Song of the Birds

I’m feeling fairly pleased with myself, at the moment, as my cello has been sounding really nice as of late and quite consistently too. Somehow, rather unconsciously I think, I’ve managed to find the right touch with the bow, or at least I’m getting closer to the right touch. Moreover, I’ve increased the tension of the bow quite a bit, I’m using considerably less rosin than I was before, and I’ve switched to a higher quality rosin than what I was given when I bought the instrument.

All of that aside, I think the greatest improvement has come from cleaning the strings with a copper scouring pad.¹ My cello was built in 2004 and I’ve a suspicion that the strings are the original ones and have been somewhat neglected. I scraped off all the sticky grime and the difference is incredible. Suddenly, my cello sounds like a cello!

Briefly, I considered ordering a new set of strings, but the price of cello strings is ludicrous. I used to think electric bass strings were pricey, but they now seem quite reasonable in comparison. I’d never seen strings advertised with financing-options before!

I plan to play my strings until they break.

My practicing continues to go well. I’ve set up a dedicated music corner in my home office and I manage to get myself there almost every day. When I first started playing, I bought two cello methods, but I’ve abandoned them for now in favour of a great little book titled “Bach for the Cello: Ten Pieces in the First Position.” Aside from the fact that I’m already ‘playing’ Bach, what I like about this book is that each piece comes with a simple piano accompaniment. So now my wife, who is an amateur pianist, and I are playing music together. Currently, we’re working on the sarabande and we’re almost ready to start a second piece. We may not sound that great, but we’re both enjoying the added challenge inherent in playing together, and we’re having a lot of fun at the same time. Life is good.

I finally did it. Two weeks ago, I bought a cello. I’ve been toying with the idea for quite some time, but, due to a variety of reasons and distractions, I’ve managed to let twenty-six years slip by. Of course, I wasn’t thinking about it the entire time. An incurable dabbler, I’ve explored many other interests during those years. However, now that I finally have a cello, I can think of little else.
Given how little I can play and how dreadful each note sounds, it is almost embarrassing to confess how completely obsessed I have become with it, but that is the truth of the matter and I’m getting too old to worry about appearing ridiculous. Still, I do feel a little foolish as I squeak and scrape my way through “London Bridge” and “Merrily We Roll Along.” The cello is more technically challenging than I imagined.
Still, in the fourteen days that I’ve been making dreadful noises on mine, I’ve already learned three things. First, I have the ability to ‘hear’ major scales where absolutely none exist. Second, unless one has unusually high self-esteem, one shouldn’t record oneself playing cello within the first two weeks of picking one up. Third, my favourite cello artists are even more amazing and their recordings even more beautiful than I ever realized. Even if I never get any better on the cello, this last point alone would justify the attempt.
When I wast first set up this blog, I planned to write about my discoveries and experiences in the outdoors and the ethical and moral considerations arising therein. These things still interest me, but, for the time being at least, I suspect I’ll be writing more about my ‘adventures’ with the cello than with trout. Cover your ears and flee if you must. This will be your only warning.