Thanks for watching my videos. I do this because classical music should be accessible to everyone, not just the few who can afford the time and lessons.
Haha, you totally got me there! ;_; I'm an adult beginner who started on the violin. Yep, the hands are a bit stiff, yes, the neighbours complain occasionally, and yes, if you're doing anything remotely wrong the violin is straight up going to murder your ears. But I'm not ready to let go now so I juggle both, to the chargrin of my cello teacher. She fears violin muscle memory. Thanks for this video, great as always.
Let you cello teacher know I concur that support concentrating on one instrument would be more beneficial, YET the technique is so drastically different you will not have any worry, unless you have already learned vibrato. Examples: 1) Cellists actively use our thumbs, and in me pedagogy, as a vital tool for intonation. Violinists? Not as much. 2) The cellist must transform the hand from a 1-2-3-4 to a T-1-2-3 when moving beyond the neck, while violinists just let their thumb hand back using the same fingers as before. 3) The extension on cellists' hands occurs ONLY between the 1st and 2nd finger, while along the neck, while the violinists' fingers are stretching between all digits. 4) And though the names of positions are dictated by violin pedagogy (something I will buck this year for we need more precision in our positions), this does not hold up to the need for cellists to understand why we call the 4th finger in 1st the "3rd position" 5) Vibrato on cello is totally different from vibrato on violin.
Thank you Johnathan for your sensitivity and passion. I'm preparing for a recital (as an adult student) and this video has inspired me to create music from the piece I have chosen. Sorry for your loss. Debbie
Beautiful energy, BRAVO! You are speaking DIRECTLY to me hehe I'm on my 60th rotation around the sun and about to play, to experience, to love, a cello.
Love that Pocahontas piece...I was looking for a video on how to upgrade a cheap cello purchased from Amazon, and found this while scrolling....thanks for sharing 😀, very sorry for your loss🙏🏾, may he rest in sweet peace
One of the reasons that I've been enjoying your videos so much is because your love affair with the cello comes through so clearly and so unashamedly! Thank you for sharing that love with those of us who found you on RU-vid. And thank you for sharing about your friend, and for the music for him. Losing lovely people from the world is hard.
It is hard, and that was a tough time for me but more so my now wife. She was torn up, and I had to be the rock for her. Thierry was a man of honest intent and awareness. I would have enjoyed speaking more with him now I can carry a conversation in French. But even before all that, he was kind to me.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend passing away Jonathan it is always hard to lose any one that is close to you. I will keep you an there family in my prayers.
In my view the cello is the instrument that most closely matches the human voice. The tone and registry therefore is very recognizable making the cello a very "likeable" instrument.
So Jonathan, I live in So Cal and recently purchased a low cost cello. I use to play violin in school, but I had a left wrist injury and can no longer play the notes with my wrist bent. I tried playing electric bass guitar but my fingers on my left hand are weak since my injury so it took me a long time to even hold down the strings. I was getting pretty good, but had to stop taking lessons due to work schedule, so I began playing by tabs. Still, just ok, not great, but I have missed playing with a bow. So, I bought the cello. It comes out of tune easy. I am needing a stand to help keep it stationary so I hopefully will not have to tune it every time. Anyway, I just want to say that holding the bow for a cello is much more exhausting then I remember holding it while playing the violin. I am a nurse and work a lot of hours, so I don't really have a lot of time to practice, but in time I hope to use your videos for help in learning. Im a total newbie to cello :-) I thought I would let you know and how I enjoy your kind demeanor and way of teaching. Thank you and Blessings-
You're welcome and than you for the condolences. The bow is challenge to learn at first, so look forward to a series of videos that teach step by step bow hold and technique.
Hi Jonathan, thank you so much for this video. But more important, thank you for the lesson and core message. My deepest condolences to you about your friend. I'm brand new to the craft and had my cello for about a week now. I love your advice on finding a song that you connect with. I thought the first song I'd have to learn was Bach suit no 1 intro, or the cello song. I will still learn it, but it doesn't speak to me in the way you were talking about. Again, thank you.
You're welcome, Barry. When music touches us, it can come from unexpected places. It is easy to be melancholic and angered, but harder to find happier pieces. With cello, we all want to play good, with every little detail affecting our sound. When I began cello, I knew about the Bach suites and other tunes, but it was the main theme from Star Wars that hooked me. Later, Haydn C Concerto. If you want an uplifting piece, like the Prelude, try Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (I made a video of it years ago on this channel) Yet, for the modern cellist, baroque music without context just doesn't "speak" to beginners today. So, try to ask yourself: what brought you to cello? Was there a tune you heard? I remember watching Nirvana's Unplugged version of All Apologies, and I loved the added cello. When you know what brought you here, ask yourself, where do you want to go with cello? I am not a "rock" or "blues" cellist, even though I love all of those genres on cello and guitar. My fiancée told me, quite directly, that I am a classical cellist. I'm always playing classical or romantic music on my cello. What you need to know is where you fit. What era of music speaks to you and your aspiration is what will keep you up at night. Gamers have asked me to arrange music from their hobbies, so any place that inspires will carry you further. Thanks for the condolences. He was not a close friend but a kind person to me, and a life long friend to my fiancée. Thierry was always supportive of my culture shock from moving to France, reaching out to me when I had darker days. He passed in a tragic manner, suddenly. I wrote a song for him days afterward, but was too distraught to finish the lyrics. Yeah, that disney tune just flooded my mind with his memory and my heart with his loss. I appreciate your condolences. :^)
What originally brought me to the cello, was from even a young age, i absolutely loved the deep sound it created. When i listened to classical music, i would actively listen out for the cello in the music. And of course guys like The Piano Guys, 2Cellos, Tina Guo and ThatCelloGuy just added fuel to the fire. I think I'm still looking for my place to fit in. When I hear good music, like in general pop radio songs, I can already imagine myself doing a cover on it. I think that it what is driving me. One song in particular, The Quality of Mercy by Max Richter is a definite must. When you played The Colours of the Wind (I love Disney too) I could feel your pain channelled through the cello and made me think of my dad who passed last year in October. I would love to do something for him too.
Thank you for the suggestion to cover MR's Quality of Mercy. (just uploaded the lesson) My wife and I watched all three seasons (binged) and we happy it was less LOST.
You're so right with everything you say :) I know all that from the piano and when you played your emotions out you really got me, because it's so sad (and I'm feeling sorry for what happened...) and I'm playing this song on the piano, too... if you put your heart into your instrument it's so amazing and touching people and I think you are really good at doing this kind of thing :) i got water in my eyes, oh dear :D I'm very glad I discovered your channel :) Keep holding on! :)
By the way, the song I want to play truely is 'Trail of Angels', I hope I can make it someday (even if its no cello song, i don't mind) :D thank you for making me focus on something, to have goals is so important :)
