Developing a Technique to Improve Your Talent

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Gregory Beaver

In the United States, there has been a strong push to reform our general education in recent years, with federal initiatives like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top capturing headlines as innovative ways to improve the worst-performing schools in our country.  On the other extreme are teachers like me who are working primarily with students one on one in intensive hour-long lessons on a weekly basis to achieve the pinnacle of possibility.  One thing that has always fascinated me is the question of talent: is it innate, or can one learn it?  Many of my teachers have made statements such as “anyone can be taught how to play the cello, but there are some things that are innate and cannot be taught,” “That’s god-given talent” and so on.  I have had the pleasure to work closely with many students over the past 13 years of my professional career in the Chiara Quartet.  Some were beginners, some very advanced, some were considered prodigies, others were considered untalented by their teachers or their peers.  In many hours of lessons with these students, I have found both cases that support and contradict this conventional wisdom.

After years of work as a teacher and an observer of my own improvement in areas such as music, chess, soccer, programming and writing, I have come to believe that there is a process by which all human beings are capable of speeding up the learning process to approximate what we think of as “talent.”  In short: you can improve your talent.  Lately, I have begun to actively implement these ideas in my own teaching with very interesting results.  Before I continue, I should state the caveat that this is not a scientific paper, and all results are anecdotal.  There are many resources available that address the question of how we learn, should you wish to examine the field further.  I will only be speaking of my own experience as a teacher and as a learner.  In addition, I am going to speak from the perspective of assuming some basic motivation is in place for the student, such that the student is at least attempting to improve already, and has no active animosity to learning the task.  Developing a love for music is a separate but equally important part of improving, and I may blog about that in the future, as there are some ways to help that along, but it is one of the great challenges of education that I still find to be an unsolved mystery. Continue reading →

Posted in Artistic Vision, In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remembering Janos Starker: July 5, 1924 – April 28, 2013

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Blogmaster


“What is the role of music in society?… Music is one of the essentials in human existence, almost identical with eating, sleeping, making love, the basic functions that keep a human being alive. Music simply, is one of the blessings and joys of civilized human existence.”   – Janos Starker

View Janos Starker performances and interviews at http://cellobello.com/legacy/starker-the-teacher

——————

Janos Starker Tributes

From Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi:

The passing of my dear mentor and inspiration, Janos Starker,  is indeed profoundly sad news, even though we have been expecting this at any moment. It is a great honour for me to write about him, and it causes so many wonderful memories to flood my mind.  The only thing I can say at this moment is that he was not only a truly incredible cellist, musician, artist, pedagogue, but more than that, he was a genuinely great person who influenced and encouraged so many people in the best possible way. The amazing results of his teaching can be heard everywhere and beautify the entire world.

——————

From Maria Kliegel:

A moment of tense, expectant silence – to me it seemed to be an eternity. A couple of silent smoky clouds floating in the teaching room.  Janos Starker looked at me in his typical manner, a gaze so full of intensity that I could feel it under my skin, followed by a shattering comment, uttered with a cool slowness and a stony, unchangeable look on his face:  “if you ever play as inaccurately as you just did, I will deny ever having been your teacher.“ And again, an eternal moment of silence, this time I sat horrified in my chair, not being able to breathe or move. Silent smoky clouds.

One of my lessons in Bloomington ended this way – the Haydn D major concerto.

I was 19 and more than eager to learn from Janos Starker, whom I adored and respected endlessly, and of course I was full of pride and happiness to be part of a group of chosen students. It is easy to imagine with how much force his words struck me.

Of course he knew that and used his brilliant pedagogical skills in order to safely put me on the road, not to hurt me or cut me down.

Janos Starker was an extremely intelligent teacher who not only passed on excellent cello technique, but also had an extraordinarily caring way of guiding young people, including all psychological means and tricks. His aims were extremely high and almost impossible to reach. There always was struggle, but at the same time satisfaction as well from trying to reach the top and please the master. He set me on fire, burning with inspiration to reach his goals, to fulfill his demands.

