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Happy New Year, and you know what - I need to ask you what your name is. I can't tell from your tag and I've been wondering for a while.

I'm on a mission to improve everyone's trills 😊

Ugh, I also came from a first teacher who wanted me to hold my fingers down all the time. End result: tendinitis during graduate school that took years to resolve. You do have to initially hold in order to learn the shapes, but especially for older players it's important to shift weight and reduce tension. Good luck!

​​@@CelloRefinery Thanks for you answer! It really is helpful to get confirmation! 😃 And tendinitis is so awful and annoying to get rid of. How did you find this other approach?

@@verak6058 Actually, the other thing I should say is that sometimes a smaller cello IS the answer. I play on a slightly undersize instrument; it's set up to be a small full size. I studied with a teacher who understood how to get me to reorganize both of my hands - it takes a lot of work and I literally changed everything about how I played.

You're welcome and good luck!

Cool, thanks!

Thanks, I'm glad it helped! Like everything else, if you use it, you will get used to it.

If it's hurting when you stretch, that makes me worried that you are straining the area in your hand between 2nd & 3rd fingers. Be very careful about that - if you overdo it you might injure yourself (this is a common cello injury). Better to try to keep your hand relaxed and take your whole hand forward to the harmonic, rather than stretching forward with 3rd finger. Maybe I'll make a video about avoiding that kind of injury.

You're welcome! Glad you found it useful!

I hope my videos help you - let me know if there are bowing issues that I didn't cover.

Thanks for watching the concert, and good luck with your vibrato!

Sorry you are struggling - cello is hard! If you are learning off of videos it might be helpful to take a few private lessons to gt yourself on course.

You can count anything! Listen to recordings of pieces and count along; it gets easier as you go!

@@CelloRefinery I’ve just started this, listening and then copying, maintaining the tempo etc, but my brain is having issues, it doesn’t connect entirely with the notes, how they blend together in their designated timing! 😵‍💫🎼✨🙏

@@M-Lampert Counting needs to be trained just like anything else. I just found this very extensive video from someone who starts at the very beginning with understanding rhythms and gives you ways to practice. I think he intends that you'll do a few minutes each day, and move through the video at your own pace. Give it a try! ruclips.net/video/o9Pei6qg_Jg/видео.html

@@CelloRefinery THANK YOU 🙏 I will be doing this as part of my every day practice! ❤️

Oh yeah, so many blisters!

There are so many little details to pay attention to!

I do aim to be amusing!!

Thanks so much Myles! I'm going to present my vibrato routine at the National ASTA conference in March, so I'll be refining my presentation even more.

Oof, sorry to hear about your shoulder issues. I also suffer from some rotator cuff stuff that I have to be careful about ("frayed" not torn, but don't want it to get worse). I think a really useful trick for you might be tilting the cello so that your arm isn't so high on the A string. I have a kind of small cello, and I have long arms, but I tilt for more ease in sound production. I haven't seen this video for a while and I don't remember how in-depth it is, but start here. Let me know if you need more info and maybe I'll make a longer and more detailed video. ruclips.net/video/oA_83Lyq2co/видео.htmlsi=ptRRgXsClK_YjZqV

@@CelloRefinery thank you!!!!

Yes, I think so, but sometimes you need one of the others.

You're welcome! Glad it was helpful!

Yeah, but I've been so busy lately that I haven't put anything new up. Feeling guilty!!

It's always worth trying things, even if you reject them.

It's weird, right?

Right, but always interesting to see what's ahead!

Thanks, I've been thinking I need to make more harmonics videos, so it's nice to know others are checking it out!

I'm so glad - I think chromatic scales are really hard to play well.

@@CelloRefinery maybe, but it’s really useful, especially on a fretless instruments

I was certainly saying to a student today that sautille is just fast spiccato, and you can kind of do it without really going high off the string if you work at it.

Brava to you for figuring out the cello by yourself!

Thanks!!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, and yes, Oregon is very beautiful!

This is a very good question, and I will make a video very soon (maybe next week?) with some suggestions about this. Thanks!

@@CelloRefinery thank you for your kindness 🍎

grazie!

Wow, that is super cool! Yes, from what I know (and can see on videos), the bow technique of arpeggione is most closely aligned to that of cello. I would think 98% of cello bow technique would apply.

Thanks, glad you found it useful!

Sometimes the short videos are just enough info - glad it was useful.

Haha, no laugh emoji here or I would have used it. Thank you!

