| Author |
Subject |
pnorris
Registered User
(3/9/01 8:17:22 pm)
Reply |
need
help getting over a slump...
Although I play a fair amount,
weddings and church gigs mostly, I decided that I should start
practicing seriously again. Well, with kids, plumbing disasters,and
other family adventures of the not so fun kind, the "real" practing
has yet to start. Now I am feeling like a real schmuck. I have lost
that spark to get busy. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
|
Dorie
Straus 
Moderator
(3/9/01 8:28:00 pm)
Reply |
Suggestions 1 through 5 from Dorie
1. Don't read the other board until
that thread dies.
2. Don't staple your left index finger like I
did this morning. Hurts to play cello.
3. Advance you calendar to
'spring' - I don't know where you live but we've had it around here
with this current season.
4. Don't try to be serious if it's not
time; I think these things pass. Seems like you've had too many
distractions - the cello is down this list of priorities after
plumbing, etc. In my life, things shift their order without me
having that much to do with it.
5. Find a brand new weird time of
day to practice for a while; it's for the newness effect.
Who
will make the next five suggestions?
|
Bobbie
Registered
User
(3/9/01 9:35:22 pm)
Reply |
Re:
need help getting over a slump...
1. As tempted as I am to jump into
the discussion of medicating ADD kids, I agree with Dorie on this
one!
2. Maybe you could try scheduling a recital. There is
nothing like deadline pressure. Pick some pieces you can't play
seamlessly now, plan a program, pick a date, and you'll have a lot
of incentive to practice.
3. Buy Starker's "Road to Cello
Playing" CD and then learn the etudes he does on that disc. (I'm not
up to doing this yet myself... I'm just being
creative!)
Sorry. Only three suggestions from me. Maybe I'll
think of some more later.
|
cellofreak1286
Registered User
(3/10/01 3:01:58 pm)
Reply |
Don't
stress yourself!
1. Don't stress yourself, if you
don't have time, take a break, the worst thing you can do is
overload your schedule
2. Stretch out you practicing, instead
of playing for two or three hours straight, do thirty minutes here
and thirty minutes there. It is easier to find little periods of
time (esp. with kids) then one large block.
3. If you don't
feel like playing at a certain time, don't! You will just make
yourself frustrated and ruin the whole experience. Cello should be a
joy, not a burden!
4. Set goals! Figure out what you want to
have done by when. Play for your family and friends, they will be
the most supportive of your efforts.
5. If you have trouble
getting through the "boring" routine or the nesseccaries such as
scales and etudes, pick one really fun piece (Bach etc.) and play it
only when you have finished all of your other material.
Hope
this helps!
~Rachel
|
slank04
Registered User
(3/11/01 11:41:43 am)
Reply |
inspiration?
I'm in the same boat, sadly. I've
just hit the "year" mark, and I'm not feeling like I've made much
progress in retrospect. So my teacher asked me to attend a master
class with her yesterday, featuring four young people and the
principal cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra.
It was a bit
frustrating because these kids are just amazing and, well, I am not.
But it was also inspiring and I came home and had a great afternoon
of practice.
I guess my suggestion is to look for a bit of
inspiration? Sorry, it's all I have!
slank
|
mcello
Registered User
(3/11/01 4:25:49 pm)
Reply |
I'm
needing of inspiration too!
I'm feeling a little off my game
this afternoon, was looking foward to hubby taking the kids to
grandma's for a couple of days while I practiced and worked on a
research paper, but alas, my youngest became ill, so guess who is
taking care of a cranky child instead. But here's my list of things
that inspire me!
1) Getting to play a symphony I've always
wanted to play, but never had the opportunity!
2)Having a
great lesson! (This does mean you have to practice before
hand)
3) Playing a recital
4) Preparing for an
audition and playing your best for it, even if you don't get the
position, its still an accomplishment
5) Reading an inspiring
book or even a cello chat message! Though we do seem to be stuck on
the same subjects the last couple of weeks.
6) Practicing
with the windows open on a beautiful spring day!
I came up
with six, oh well. Maybe they will inspire me to go ahead and
practice this afternoon. Best wishes!
|
MaryK
Registered
User
(3/11/01 8:10:21 pm)
Reply
 |
Going
with the Flow...
