Cello Lesson Number 6

Yesterday, June 20, 2026, I had my sixth cello lesson with Ana Ospina at New School of Music.

While practicing last week, I struggled with tension and intonation. (From what I’ve read, I will struggle with these for the rest of my cello-playing life.) However, I feel like I’m improving. I worked on keeping my bowing arm up when playing on the A and D strings, and I’m not squeezing the cello’s neck as much as before.

Lesson Notes

Ana asked me to play Exercises 1.h and 1.l from Practical Method for the Violoncello by Carl Schröder. I like these exercises because they are quarter notes with many string crossings. She said I needed to use my entire bow for these. I have been practicing these at 60 bpm, and Ana said I could increase my metronome to 70 bpm.

We worked on Schröder Exercises 3, 4, 5, and 6 for the first position. I need to do these on all four strings, and I should learn both parts of the Exercise 6 duet. Ana said I should start playing these at 50 bpm or even slower. When we played the Exercise 6 duet, I would start out sounding good, but I would usually get farther out of tune as we went. Ana said I need to speed up my bow and use the whole bow.

We played “Jazz for the Open Strings” without the backing track. Ana corrected my bowing and pointed out a pizzicato note at the very end that I was ignoring. The backing track for this tune is played at 120 bpm, which is too fast for me. We played at 90 bpm; Ana said I should practice at 90 bpm and gradually speed up. I might want to start it slower and work on the transitions to and from pizzicato. Ana wants me to pluck the F# in measure 28 (F# is not an open string).

From The Blue Book of Tunes, we played “Rock and Roll” and a new tune, “Mississippi Mud.” I need to start in the middle of the bow.

Ana helped me with form. She said I am gripping the cello with my knees, and I shouldn’t do that. I’m tilting my cello too far to the right, especially when playing the C string. I’m doing better at keeping my right elbow up on the A and D strings. I need to keep my left elbow up when playing on the G and C strings.

Assignments

• Practice Schröder Exercise 1 at 70 bpm
• Practice Schröder Exercises 2–6 at 50 bpm
• Practice “Jazz for the Open Strings” at 90 bpm, working up to 120 bpm with the backing track
• Practice “Mississippi Mud” and other tunes from Blue Book of Tunes
• Work on my breathing

Additional Notes

I noticed that when Ana and I played together, I could use Ana’s tone to correct my poor intonation. I plan to practice more using drones.

I am getting better at playing through mistakes, although I often get lost and have to stop.

Once again, the lesson was a lot of fun, and I’m ready to practice for another week.