Seven weeks ago, on June 25th, 2013, at the age of 41, I took my first cello lesson. That night, my teacher told me to lean the cello against my heart, and from that moment on, I was hooked. Playing the cello really is like interacting with another human being, and when I play, I forget everything else, particularly when a miracle occurs and I play the notes correctly.
Playing the cello is not easy, especially for an adult beginner. I am still learning the bass clef, and I have a mild form of cerebral palsy which makes it hard to coordinate the muscles on the left side of my body. My fingers don't always do what I want them to do, and sometimes my left knee slides behind the cello instead of staying by its side. Apparently I also have inflexible wrists, and my bow hold is not as relaxed as it should be, but I am no longer in pain after I play, so I know that I am making progress. At the moment, eighth notes are my nemesis, so I pretend that they don't exist.
After seven weeks of playing, I still sound like a chicken on life support, but patience is a virtue. My chicken has recently started breathing normally at around every third note. So far, I can play part of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by heart. I can play something that more than vaguely resembles White Sands and Grey Sands, and I added Hot Cross Buns to my repertoire last night.
I started this blog as a way to keep me motivated when I get frustrated, and as a way to combine my two loves: writing and cello. I don't know exactly how this will evolve, but people seem interested in my experiences with the cello, so I thought I'd give blogging a try. When I am not practicing the cello, working, or volunteering, I write fiction. If you'd like to read some of my stories, see http://www.esmeraldasnest.com
Stay tuned (ha ha) for other posts on my adventures with the cello, such as How to Drive in a Traffic Jam With a Cello and Pray That You Don't Have to Stop Short, and more.
Playing the cello is not easy, especially for an adult beginner. I am still learning the bass clef, and I have a mild form of cerebral palsy which makes it hard to coordinate the muscles on the left side of my body. My fingers don't always do what I want them to do, and sometimes my left knee slides behind the cello instead of staying by its side. Apparently I also have inflexible wrists, and my bow hold is not as relaxed as it should be, but I am no longer in pain after I play, so I know that I am making progress. At the moment, eighth notes are my nemesis, so I pretend that they don't exist.
After seven weeks of playing, I still sound like a chicken on life support, but patience is a virtue. My chicken has recently started breathing normally at around every third note. So far, I can play part of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by heart. I can play something that more than vaguely resembles White Sands and Grey Sands, and I added Hot Cross Buns to my repertoire last night.
I started this blog as a way to keep me motivated when I get frustrated, and as a way to combine my two loves: writing and cello. I don't know exactly how this will evolve, but people seem interested in my experiences with the cello, so I thought I'd give blogging a try. When I am not practicing the cello, working, or volunteering, I write fiction. If you'd like to read some of my stories, see http://www.esmeraldasnest.com
Stay tuned (ha ha) for other posts on my adventures with the cello, such as How to Drive in a Traffic Jam With a Cello and Pray That You Don't Have to Stop Short, and more.
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