I'm taking some time away for the
cello, or so it seems. Took a break from lessons after a 2-weekend
chamber music camp left my arms feeling kinda tendinitis-y, and
realized having that extra 75 min in the evening to do something
other than practice was really nice. So, I haven't played since the
end of Jan., and have told my teacher that I probably won't be
coming back. It's been great. I've come to the realization that
probably my level of playing won't ever improve enough to suit me,
so I'm not gonna beat myself up about it anymore, and just enjoy
playing when I want to.
Not too inspirational, eh?? Who
knows, maybe you just need a little break or something.
:)
Cheers,
MaryK
|
Bobbie
Registered
User
(3/12/01 11:21:07 am)
Reply |
Re:
Going with the Flow...
Mary K,
your post reminded me of an old book I just reread. It's "My love
affair with music" by Lloyd Alexander, and since it is long out of
print and mostly unavailable, I'm not ruining any big ending to say
that in it, the author, who studied violin for four years as an
adult, comes to the conclusion that if he can't play as well as he
would like he might as well stop, and he does. It saddened me to
think that he gave up something that gave him great enjoyment
because he wasn't ever going to be a great violinist.
It seems mainly in music that people do that.
How many people give up tennis because they can't be as good as the
pros?
I don't know what is right for
you and what isn't. If you are happy with your decision, it is
probably the right one for you. But for myself, it is worth
continuing until I stop making progress. Someone once asked Pablo
Casals why, in his mid-eighties, he still practiced four or five
hours a day, and he said "Because I have a notion that I am making
some progress."
I think I'm lucky
because, while I would like to be able to play like Casals, I never
had that expectation. My guess is that a lot of adults stop playing
because they have unrealizable expectations. I am not saying it
isn't important to have goals. But I think it is far more important
to enjoy the process, so that how good you get is not the goal, but
how much enjoyment you have in learning.
|
DWThomas
Registered User
(3/12/01 12:07:40 pm)
Reply |
An old
saying...
Just recently came across this
one:
"Only dead fish go with the flow."
Now and then
we have to prod ourselves a little bit 
Never
the less, sometimes a break is in order. I currently find the rest
of my life provides enough cello breaks.
Dave
|
Paul
Tseng ICS Staff 
Administrator
(3/12/01 2:21:15 pm)
Reply
 |
First
of all
Don't feel bad about feeling bad.
Considering your circumstances, any cellist who cares about their
playing would have a tendency to feel this way.
We've all
been there. Sometimes, it's worse when you feel this way and you
have a recital to give in the upcoming weeks and you know people
will be paying money for the ticket! Talk about pressure and lack of
inspiration! Bad combination but forcing yourself to do things that
you hold as important is sometimes the best thing to help you
through a slump. Take a purposeful break from the cello and at an
appointed time (1,2,3 or more days) resume whether you feel better
or not. You may not feel good initially, but don't give up! Keep
going!
Listen to some really inspiring music (not just cello
music, try something different like....piano music, violin music,
choral music, etc.) Just get good music in your blood and when you
finally get back to the cello, start simple. I love doing open
strings just to get the feel of the cello and to foucs on sound
production. Find the "sweet spot" on your cello and just play tones
and enjoy the sound. You don't always have to practice
notes.
Don't worry, a slump is just a perception. It's mostly
in our own minds though it affects our bodies too when we play.
Relax and enjoy!
Paul Tseng
My Website
Alexander's website
MP3!
|
Betsy
C 
Registered User
(3/12/01 5:51:50 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Going with the Flow...
"I think I'm lucky because, while I
would like to be able to play like Casals, I never had that
expectation. My guess is that a lot of adults stop
playing
because they have unrealizable expectations. I am not saying it
isn't important to have goals. But I think it is far more important
to
enjoy the process, so that how good you get is not the goal,
but how much enjoyment you have in learning."
Bobbie, I loved
what you had to say about why you think many adults give up trying
to play an instrument. Our expectations are very high. I actually
used the word "process" in my lesson before last (2 weeks ago). I
told my teacher that I felt so much more relaxed about what I want
from the cello and that at this time, it is all about the process
for me. I am making slower progress than I wish, but I am making
progress and I have not given up, which in a lot of cases would be
my natural inclination. He understands my struggle to acheive some
measure of excellence and that I torture myself over it at times.
It's just the way I am and I don't like it at all. He commented that
I am really lightening up on myself, so maybe now that that is
happening, I won't sabotage myself. Hope that's the case!
MaryK, you'll know what's right for you! The cello can be
there whenever you are ready for it. Best to you!
Edited by: Betsy
C at: 3/12/01 5:51:50
pm
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