Hey. YouTube it's cello Ben and welcome, to another master class today I'm joined by Lucas and. Welcome. Tell. Me how long have you been playing cello oh. Wow. Fantastic. And what are you working on now. Baldie, I don't know it but I'm going to grab my iPad and pull the music up all right so the Valle de minor Sonata ready when you are go, for it. One. Doctor there because it started like two weeks ago, okay. So you're new to this piece yeah. Okay. Do you like it. So. One. Thing that I think, about. This piece is. Do. You think. We're. Talking about notes you think all of them are the same amount of had, the same amount of importance. Well. I think, all of them are important, but I think that some of them are more important, than others like, at the beginning you know we have so many repeated, notes. I. Think. We have an opportunity there, because of the fact that we that, there, are so many repeated notes to, do something interesting with them so. What. You decide to do is up to you. But. You might want to try, starting. With a little bit of a crescendo or. Diminuendo. Or, whatever you want but I think that you have that, you can try. Some things and see what you think feels good to make it make. It a more interesting experience. When. You get when you get to this D sharp here. Can. You hear the tension, in that note. Yeah. Like, the musical, tension. Right. So I think you can sort of lead into that. It's, quite sad. Can. You try one more time and just, instead. Of thinking about every note. Well. I'll put it like this. When. You're speaking. Do. You really think about every. Letter in the word that you're speaking or do you just speak a word. Yeah. I think it's kind of like that in music where even. Though those letters are important even though the notes are important, there's. Also this. This. Structure, where you're you're, basically playing a sentence, and, so. You. Know here's a word. There's. Another word. Maybe, a question mark. So. I think you can play around with that kind of thing. Try. And. See. See how much fun you can have with it I. Know. It's very sad music. Good. Yeah. Um, now, do you have. Do. You have some friends who are also cellists. No. No. Well. What in, the future when you do because you will at some point. You. Might want to try playing this with them because you know this is a sonata for two cellists, and. That. Can be interesting that's, something you should keep in mind when you're playing it because, you start off here but. Then. The next cellist comes in. It's. This kind of it's. A conversation, between the two can. You try it now and. I. Don't, know what it looks like on your music but do you have both parts in front of you. Okay. Well, let's just try the first two measures then I'll. Tell you. Sort, of how it works from my perspective. Now. Pass it off. And. Then they have. And then you pass it back then, this is you and then, you pass it over. So. Can you pretend like you're sort of having a conversation with a friend about a very serious. Topic and, you're sort, of passing, the line back and forth. And. Now, it's sort of together. Because. When you have this they have. You. Know what I'm sorry I had the notes wrong I was assuming, they were both in tenor clef my. Bed. But. It's still that that passing, off between, the two people can. You try that like, that I know. It's kind of an abstract idea but I think it'll make much more sense once you're actually playing it with another cellist. Nice. It's very very, beautiful playing, now, there's one more thing I want to talk to you about in here and this is kind of a bigger a. Bigger. More global, thing but. In. Your, bow, have. You experimented. With contact, point. Or. Do. You know what it is. Well. It's basically, it's. Basically talking about the way that we can change our sound based. On how close or far away, we are from the bridge so. You know if you're really close to the bridge you get like a. There's. Like a really dense sound and there's a lot of like. Pull and resistance, in the tone and it's, much like floatier when you're near the fingerboard and. I. Think. It's. An important, thing to, be able to make to, use your contact, point to make like, lots, of beautiful colors in your music, so. You could start this piece in different ways you could do. Or. Anything. Like that but, what. I think you should do is. Because. I hear like a lot of a lot of density, in the sound right now, but. What do you think the character, of this piece is I. Think. It's sad definitely, but I think it's also kind of. Kind. Of shy. Like. A conversation, between two people who maybe. Don't talk very loudly or. Um, and I think maybe you can you. Can try sometimes, a little bit closer to the fingerboard, because. Right now I hear like a very it's a very beautiful, and rich sound from you that I'm hearing but, I think maybe sometimes it's a little bit too powerful, for what this is at the beginning, so.
