CelloChat with Billy Tobenkin - Adult Learner Series: Vibrato for Adult Learners

Topic: Adult Learner Series: Vibrato for Adult Learners
Thank you for attending today's CelloChat. We hope that you will take something from today that inspires you to grow in your cello playing. As CelloBello seeks to continue offering our content and programs free of charge, we do rely on the generosity of those that are able to support our efforts. Will you consider helping sustain CelloBello in one of the ways listed here? www.cellobello...
Billy Tobenkin is a professional cellist who started learning the cello from scratch at age 25.
He is the founder and owner of adultcello.com where he specializes in teaching other adult learners who found the cello later in life. Through his online courses and popular RUclips channel, he has helped thousands of adults realize not only can they start cello, but that beautiful sound is within reach from DAY ONE. His teaching is infused with positivity, humor, and extremely helpful, fun analogies that draw upon his first bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Cornell University.
Recently, he has written feature articles in The Strad Magazine that explore the psychological landscape of adult learning and how to maximize one’s learning potential (both his article and podcast interview in June of 2022 with The Strad were “Best of 2022”).
Along with his freelance work in orchestras, recording sessions, and chamber music concerts, Billy is also cellist and co-founder of Cattus Quartet, with which he has played hundreds of private events and concerts for companies such as Mastercard, Cartier, Amazon, and Louis Vuitton.
His most influential teachers include Ron Leonard and Hans Jensen.

[@leahconroy8718]

I really appreciate your intention to explain a concept that is so weird to attempt without help. This video inspires me to try vibrato right away, despite my novice status as a cello player.Thanks.

[@Niathh]

Thank you!! Super helpful, I really appreciate the free learning resource.

[@dotcarrigan3079]

This was so helpful. Thank you for sharing your struggles and knowledge with us all.

[@mufitkahraman5908]

Hi Billy, thank you for the sincere effort and detailed explanations and demonstrations on this Important subject of adult cello learning journey.

[@jeffkidder5282]

Thank you for your time and effort. But, I think I need feedback to questions during instructions. It's too easy to get lost with the details of explanation. What looks like one thing, and it sounds like another goes to the point of something different totally.

[@drmarx999]

As always, thanks for such a useful video! I do wish that there was a way to filter out all the nonsense in the chat replies . . . so distracting!

[@erickent4248]

I never considered using a tennis ball to help train the arm angle, thanks for this suggestion, my vibrato is a work in progress, some good questions too, I also find that I can improvise and practice with vibrato, but often it disappears once I start playing a piece. I also keep wanting to use the wrist instead of the whole arm, and also have a tendency to grip too strong. Thanks for the video Billy.

[@joshablatzheim9075]

Dear CelloBello-Team, and of course, dear Billy,
Thank you very much for your kind Information Teaching Trailer, it was suuuuuch marvolous ‼️‼️‼️ even I am in my 2nd Instrument: how I personally call it,"String Departement ":because I was 13 years until Corona came, an Opera-Tenor in diverse Opera Houses in 🇪🇺🇩🇪, and actually wanted to become a Violist, a '3rd Violinist", just as a bad silly Joke 🙃🫠😉😋, But, I studied Voix au second Instrument, but my Voice Teacher au Conservatoire Supérieur, told me to become a "Tenor", and not a "Violist", cause she did the same path like me, studied first Major , this time "the big string Star: à la 🇪🇺🇩🇪 Violon Star: Anne Sophie Mutter= the Violin", and 2nd Instrument Voix, but her Voice Teacher said she should become a Soprano lyrique.
So then I quit with "Viola", and was "just being focussed in Singing " and made my path on Opwra Stage Singing.
When the Corona pandemie begun, I was freelance and after Lockdown 1 was over, only the "employed Singers of the Opera-House", were allowed to perform/sing, I was a freelance Singer so no chances.
So after 17 years, I started "again" Viola, and doing it with joy, got a teacher, Carl Stamitz, William Walton, Bela Bartòk, Paul Hindemith, Dmitri Shostakovich Viola Sonata, are working, not yet the great unplayable Pièce for Viola: Alfred Schnittke Viola Concerto 🎻= Viola‼️🥵 = damit difficult better say hard‼️‼️ it is fascinating how , unfortounatly the forgotten of the Bullshit War and is an open Putin-Fan🤢🤢🤢" : Yuri Bashmet played the Premiere, and righr afterwards my beloved honoured "Nobuko Imai", who was Prof for Viola, the other great Violist, besides Bashmet , Tabea Zimmermann, and by you guys (in Boston New England Conservatoire🇺🇸),the also great Violist,Kim Kashkashian, at my Time "Hochschule für Musik Detmold 🇪🇺🇩🇪 ",until 2006, where Mrs Imai taught.
That Recording of her , Schnittke, with the "Malmö Symphony Orchestra/🇪🇺🇸🇪 under Conductor: Lev Markiz,from 1989, who sadly passed last year, but he was I think 90, so a fullfill life, is magnificent Recording 🎻=🎉, ‼️‼️certainly Bashmet as well‼️, besides the ....🤢🤷‍♂️.
So I'm thinking of doing à la: "Viola for Adults", NO COMMON VIOLA JOKES PLEASE 🙃🫠😉😋, SERIOUSLY‼️‼️, even most of the people ,who want to play a "Violon-Posture-Holding Instrument " like the "Violon", and unfortounatly/sadly the "Viola" 😢🤷‍♂️ and we Violists have the "less Reportoire ‼️"🤷‍♂️ of the String Family, even the Double Bass in "Classique Reportoire " has even more, huge ammount of Vanhal and Dittersdorf, besides in Jazz, which I adore the Bass, I am a huge "Ron Carter-Fan "‼️🎻= à la Double Bas❤️, but the Bass has more than the Viola,we the two "outsiders of the String Family" , besides the "two Stars= Violon, and Violoncelle", it is a matter of fact 🤷‍♂️ The Violon and Cello are the great Stars🎉🤷‍♂️= good for them‼️ and huge Reportoire ‼️‼️
So I think about it, even for International, my English 🇬🇧 is pretty bad, but I try.
Thank you again very much and all the best to you🍀🍀🍀🎶🎻 = à la Cello for your Broadcast,and "a happy before Christmas Time", unfortounatly I do not know, how you English Native Speakers say for that, or even in the US Christmas Culture, hope you understand me 😬🙏,🕯🌟.
Kind regards from 🇪🇺 🇩🇪 Black Forest Region,Three Country Zone-Area 🇪🇺🇩🇪🇫🇷🇨🇭, to the US 🇺🇸,
Yours,
Josha 🙋
PS: with the Tennis Ball unfortunatly does not work, on the "Violon-Viola-Posture", it is way too Mini on the "Fingerboard of the Violon-Viola", and also that the Violon-Viola does not fall down, even you've got a good Violon-Viola-Schoulderrest 😬🙏🤷‍♂️