Your comment about where the pinky starts was the big difference in my understanding of why my hand shape looks so different from “natural” cellists. I will be consciously moving that base knuckle closer to the neck to maintain the curve in my extra-little pinky. Thank you!
Billy, As a beginner, I'm currently concentrating on the left and right hands separately (too much to think about together). What you said (and demonstrated) in today's video validates what I've discovered through experimentation (but had no way of knowing whether it was "okay"). You are so down-to-earth, relatable, and understandable. Thank you for the motivation.
Thank you so much for your message, I really appreciate it! I love that you're working on the hands separately, it's a great idea at any stage of your cello journey! Thanks again!
Very good, thank you! Being beginner at 66, with small hands and very tiny pinkies, I find left hand work is most difficult. You're so right about the 3 and 4 finger being anatomically linked, making it very unnatural and rather stupid to separate if not needed to. After many years of gardening, knitting and woodworking my hands are strong, a gift that should be a benefit for us old beginners. Need to strengthen my pinkie power though!
I also play violin so this was so helpful. I had a mirror in front of me and noticed I was bending my left wrist - oops! and it is so important to walk those fingers up and down the notes keeping your fingers springy. This information is foundational to playing a cello without tension!
You addressed every single major issue I have come across with my left hand. And Not only is my pinkie significantly shorter, but my fingers in general are short. I am wondering if I should go back through some old exercises with this improved hand shape and pressure to get used to it and begin the callous forming process again where there seems to be little (since I was playing with a duck hand as well). I am an adult learner, 2.5 years in. I have worked through Suzuki book 5, played double concerto from it, done some breval and squire, worked through a few piatti books, working through De’ak, and the first Dotzauer. I am live streaming Bach cello suite 1 next month as part of the Bach festival my cello teacher is running with some of her students. I am finding your videos very helpful as an adult learner. I find that some cellists I ask have a more difficult time articulating the answers because they began playing so young and don’t really remember going through these issues.
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you found it helpful! I think going back to easier repertoire is a truly excellent idea whenever you're trying to make a foundational change to your technical approach. That's great about the Bach suite, and if you practice your new hand shape on easier etudes, you might finding it creeping into your Bach suite without you feeling like you have to tear each movement apart to work on your left hand. That might be a bit stressful since your performance is coming up. Thanks again for your message!
Wonderful video! As an adult intermediate cellist, I’ve really struggled with left hand tension which resulted in minor tendinitis in my forearm. I’ve had to learn how to relax my arm and hand so playing is not painful and I can play longer. I am making progress and learning how to shift and exploring vibrato have forced me to loosen up on the first position death grip I had for far too long. Love the analogy of balancing on a moveable walk way. I also really appreciate the encouraging and relatable tone you bring to all your videos.
Thank you so much for your message, I really appreciate it! I'm glad to hear you're working your way out of tension, it can be discouraging but if you use the tendonitis as a learning tool, it can really open up the pathway to a superior technical approach that you may not have found as quickly otherwise!
This is great. I’m an intermediate adult learner cellist, and one thing I have been trying to work on is maintaining a good wrist position, or arm/hand setup. I used to tend to bend my wrist, probably due to holding my arm too low. It’s better but still something I work on…better position results in better hand/finger strength. Related to that is my hand/arm position for vibrato. In certain string/finger/position combinations I have a difficult time getting a good vibrato. Example - most notes on A string in first position, especially first finger B. I don’t find a good possibility for my arm so that I can have vibrato on B….it’s a little better on D and G strings, but not much! Second and third finger vibrato are the best. This aspect of vibrato, or the differences per finger and position/string are not really helped by the usual vibrato prep exercises. Suggestions? Thanks! Love your videos.
Hi Claudia, thanks so much for your message! For vibrato troubles on the a string in first position, my guess is that you're holding too much tension in the elbow area. I had the exact same issue. You want to find a balanced arm position so that you can sink weight into the finger, but also you want an elbow that feels feather light and not HELD in that perfect position. Maybe try some vibrato in that area and put your mind's eye in your left elbow. I hope that helps, please let me know if it does!
I needed all of these tips. I've been having some left hand pain and can have a hard time getting good tone out of notes I'm holding down with my pinky. These were all helpful for getting better hand placement so I can hopefully do better with both of those. Thank you for the video!
Bravo! Your conception of the "framework" is amazing, and spot on. Now, for us older beginners (I'm 68) lacking the flexibility of you youngsters, can you help with the forward and back extensions? Thanks in advance!
So, I've been straightening my fingers like the "duck bill" to avoid finger pain. When I play with curved fingers, I'm pressing down the strings with the tips of my fingers and it's painful. I can't figure it out. Am I pressing too hard? If so, how do I get the string down with less pressure? Do you have a video about this?