You are not alone! The adult hand is much less flexible than a young hand, and this is a significant problem for adult learners. Here is a video that explains why: ruclips.net/video/DcVZkUidTIM/видео.htmlsi=CVLYoIgHtd5TbIa1 Don't get into the habit of holding your 3rd up in the air - that's putting tension in your hand. You need to drop the fingers onto the string, as in this video: ruclips.net/video/jdtZ-i-J_60/видео.htmlsi=G12P0h_lBvHgvNdf But you might benefit from PIVOTING over to 4th and then back to 2nd. Here is how to do that: ruclips.net/video/TI6efYVFWWg/видео.htmlsi=8zuLr0cTR-w9GBA8 In the final analysis, this is a complex problem that a teacher might be able to help you with. Good luck!

Actually, as soon as I finished the video I started practicing something that had a bunch of chords and fifths, and realized there were some more subtle variations that I was using. So maybe it's an infinite number of ways!!

I'll go look at that again; you are not the only one that has mentioned this. Meanwhile, here's the link: cellochaplin.wixsite.com/cellorefinery/leftarm-refinery

@@CelloRefinery thanks for the reply! Actually I have that page but that's the issue. It only shows vibrato fingers photo link and none of the previous links like the universal scales pdfs etc

@@Dparrey Hmmm, how is that possible? The page opens for me. Try here for the pdf 4fa56794-24a2-4146-8117-665da557d9e5.filesusr.com/ugd/5ded15_4d011b8e91064b4491e430a84085bd52.pdf

@@CelloRefinery I did a little testing and just figured out that it shows like that on mobile for me. Android and on chrome for reference. But on desktop browser mode shows normally. Thanks for your help and amazing content ☺️

@@Dparrey I was wondering if it was an equipment problem - I think there's too much content on that page for mobile, but I'll see if I can edit it so things show. Thanks for the input!

I think it's easier to do detache on the violin, because you can kind of pull down rather than across like the cello. But yes, everything else is pretty much the same!

@@CelloRefinery What a liked was your reference to using the elbow as a "hinge". I found that helpful as it helped me to relax my upper arm and do the stroke better.🥀

Well, I think it's good to be aware of things even if you can't quite do them. With adults I introduce them to physical ideas much earlier than I would a kid at the same level and sometimes they CAN do them!

Go here cellochaplin.wixsite.com/cellorefinery/leftarm-refinery

Hi - there are some arrangements for cello of the Meditation from Thais by Massenet, but I don't understand what your request is here. Can you ask a question with more details? Thanks!

@CelloRefinery can you please play meditation massent by thais can you make a video of playing it

@Bulletmasterrighteous. It's not a cello piece, really, so it's not something I have ever played. Do you mean like a teaching video where I explain how to learn it? I don't think I would want to make a performance video without piano.

@@CelloRefinery please

It is so sweet that you want me to play this piece - I really appreciate it. I notice on your own youtube channel that you have other people (violinists mostly) playing this piece, so it must be something you really like. I am going to respectfully decline to add to your collection, however, because 1) it's not a piece that I am interested in performing right now, 2) even a professional has to practice before they record something, and I don't have extra practice time, 3) I don't do performances of repertoire that require piano without the piano, and I don't have a piano where I am right now. There seem to be quite a few performances on youtube of cellists playing the piece, though, so I hope you can find some that you like. Good luck!

It's really hard to pick a tempo that works for an entire piece; we all go too fast! This little trick is pretty good to remind you.

And just s-l-o-w things down to make them manageable. You'll actually feel more positive about your playing when you can get through something without a stop.

I agree that many scales become more difficult with these fingerings, and I absolutely do NOT use the universal fingering except when you can't use open strings (scales in 4 or more sharps or flats). But sometimes in repertoire you have to do a passage that lands somewhere odd up in a position, and need fingering patterns to get yourself there. I find that the main use of this one-size-fits-all approach to fingering is for students who have to memorize all the scales for auditions. Some orchestras do a cold call for scales - at the audition they say "play an Ab major scale." If you are really proficient with the universal fingering, you don't have to do the math to figure out that you MUST use universal fingering for that scale, and you don't even have to know the key signature. Just play the pattern. Some teachers actually teach scales this way, without the notes, just the fingering pattern. (I don't)

Do note auditions, exams, and technical assessments require no open strings as playing in higher positions is expected. 1st position is rudimentary. It is also awesome to play more on certain strings of your cello. My G on my C strings sounds so much more satisfying to play than an open G in various passages from the pieces I’ve played.

@@joshuakane6047 Totally agree! And actually, advanced violinists are expected to play scales up in positions and not start in first position. This kind of fingering basically achieves that. And, as to your point, there is a kind of unspoken cello goal of being able to play any note anywhere with any finger on the instrument, and here's one of the ones you develop that freedom.