Cello Lesson Number 1

Yesterday I had my first cello lesson at New School of Music with Ana Ospina.

I attached the backpack accessory to my Bam cello case and put my iPad in the backpack. The cello case would not stand with the backpack attached to it because of the weight of the iPad. I put the case on my back and adjusted the straps as tight as possible to minimize wobbling of the case. I walked 2.1 miles to New School of Music in Cambridge.

Lesson Notes

Ana checked my cello and bow and tuned my cello. I explained that Eva Broadway at Luthier Collective had set up my cello. Ana was pleased that I was using a Wada Bow Grip.

Ana introduced me to the following exercises from Blue Book of Tunes - Cello:

• “The List” (holding the cello, p. 2)
• “Gee Dee Gee” (left hand pizzicato, p. 3)
• “Rockin’ the Boat” (plucking and strumming open strings, p. 4)
• “Ski Jumps” (string slides, p. 5)
• “Bow Hand” (p. 6)
• “Moon Landings” (landing the bow on the strings, p. 7)

Ana taught me the following exercises:

• the spider walk up and down a vertical bow
• windshield wipers
• flexing the thumb and fingers while holding the bow
• raising fingers of the left hand independently
• bowing open strings

The hour passed very quickly. Ana is a good and patient instructor. I had a lot of fun, and sometimes I felt like I was in grade school again.

Assignments

My assignments for my next lesson in two weeks include:

• working on my bow hold, including pronating and relaxing
• performing windshield wipers, spider walk, and flexing my thumb and fingers while holding the bow
• memorizing the notes of the bass clef using workbook exercises

• practicing the following exercises from Blue Book of Tunes - Cello:

  • “The List” (p. 2)
  • “Gee Dee Gee” (p. 3)
  • “Rockin’ the Boat” (p. 4)
  • “Ski Jumps” (p. 5)
  • “Bow Hand” (p. 6)
  • “Moon Landings” (p. 7)