Things I have learned while learning to play the cello

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  • DLMDLM Frets: 2513
    Sporky said:
    My teacher uses Moshi Monsters on a circular stool to help with scales. I think she mostly teaches small children. It does work though!
    That sounds awesome, could you please elaborate?
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    Basically she has one Moshi Monster for each note on the Do Re Mi scale. Each is a different colour. They are spaced around the outside edge of the stool, either close together to indicate a semitone or further apart to indicate a whole tone. Also for the especially thick students (ie me) she has little post-it notes in the same colours, with Do, Re, Mi etc written on them.

    The stool can then be rotated so that either Do (for the major scale) or La (for the natural minor scale) is closest to the aforementioned thick student, so that he can see the intervals in sequence. Because otherwise my brain intercepts my hands and tries to change the intervals to those of a major scale. If I just play the notes the monsters tell me to  - without trying to interpret it conciously - then it works.

    After a few goes of that I could concentrate on getting each note in tune, because I'd (for want of a more accurate description) programmed the note sequence into my brain so that when it heard the notes they matched a pattern and made sense.

    I can probably draw it if that'd help. I've also been playing the different scales on guitar so that I'm familiar with how they sound without having to simultaneously worry about getting my fingers in the right places to get each note in tune.

    This may well help my guitarring at the same time.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    Things I have learned while trying to learn to play drums:

    1. Drums is hard.
    3. My english not so great.
    4. Where did 2. go?
    2. There it is.
    5. There is no such thing as independence, it is interdependence that you learn.
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  • DLMDLM Frets: 2513
    Ah, that's a cool way of explaining modes, an evergreen topic! :)
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    Aye - it did occur to me that it had some relevance to modes. Not that I've ever really understood modes beyond "play the wrong scale for the key".
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  • Sporky said:
    Aye - it did occur to me that it had some relevance to modes. Not that I've ever really understood modes beyond "play the wrong scale for the key".
    No really, that's it. You've already nailed it.
    <space for hire>
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    It's the silly names they get given that confuse me. Also (again) trying to let my fingers play the wrong scale without my brain taking over. There's a lot of deprogramming to do!
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  • I think a key (hah!) point is not to try to learn all the modes at once - just pick a couple that sound good to you and use them a lot. Since I'm guessing you already know Ionian and Aeolian (major and minor), getting the hang of just a couple more means you've learned half of them.
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  • SRichSRich Frets: 762
    Why are your arms above your head? I don't recal many cellos being played that way...?
    It's the Hendrix behind-the-head method. I bet chewing the strings tastes nasty with the bow-rosin as well ...
    In training for an ELO tour?..........

    "There's things I want, there's things I think I want 
    There's things I've had, there's things I wanna have" 
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  • octatonic said:
    Things I have learned while trying to learn to play drums:
    3. My english not so great.

    Ahhhh I see you have mastered the instrument :)
    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
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  • vizviz Frets: 10645
    Sporky said:
    It's the silly names they get given that confuse me. Also (again) trying to let my fingers play the wrong scale without my brain taking over. There's a lot of deprogramming to do!

    The names do sound a bit strange at first don't they? Check their etymologies, it's quite interesting. Most come from regions in ancient Greece or Asia Minor, others are from Greek gods. When you've had enough of the diatonic modes, check out the hypo-modes. :)
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    "Silly" was a bit flippant, I will concede. It's just that calling them by numbers would be so much simpler and would save that internal translation from name to position shift...
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  • vizviz Frets: 10645
    edited February 2016
    Abs, no wuz. And in fact having a name sort of helps give them something to tag their unique sound to.

    Edit - and btw numbers could be counterproductive because although they are all modes of each other, there's no reason why Ionian should be thought of as "1", nor why they can't be thought of as scales in their own right, regardless of all being modes of Ionian. Anyway, I do know what u mean!
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 766
    edited March 2016
    I played Double Bass for a while and what struck me was how difficult fast left hand position changes were, without the benefit of frets. 
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    I'm still finding it tricky getting my hands into the right places without looking - and looking is particularly bad with cello on account of the fingerboard starting right next to your ear...

    Did a bit more sight reading yesterday, and it's still painfully slow for me. The stave hasn't sunk in yet, and I even find do-re-mi confusing. Gah.
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 766
    Sporky said:
    I'm still finding it tricky getting my hands into the right places without looking - and looking is particularly bad with cello on account of the fingerboard starting right next to your ear...

    When I bought the bass I said to the girl in the shop (fiddle player) how do you consistently hit the octave note high up the neck without the benefit of frets, she said "you use your ears, dear" . That was me told : >
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    :D

    My cello teacher is a lot nicer than that. There's a lot of muscle memory to develop, so it's not just grab and adjust, but I suspect it'll take a while to develop it. I'm not bad at finding first position which is a start.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    Ha! Geared tuners now fitted, and for 2/3rds the chap's estimate. It's like the cello was invented in the 20th century now.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27580
    Today I learned to use the bow. A bit. Tomorrow is cello ensemble,  which I gather is a bit like fight club.
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  • Dave_VaderDave_Vader Frets: 359
    Sporky said:
    Today I learned to use the bow. A bit. Tomorrow is cello ensemble,  which I gather is a bit like fight club.

    I believe you've just broken the first and second rules of cello ensemble....
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