Go with the flow

Well, I should have posted way before now and promise to do better in the future. I'm still getting used to the blogging thing and I hear you really have to feed blogger often. 

Music. Today I was talking to a student about music and how it resembles electricity. Of course that's not a real stretch...everything is energy. We talked about the fact that nothing is truly still...nothing. Everything, down to the very smallest particles is flowing. The student understood that the music stand looked solid and unmoving but that it was not. The particles making up the stand were in slow motion. So I suggested that this student never feel locked into position when playing and think of playing music as jumping into "a river of music." Why not? Rivers flow. Everything flows. When one puts the bow on the string and thinks of riding a wave instead of pressing down on the string, a very different sound is produced. Pressing too hard and pulling the bow at the wrong speed prevents a lot of good sound production. The flow is flowing naturally, in other words. Sure, we may speed up and slow down our bow stroke, but it has to be a natural progression and fit exactly what needs to be expressed. If you have ever water-skied behind a boat where the driver feels like having a little fun by slowing down the boat laughing as you start to sink into the water, you'll know that it isn't pleasant. You need to be at a certain speed to ride on top of the water. Getting a good sound is a combination of correct speed, pressure and bow placement. This sounds fancy. But really it can be observed easily and felt if you choose to focus on it. A good student experiments...a lot. And your playing has to come from the inside out so to speak. So, next time you sit down at the cello, realize that you aren't totally still - ever. Even if you try to be still, you are still breathing. When you begin to play, try to "go with the flow" instead of trying to force something into being. Good luck. See you next week! Suzanne