This came to be one of my golden rules of life: “ If you want to become a musician who is characterized by individuality and true expressiveness, you have to train yourself, your muscles, your brain, your imagination, your ears, your taste on the highest level and in all dimensions of self-criticism and experience, so to eventually let your soul shine through. Music exists to touch and deeply move, not simply to show off or try to be everybody’s darling. Don’t get lost in being an actor on stage, showing how exciting and fantastic you are; create excitement for the audience but stay behind modestly with a cool and controlled mind.“

Janos Starker was an elegant human being and musician, full of honesty, dignity, responsibility, famous for his unforgettably subtle humor, loving, caring, guiding, demanding. His purity of tone and phrasing overwhelmed. He taught me love and respect for mankind and music. He woke up my senses, planted seeds for my entire life. He helped me organize and discipline myself, taught me to analyze and enjoy, to find my own frame looking for solutions and making decisions.

 I feel endlessly privileged to have received the most precious of gifts – to know him, to have crossed his path, learned from him. Logically, it is now my turn and responsibility to carry his unique heritage to the next generation.

——————

From Paul Katz, CelloBello Founder, Cleveland Quartet, New England Conservatory

The cello world lost one its true titans today with the passing of Janos Starker. Under hospice care since April 9, he was just two months short of his 89th birthday. Known to the concert-going public as one of our true superstar performers, he was equally revered by generations of grateful students as a superstar teacher. I was privileged to be one of those lucky enough to study with “the cello doctor that will fix whatever ails you”!

Those of us who knew him well, understood that the iconic, impassive face masked a human being of warmth, humor, and yes, vulnerability. In our 45 years of friendship we shared some intimate conversation, but never once did he speak a word to me of his childhood, World War II or his time in a Nazi detention camp. Rightly or wrongly, I interpreted this as his coping, and loved and admired him for it. I believe at least partial catharsis was achieved in his auto-biography, “The World of Music According to Starker”, in which he tells the world of his early years and gives us a moving and insightful glimpse into his humanity.

What a miracle of strength, perseverance and will his life was – his genius and caring touched and helped many thousands of cellists the world over – we all mourn this loss, and our admiration, gratitude, and love for Janos Starker will forever endure. Continue reading →

Posted in Janos Starker | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Breathing Free

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Selma Gokcen

The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.
~Proverb

One of the more noticeable aspects of the modern cellist’s performance is noisy breathing. On records or in the concert hall, sometimes heard as far back as the last row, the laboured breath of the cellist engaged in giving his or her best performance can be a major distraction to a listener.  Whether it’s the sharp sniff or gasp on the up bow or a general effortful pant, is this heavy breathing necessary for their work?

On a recent surf of the internet, I came across some amusing comments about cellists and their breathing from a radio listener: “I always find that ‘cello players breathe loudly, even on recordings! I wondered if perhaps it is a symptom of having to lean over the front of the ‘cello to bow.” Our public notices (perhaps more than we know) a habit that is overlooked by many of us. What Alexander called a conspicuous defect is all too common amongst students and professionals. Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond the Traditional, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cultivating Softness, Strength, Clarity, and Calm: 3 Basic Yoga Techniques for Musicians

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Elana Katz

There are many yoga techniques that one can use to cultivate heightened awareness, calm the nervous system, center one’s thoughts, and achieve increased mental clarity. As an artist and performer myself, I can testify that yoga can help to foster creative and artistic clarity as well. What follows is a brief introduction to a few basic principals and practices in yoga that can be useful for musicians, with the instrument and in daily life.