I Wonder if you maybe. Would try. Maybe. Move closer to the bridge where you feel like there's a lot of tension in the music like that. Like. That D sharp. Something. Like that do. You know what I mean yeah. Okay. You. Wanna give it a go. That, was better I think, and now. How. I feel like you're using a lot of weight in your left hand, does. It feel like you are. Okay. So, here's a trick that I've been using with people lately that I think really works well because. The. Thing is like if you're. Do. You know the Elgar cello concerto. Well. It's got a really intense part that. It's. Like super, passionate and it. Feels like just. Everything, is loud there right. But. The thing is even, something like that you can achieve with. A really soft left hand. There's, there's very little weight in my left hand when I do that and the. Reason is because once, the, string is pressed down enough. Then. You're good to go I mean of course you still want to have a nice healthy vibrato, but, you don't need wait for that the. Weight comes in the bow so. I and, it's, something that I'm working on to to. Have like. Even when I have a fortissimo. Right hand I have a really pianissimo left, hand so. Something I've been trying is. Do. You ever play harmonics. Can. You put your finger on, this. Harmonic, here. There. It is and now. Pull. The bow constantly. And then start pressing down gradually. Until. You get a solid tone but no more than that. That's. How little you need. So. So. That's gonna help you to I think to make, to. Play in a more relaxed, way and also. Just. To kind of kind, of loosen up your sound and make it, so. That you can get more colors out of it. That. Makes sense I. Know. I'm throwing a lot of stuff at you right now. Very. Good. So. I want to go back to what we were talking about before about like speaking, and how. You. Know notes are like letters in a word or words in a sentence. So. You don't have to play it exactly like this but I want you to just try this for an experiment, can. You try and I'll show you where my contact, point is to. Starting. Really close to the fingerboard. Each. Time doing. A gradual, crescendo, by sort of travelling down gradually, to the bridge. Yeah. It's. Funny I can't see your bridge but I can hear the difference. That's. That. Sounds great, it's a it's a good tool for creating, all kinds of. Beautiful. Colors in the in the music you're playing like. What. What was the last thing you played before this. I. Can't remember the name of that either but. So. For, example here. You. Might want to like sort of shimmy the bow a little bit if you want to do a crescendo. In. Order to and then maybe go back the other way to do do, add a crescendo and just really, phrase it with the bow like that I. Had. A teacher once who would call it that I was car who'd say that I'm carving the sound out of the cello and. It's. A really good. Feeling to have when you're just. When, you just have so much control, over, it. So. Just. Really manipulating. The bow like that is going, to give you a lot of. It's. Going to expand, what, you can do. You. Want to try it one more time and just really go, wild with experimentation. With the bow. Good. So. I, I'm. Guessing, are you, at a slower tempo right now just because you're still learning it. Oh. It. Is okay then I'm not gonna mess with that, never. Mind so yeah. I like, how you're how, you're carving it out. I, think, you get a lot more more. Richness, in your sound and you can have a lot more a. Lot. More fun with it yeah me too I mean I'm I'm. I. Am, what. Is it about I. Think. Six, seven hundred miles away I heard the difference here. I. Don't, remember exactly how many miles I'm, about an 11 hour drive away I can tell you that and I, heard the difference over here so. Yeah. I think you sound great and, I. Think. You're doing good work on this piece and, I. Want, to know before we go if you have any questions, or. No, not really. Well. Uh. I, would, like to learn how. Can. You just put your hand in third position and then back in first for me. All. Right there's the problem.
Bring. Your elbow up a little bit in first position. And. And. Then. You'll use your forearm, here to. Initiate the vibrato. Yeah. But looser. You. Wanna give it a try. There. It is. Yeah. And, I've. Got two little tricks if you want to practice vibrato, and just, revisit, things these are things that I used when I was learning. Number. One this. Is a little bit different but you just. Take a Kleenex. Put. It on top of the fingerboard. It'll. Take away some of that resistance, so that you can do it more easily. And. Make. Sure if you do use a tissue that you don't use one of the ones with like lotion, built into it because that's gonna hurt the fingerboard just. Use like a plane a plane tissue, and that'll, take away some of this resistance, and let you just really, kind of get, the large movements, down the. Other thing is if you've got one lying around. Grab. A tennis ball. Grasp. It in your hand like this and do, vibrato on the string with that and that'll. Help you get the habit of a hand shape and the roundness. But. The. Biggest thing because I think generally your vibrato is very good I think the biggest thing to take into consideration is. Just. Using your forearm, and keeping, your elbow up at a good enough angle. So that your hand stays more, or less automatically. Round. Good. Yeah I mean that sounded really. That. Sounded like a really good full and rich vibrato so. Now, try try, E with, first finger. And. Then C with second figure, just. To make sure you can get a consistent, kind of vibrato between, those two. I. Mean. It the the bottom, one did sound though very nice and loose and rich to me. Last. Thing I'll tell you just, because I noticed you hit an extra string, if. You want to avoid that. Bring. This elbow up a little bit too. And. Then. As it that it'll be right there and you'll be at a better angle. Good. I know I've I've rambled a lot at you but does it all make sense. Good. You, have any other questions I can answer. All. Right well. I'll do I'll say, to. Our friends on the, web on YouTube thank you so much for watching and thank you Lucas for participating, it's been a real pleasure and I. Hope that everybody out there stays, safe. And healthy especially nowadays. And, I, look, forward to seeing you on the next. Video take care.
2020-05-31