I consider a mirror to be essential. While I don't use it for my entire practice session, I will occasionally move my chair in front of the mirror to check bow angle and left hand/arm balance. Its essential for me because I split my day between modern cello and baroque cello.
If you're traveling or live in a region with changing weather conditions particularly humidity changes, 2 reliable digital hygrometers (I use one outside case and one inside case) and a set of strettos, dampits or boveda humidity packs is essential to prevent fractures especially below 30% humidity. Ideally 40-70% humidity should be maintained. I always keep the cello in the case when I'm not playing as it's a safe, controlled environment. On the topic of keeping a cloth to wipe dust/rosin off the cello and strings, I keep a dedicated cloth to clean off rosin from fingerboard and strings and a separate cloth for wiping the cello varnish. You don't want to use a cloth with rosin dust to wipe the cello varnish.
Thank you Richard! This list made me feel good, as I have all of the same essentials scepter for the gauge! I also use a simple scrubby that you would have in the kitchen. A few swipes over the string and it really helps to clean the strings!
I always drop and break my new rosin. Ugh. Recently I learned to melt the broken edges on the stovetop, (in disposable stuff like foil) and stick them back together, so that works if it just breaks in a few large pieces.
All good advice Richard. It's great that you also talked about your beautiful instrument and bow. Frank Ravatin is truly one of the finest makers of today.
I’ve been enjoying your videos! As we drag into year 2 of all this, I hope you continue, eg, perhaps tips on achieving a lovely rolling vibrato in different registers, bowing tips (including sinking into the string, or not, etc). Anyway, you know best. Thanks!
I also keep Boveda in my case to control dryness and humidity. Great for where I live where it is dry from central heating in the winter and very humid in the summer. Thank you for such helpful information!
Hi Richard, this is Heather. My kids had your master classes at the end of last year at Suzuki cello camp. Really enjoy this video about essentials. We have wooden floor at home, so one essential would be end pin stopper. Hope to hear if you have anything to say about that. Thank you.
Hi Heather, yes I remember! Hope you and the family are doing well these days. You are absolutely right - an endpin stopper is great to have, especially if you don't want to damage the floor or if you are playing on a slippery surface like stone/concrete. There are different kinds (standard rock-stops like the rubber black hole stop; rubber tips that are placed directly on the endpin; wooden boards that you can connect to one of the cello legs; cello straps that you can lengthen/shorten, etc.). I think it's also important to make sure that your endpin is sharp for those situations you are performing on a wooden stage and you want the endpin to be firmly placed without slippage. That being said, some venues prefer you don't penetrate/damage their floors! It really depends. But short answer is yes, it's definitely an essential to have an end pin stopper.
What ipad model or type do you use or recommend? I like to copy and enlarge my sheet music (especially when learning a new piece) so I can see an editor's printed tiny fingerings. I also like to put my music stand further away (more one side) rather than directly in front of me so enlarging the music helps me see those tiny printed 😮2s and 3s fingerings or when the lighting is not so great Also how do you change pages in a performance setting when using an ipad?
Two essentials I have that you didn't mention are an air turn for my iPad and I have a purple cushion for my chair. I'm curious what carbon bow you had?