1. Breathing 

Deepening the breath calms the nervous system and oxygenates the blood. In physical yoga positions, which are called “asanas”, deep breath is used continuously over the course of the whole practice. “Deepening the breath” means an elongation of both the inhale and the exhale. When we are nervous, the breath becomes shallow. Some people inhale and have the tendency to hold the breath – to not exhale enough – while other people simply tighten the breath, and the inhale and exhale both lack space and movement. In both cases, to begin with, I would recommend the yogic technique of deepening both the inhale and the exhale, and attempting to make them even in length. This can be useful to practice first as an isolated exercise, and once you become familiar with deepened breath, later this technique can be applied (in a modified form) while playing the instrument. Continue reading →

Posted in Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Victory of the Campaign ‘Fair Treatment for Musicians Traveling on Planes with Their Instruments’

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Blogmaster

Dear signatories of the FIM petition,

This message is to thank you for supporting our campaign ‘Fair treatment for musicians traveling on planes with their instruments’.

A draft amended regulation has been published by the EU Commission on March 20th, 2013, which includes specific provisions about musical instruments carried on planes, which is exactly what our petition was about (you can access the full document here: http://www.tinyurl.com/ctmddxe and go directly to page 28, article 6e).

Of course, there is still some work to be done in order to make sure that the EU Parliament supports – or even improves – the Commission’s proposal. But this is already a big success for all of us.

I wish to extend our thanks to the EU Commissions’ officials who have been carefully listening to our arguments, to Mr George Bach MEP, to Pearle* (representing European employers in the live performance sector) and, of course, to Katie Melua and Janne Schaffer.

Best wishes to all,

Benoît Machuel
General Secretary, International Federation of Musicians (FIM)

–
On behalf of CelloBello.com, a heartfelt thank you to all CelloBlog readers who signed the petition (on the right hand column below) and supported this great cause!
-Blogmaster

Posted in Cello Travel, Flying with Your Cello | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Reflections from the Bleachers

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Melissa Kraut

I am not cut out to be a swimming mom.  Seriously.  I am a cellist, an artist that uses classical music to parse the profound issues of humankind.  I deal with emotions, both broad and subtle, grand and intimate.  I’m on a journey to refine a skill that I will spend my lifetime trying to achieve, and working on finding ways to convey my passion to others, to convey what is in my soul through my instrument.  I’m a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, how can I possibly take on the role of swimming mom??

My daughter, a freshman in high school, is an avid swimmer, so it came as no surprise when she tried out for the high school swimming team last October.  As much as I support my daughters, and love to see them find something they are passionate about, I have to admit, I did not join the ranks of “swimming mom” lightly.  Sports, you see, were the bane of my existence growing up.  I can still hear the class in the middle school locker room after PE, jeering, “Are you still playing your cello?”  I still remember hiding my face at the high school orchestra assembly so no one could see me playing.  Playing cello in public high school circa 1984 was NOT COOL.  I begged my parents to send me to the Interlochen Arts Academy for my last two years of high school so I could be surrounded by other social misfits (no offense to any of my amazing classmates there)!  The high school “jocks” were not the people I was hanging out with in those days, no indeed, we were too busy discussing Brahms and Mahler, and comparing the sound of the CSO brass to the Berlin Phil brass.  We had serious things to discuss!  Who had time for sports?? Continue reading →

Posted in Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hare Krishna, KickStarter and Fundraising in the 21st Century

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Jeffrey Zeigler

Last November, I was driving in my car listening to NPR. I became fascinated by a story by Alix Spiegel regarding the Rule of Reciprocation.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/11/26/165570502/give-and-take-how-the-rule-of-reciprocation-binds-us

Citing the work of Robert Cialdini, an emeritus psychologist at Arizona State University, Spiegel writes that, in a nutshell, the rule of reciprocation is:

“If someone passes you in the hall and says hello, you feel compelled to return their greeting. When you don’t, you notice it. It makes you uncomfortable, out of balance. That’s the rule of reciprocation.” Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond the Traditional, Self Discovery, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

CelloBello Six Part Series, THINKING IN A NEW WAY: Overcoming Habits. Pt. 6: Putting it All Together

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Selma Gokcen

“You get away from all your old preconceived ideas because you are getting away from your old habits.”

