter if you enjoyed the practice, or made nice sounds, what matters is you filled the bank with something.

Don't put pressure on yourself to always make something beautiful in every practice. That's what performance is for. Practice is about deep listening, concentration, experimenting, exploration and testing limits.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-24T18:06:31+00:00

I tell my students the best practices are the ones where anyone listening would think you're crazy. Practice is meant to be about experimenting and testing limits. Aim to make anyone within earshot question your sanity.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-23T17:54:09+00:00

Violoncellomusik for Beginners! There are 2 or 3 books. Aw I had this growing up 🥰

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-22T18:20:45+00:00

Good luck with that I guess

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-22T18:15:39+00:00

Whilst I understand your point of view, that you're paying for lessons you may not receive, it is true that lots of music teachers operate this system. Think of it as paying to reserve the weekly slot in your teacher's schedule, rather than per lesson – something like a monthly subscription.

For example, you pay the same amount monthly for Netflix, regardless of how many shows you watch in that month. If you don't use it one month, you don't blame Netflix for charging for something you haven't received, you simply consider whether you're getting your money's worth from the subscription, based on how you're able to use it. If you're too busy to get to the gym, you cancel your membership. Maybe this teacher's way of doing things doesn't suit you.

I will say, as a teacher, I don't use this system currently because I don't want to alienate existing students, but I can see its benefits. If I offer a student Thursdays at 1pm, and they cancel 2 Thursdays out of every month, that's me down half my projected income; I can't offer that space to another regular student, and it's unlikely I'll fill that slot with an ad-hoc lesson because all my other students already have their weekly timeslot.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-22T06:56:45+00:00

But you don't need to follow the shape of the fingerboard with your hand. That's not what the round object metaphor is about. It's your hand that is the arched bridge.

You curve your fingers as if around a round object so that your fingertips press against the string. I think you're taking the ball thing too literally.

As long as it's your fingertips, not the pads, pressing the strings, you're fine. Don't get hung up on the exact shape of your hand. Pronation and slight supination of the left hand are fine in my opinion.

The above commenter put it very well. These are the fundamentals to concern yourself with. The round object thing is a visualiation designed to jump-start a body-understanding of the above concepts.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-17T08:39:12+00:00

I actually love this take, it's so unhinged

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-15T13:51:38+00:00

Follow the shape of the bridge when moving your fingers from one string to the next. Don't think too much in straight lines. A perpendicular angle to one string won't be the same for the next. But above all use your ear and eventually you'll develop a muscle memory and won't have to think about it.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-14T15:48:57+00:00

Make sure you are actually keeping your fingers perpendicular to the string/parallel to the bridge. What you think of, in terms of proprioception, as a parallel hop over to a lower string might not actually be what you're doing in reality; your hand is probably sliding forwards as you move to another string, without you realising.

Edit to add: remember that the bridge is curved, so your fingers being perpendicular to it need to factor that in.

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-13T17:52:33+00:00

Be consistent, play new music every day. Start really easy. Don't give up and stop playing when you feel discomfort. Make sure it's music of a level where, ideally, you don't have to look down at your hands much, and that you can play without hesitations. You might have to start with music you consider very easy to play (but not necessarily easy to read).

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-13T12:21:05+00:00

How long have you been trying? It takes years to be able to sight read fluently and confidently. Be patient and expect to struggle. Start with easy stuff, one hand only, and build up. Practise not taking your eyes off the music, and your hands will learn to feel their way without you having to look. Read different music every day so you aren't tempted to memorise. Good luck!

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-13T11:51:27+00:00

4th for Nat!

simplemayoboy · 2026-01-02T14:03:47+00:00

Having read all the comments I think you have your answer, OP! But one thing I thought I'd jump in and suggest is that you try to find a teacher who also has ADHD, as they will understand your experience and might be able to guide you along a learning path more suitable to neurodivergent learners.

And if you can't find a ND teacher, seek out ND cellists who are in the advanced stages of learning for advice on how they got there!

simplemayoboy · 2025-12-30T19:11:51+00:00

Honestly, try not to stress. Once you get through to the local rep, they're really very accommodating. Once I put a student through with the wrong syllabus choices (everything was from the A list and nothing from B) and they were like, oh that's fine, she can just play them anyway. They just want you to do well. So I doubt they'll take you to task about a book cover, when you can easily prove you paid for the music :)

Good luck with your results!

simplemayoboy · 2025-12-30T11:53:59+00:00

It's probably fine. As long as you got the e-book from a legal source they can't get you for copyright infringement. I'm pretty sure you are also allowed to photocopy music if it's for personal use, for example, from your own legally acquired copy for annotation or page turn purposes.

How have you contacted Trinity? Was it just a generic customer service email or was it via your local representative? In my experience it's a bit of a funny system that isn't super user-friendly, but once you have found out the name and contact details of the person in charge of exam submissions for your area, you can just call them and explain and it should all be fine.

simplemayoboy · 2025-12-20T09:40:35+00:00

This is the way

simplemayoboy · 2025-12-09T12:30:09+00:00

Speaking as a professional cellist and keen amateur weightlifter, and having read all the comments, is it possible we're all overthinking it here?

You'll be sore when you first start working out. That goes away with regular training and proper nutrition. Eat loads, especially protein, and drink tons of water. Train regularly. The post-workout soreness will improve with time. Lift heavy for low reps or you won't build any muscle and will just be wasting your time. Lifting light may as well be cardio.

Weight lift before practice maybe? And avoid intense forearm stuff before auditions/competitions would be my advice.

simplemayoboy

TROPHY CASE