Lesson #2- Where To Start
- How To Get Up And Running
- Pick out a room in your house that you will use to practice. The best kind of room is the kind where you can actually leave your cello out. Buy yourself a cello stand (Ingles Cello Stand) and then, not only will you feel guilty for not practicing, it will be much more tempting to play because you don't have to spend the time to get it out of the case.
- Find the perfect chair. Just because you have a chair that looks pretty and comfortable, doesn't mean it's a good "cello chair." You need to be able to sit comfortably in the chair with your feet flat on the floor, without the chair being too tall, too short, or too slanted. Don't worry about the chair having back support, because when you play the cello you sit on the edge of your seat.
- Book + Video, or just book?: There are so many method books and videos that can get you on the road to becoming a cellist. Which one will work for you? If you have absolutely no musical background, I would suggest a book like New Directions for Strings- Cello Book 1. This book really breaks everything down to the nitty gritty, while the accompaniment CD makes practicing much less monotonous for the beginner. If you have some music experience, you might find Orchestra Expressions- Cello Book 1 more to your liking. It has magazine-like pages and full color pictures, along with more popular songs that keep a current musician from becoming bored too quickly. If you plan on learning through YouTube videos, (which many people do) then good luck finding a series that works! I have yet to find many that are in a worthwhile sequence and actually teach you what you need to know. This may be my cue to make a series of my own! If you're against taking traditional private lessons, you may want to consider taking the occasional Skype lesson online, if you really get stuck on something.
- Make sure you have realistic expectations: Yes, it's true that learning the cello as an adult is generally harder than when you are younger. This goes double for teaching it to yourself. The most important thing is for you not to get so frustrated that you give up and never realize your dream. You won't become a virtuoso overnight, and you shouldn't expect to. You WILL be playing Mary Had A Little Lamb, and you should be PROUD that you can do it!!
- Don't over-practice: You should main for 15-20 minutes, 5-7 days a week to start. Don't lump all of your practicing into one or two days. It's like brushing your teeth. If you brush your teeth for an hour two days a week, you're leaving yourself with 5 days of dirty teeth. If you brush every day, your teeth are healthy. You can keep your cello skills from getting dirty by practicing a little bit everyday, which builds up your skills in the long run.
- Send me a message in the contact box on the homepage, if you have any questions :) Good luck on picking up your cello for the very first time!
