pass grade 3 on the cello

Choosing the pieces for the exam..!

So far the choices are:

List A: Blow, blow thou winter wind (Arne)
List B: St Anthony Chorale (Brahms)
List C: Je te veux (Satie)

They’re all really nice.

Going stronger than ever! Having lessons pretty much every week now (as and when I can afford them), and Hannah says I can go for grade 3 in November woop woop!

I’m doing lots of practice at the moment, my left-hand fingertips are definitely feeling it.

I’ve gone from sounding horrible (about a month ago) to suddenly actually sounding ok some of the time. At the moment I’m working through a book by Piatti, and practising the grade 3 scales and arpeggios. (The hardest are definitely F major scale, because of those last two fingers, and G major two-octave arpeggio, because of the appalling fingering.)

I have felt over the last two weeks, that it’s coming together a bit more, and I don’t so much sound like an injured cow :)

I’m still having lessons with Hannah, and actually starting to enjoy them. This lesson she was trying to correct my string arm/wrist position, so I don’t ‘drop my wrist’ but keep it nice and straight in line with my arm. it’s really hard to press the strings down in that position!

I ordered a new book-time pieces for cello bk 1-from trevadas, so in a week I should have a whole new lot of pieces to explore!

I had my first cello lesson today, with a friend who’s diploma standard on the cello. It was great fun, although I was painfully aware of how awful I sounded as I was trying to find notes! That’s the trouble with being an adult learner :S

I’m really happy that I’m finally starting to learn the cello, as I have had this goal in mind for many years, but only now that I have passed gr 8 on the piano do I feel I can start it with a clear conscience.

My immediate goal is to learn to play simple scales well, and to learn to play the pieces in the book Hannah lent me really well, before I have another lesson. It won’t be until January, so I’ve got a bit of time!

for long-term goals like this one, as opposed to everyday goals. I don’t really want to give up on this, but there’s no point in having it sat here on my list if there’s nothing doing.

This won’t be happening for a while, as I am learning the church organ at the moment (until at least next Christmas). After that, though, I’m going to begin lessons. I have already bought a cello and case (all £700 worth-cello’s are not something to buy on a whim :)