   - F.M. Alexander

We come to the end of this six part series, having touched on various aspects of cello technique, bringing the principles of the Alexander Technique to the most basic work of balancing the instrument, then using the bow and the left hand.

Once this basic work is accomplished, the next stage is to take a new piece of music and to begin to work with it for a few minutes each day.  Instead of aiming for the goal — which is to get the piece learned and which can produce all sorts of accompanying reactions –we can take away the goal entirely, and use those few minutes while we work on the piece to pay attention to ourselves.  Our automatic, subconscious  patterns of learning usually get us through a new piece of music quickly. Here they become useful material for self-study. ‘What happens when…’ is a good question to keep asking.  Again, coming back to quiet, gathering one’s inner composure, learning to bring this inner stillness into movement is the challenge we all face as musicians.  Can we hear a phrase of music from a place of silence?  Can we put the freedom of our neck first, can we leave our back and arms alone instead of creating all that tension as we get ready to play?  Alexander faced and overcame similar habits in giving his dramatic recitations as an actor.  We can do so too if we are prepared to give up our ‘right and familiar’ ways of working  with the music. Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CelloBello Six Part Series, THINKING IN A NEW WAY: Overcoming Habits. Pt. 5: Fleet Fingers

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Selma Gokcen

“The body is like an instrument; it depends who is playing it.”
   - F.M. Alexander

In the Alexander work I do, I consider there are five stages in learning to let go of the left hand fingers in cello playing so they can be free to race around the fingerboard as well as play expressively.  The hand must be soft and empty of all intention in approaching the string. If it has preconceived form and shape, then it cannot function except within the confines of this preconception. In connection with this work, I often ask my students the meaning in Zen Buddhism of ‘the empty hand that holds the spade’.

We can think of the fingers as the end of a long chain of joints starting with the upper arm ball and socket joint; the elbow, which is a hinge joint; the wrist, which forms the connection to the hand through 8 small bones arranged in two rows of four each; and finally the hand and fingers. The muscles controlling the fingers, such as bending at the finger joints, are located in the palm and forearm and are connected to the finger bones by tendons. Contraction of a muscle pulls on the tendon to move the finger. This is similar to a marionette where you pull strings to control movement. There are no muscles inside the fingers themselves.  This entire exquisite arrangement is brought to the string through the large musculature of the back  and the correct rotation of the large ball of the upper arm bone in the shoulder socket. The latter is a special minefield for cellists as often the arm is lifted by tightening the neck and raising the shoulder girdle (formed by the collar bones and the shoulder blades), which should simply rest quietly on the back. If you shrug your shoulders when you tell a joke, well…that’s your shoulder girdle moving up and off your back.  At a recent master class I attended, every performing cellist raised their shoulder girdle to lift their arms.  It is one of the most common gestures these days amongst cellists and causes no end of trouble. Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CelloBello Six Part Series: THINKING IN A NEW WAY: Overcoming Part IV: The Arm Becomes the Bow

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Selma Gokcen

The whole organism is responsible for specific trouble. Proof of this is that we eradicate specific defects in process.
- F.M. Alexander

To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
- Lao Tzu

We now come to the bow, the most challenging aspect of cello playing by far. There are so many fantasies and fallacies surrounding the technique of the bow, as well as profound differences of opinion regarding sound production and articulation.

Rather than address these directly, I would like to introduce another way of thinking about the bow: as an ‘instrument’ whose function exists in relationship to the whole body. By starting from the general (the whole of ourselves) and eventually arriving at the specific (the ‘bowing instrument’), we might view the process in the right perspective, rather than treating the bow as an end in itself. Alexander’s basic principle — Use affects Functioning — definitely applies here. The use of ourselves (our head-neck-back relationship) affects the functioning of the arms, hands and fingers, and by extension the bow. Continue reading →

Posted in Artistic Vision, Auditions, Beyond the Traditional, CelloBlog, CelloStream, In the Practice Room, Performance, Playing Healthy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment