Inside my Strad article 🎻 (with playing examples) 

What would have made the initial journey more fun for me would have been playing in a small group. After a while I learned about a strings class at the junior college (open to community members) and that was fun. I would have loved to be in a beginner string group. It would be nice if cello teachers would network with violin teachers to coach beginner and intermediate groups. Most of us are not going to solo a concerto in this lifetime, but we can enjoy playing in a group, and if you are the lone cello, you really work on holding up your part.

You are so right! It's Bach that has me reaching for my cello at practice time. I have a lovely new teacher who is helping me through the Bouree from the third suite with impossible shifts in it, but the sections I can manage remind me how it felt to fall in love 60 years ago!

After playing other instruments, I started playing cello at age 43 being smitten by Casals playing the cello suites. I wish I had known about this approach earlier. The deconstruction process with early access to attractive pieces and their phrases seems inspiration while building critical technique foundation. I have only recently learned the value of playing at slow tempi to allow the brain and muscle memory to assimilate the music and motions. Thank you.

Hey Billy! I found your stuff just over a year ago. I've always wanted to play cello, grew up playing piano (which was an excellent base for future musical learning, everyone should start with piano even if just for a year or two, my opinion lol) but I never was able to express the kind of music I love the most. I always wished I could sing well, and with Cello it is much more like singing. Anyway I got myself a cello a year ago, and have been taking lessons. I started with your beginners course before finding my current teacher. I have come a long ways, and am about to perform Shostakovich Waltz no 2 at my cello school! am just starting my own journey, have so much to learn, but seeing your journey has been such an inspiration!

Congrats on the article! I love this idea being an adult learner. The old "wax on, wax off" approach is like taking medicine without a "teaspoon of sugar" lol. Love this concept of deconstruction. It is probably the best application for this theory that I have come accross philosophically. Thank you for your journey and this youtube channel.

Brillant idea. Thanks Billy

I love your videos, mostly because I see so much of my struggles on them. I'm a few years in my cello journey now, but I think I would love to have gone the route you described. It is quite annoying to keep playing childish music, and I remember my joy whenever a more "serious" etude popped up to be played. Nowadays I feel like this "deconstruction" is somewhat similar to techniques I would apply to actually learn some new piece: breaking down the piece into smaller chunks, sometimes even skip some notes... I think there is even a learning here on thinking on how to deconstruct, as it can lead a student into figuring out how to study and practice.

Thank you so much Billy! I have had that internal struggle too where I feel I loose some passion if only playing etudes and exercises. The fact that I can keep coming back to a piece of repertoire at various stages of my journey takes the pressure off too. I see the point in only biting off what you can chew at a time and working on certain smaller sections of a piece.

Thank you! I have to try this :) Playing in slow tempo is something I tried before, but I haven't tried different bowings and now I'm thinking also maybe simplifying the rhytm could be worth it, just so I at least play the notes and fix the rhytm a bit later. Your videos are very helpful :) And I'm so happy I participated in one of the weekend workshops, the one about making a big sounds. It was super helpful :) Thank you for all that you do!

Thanks so much Billy! Do you have 4 or 5 pieces to suggest as good repertoire to use this deconstruction technique on?

I like your approach to practicing the easier parts of great pieces without the pressure that you must play the entire movement. I'm learning the first half of Fauré Élégie and getting a lot of joy out of it. I can't get past measure 34 as the rest is just too fast for my old fingers.

Totally understand this way of thinking. The adult mind is in decay and also has a ton of other stuff to deal with so our learning process cannot be the same as a childs will be. (my first tune was Ode to Joy....simple but way more fun than twinkle) I'm a lifetime electric bassist which was a huge problem for me learning cello but Ive overcome it and study cello charts with vigour. However I'd also like to mention 'traditional' instruction which is primarily aimed at young mobile bodies. My teacher insists that I bend my body like a childs (left thumb being a particular problem, and, sitting up straight is not easy either) yet I play away quite happily without discomfort but she's not happy at all because my body doesn't look right....ie 'traditional'. It's a new world now where the internet enables old and.. 'decrepit' adults to learn and in doing so will have fun, albeit even they dont look quite right....

Could you make a video of give some more input on tips on deconstruction? Like if I pick up the prelude and or Dvorak and I come to a complex part or I am not sure how I would make this into something that makes more since at my level but still is putting me on the path to learning these more robust pieces. I see how your doing the first part but ive come to other areas that seem a little more difficult to break apart. I am not sure if it is my level of undersatnding of music theory or if its understanding more around deconstruction or a mix of both haha!

I played the cello but stopped 20 years ago. It is discouraging to know that I used to play Bach's first suite much better. I am trying your approach, and will stick with the first 8 bars for starters. Otherwise I am using Alwin Schroeder's Volume 1 which get difficult rather fast.

This is THE reason I get discouraged and don’t practice as much as I could. ‘Pachyderm Parade’ just doesn’t make me want to play:( Billy, I see an adult cello instruction/ excercise book in your future.