Maybe I can ask a question here: I have borrowed a cello and am self-teaching a little (cello was on my bucket list and I finally just wanted to try). I had ten years of violin lessons and 7 years of practice without a teacher after that. I can play/ practice the violin for 3 hours, but feel exhausted after 30 mins of cello. I have been playing for 6 days now. 🙃 Unfortunately, I never took notes about when I was learning what on the violin. I do remember, however, that the first 3 months were hard and I could not play long. With my background in violin learning, is it normal to only be able to play for 30 mins or does that mean I am doing something wrong?
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I had never played a string instrument before as you have, but I am learning the cello also and have considerable hand/joint pain. I can't tell whether or not I'm developing arthritis or is the pain and inflammation in my joints a normal response to over-doing it at times. I have been doing hand strengthening exercises and it is helping quite a bit with stamina but I am curious to hear what kind of response you get. I really want to avoid doing permanent damage to my hands, but I also want to continue playing.
Hi! If I had to take a guess, I would bet that you're violin playing is just more efficient than how you're currently approaching the cello. I think there's no question that playing the cello is a more physically demanding than the violin (since the higher string tensions and thicker strings take more energy to make vibrate), but eventually you will be able to play cello just as long as the violin. I would maybe take inventory of what exactly feels exhausted (right hand thumb, right shoulder, etc) after 30 minutes of practice, and then you can start narrowing down the source of your fatigue. I must say, 30 minutes at a time after only 6 days sounds pretty good if you're just starting your cello journey, though.
Billy, I don’t feel pain in the hand but I do in the arm! When I press a note with my pinky I get this dull pain down the arm from the tendon. This doesn’t happen when I play other instruments! What do I do?
I would check body posture and the way you are using your arms when playing the pinky. My guess is that that while the pinky itself is not in pain, there is something in your setup that is compromising either a tendon or nerve. Please keep in mind I'm not a medical professional and I would suggest seeking answers from an expert if the pain persists. That being said, a problem with your left arm setup may be why this is only a problem on the cello. Hope that helps!
@@adultcello Thank you my friend -- raising the elbow and shifting my hand to not be as spread out when I use the pinky has worked wonders for the feeling!
This is a great video, and my current interest and problem is the pinky. I’m an older beginner cellist. When I play the fourth finger, my tendency is that the first knuckle, near the nail, bends severely, and the second knuckle is pushed in, flat. so my pinky looks like a garden hoe. I have a very hard time keeping the pinky rounded without that flattening. Can you suggest exercises to strengthen the muscles that will help keep that pinky rounded? Or using something like a ring splint?
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Your tip 3 about the pinky is really helpful! Now i know what caused tension in my left hand and what to do with it. Thank you!
Your comment about where the pinky starts was the big difference in my understanding of why my hand shape looks so different from “natural” cellists. I will be consciously moving that base knuckle closer to the neck to maintain the curve in my extra-little pinky. Thank you!
The part about the pinky was incredibly helpful to me.
I'm so glad! Thanks for your message!
Billy, As a beginner, I'm currently concentrating on the left and right hands separately (too much to think about together). What you said (and demonstrated) in today's video validates what I've discovered through experimentation (but had no way of knowing whether it was "okay"). You are so down-to-earth, relatable, and understandable. Thank you for the motivation.
Thank you so much for your message, I really appreciate it! I love that you're working on the hands separately, it's a great idea at any stage of your cello journey! Thanks again!
Very good, thank you! Being beginner at 66, with small hands and very tiny pinkies, I find left hand work is most difficult. You're so right about the 3 and 4 finger being anatomically linked, making it very unnatural and rather stupid to separate if not needed to. After many years of gardening, knitting and woodworking my hands are strong, a gift that should be a benefit for us old beginners. Need to strengthen my pinkie power though!
I also play violin so this was so helpful. I had a mirror in front of me and noticed I was bending my left wrist - oops! and it is so important to walk those fingers up and down the notes keeping your fingers springy. This information is foundational to playing a cello without tension!
Thank you. I like the way you explain things in detailed and relatable ways. You're a wonderful teacher.
I’m just struggling my left hand!! Thank you so much!!!!
My pleasure, thanks so much!
Love the analogy
Very insightful! The part on anatomy was very helpful!
I'm so glad! And thanks so much for your message!
You addressed every single major issue I have come across with my left hand. And Not only is my pinkie significantly shorter, but my fingers in general are short. I am wondering if I should go back through some old exercises with this improved hand shape and pressure to get used to it and begin the callous forming process again where there seems to be little (since I was playing with a duck hand as well). I am an adult learner, 2.5 years in. I have worked through Suzuki book 5, played double concerto from it, done some breval and squire, worked through a few piatti books, working through De’ak, and the first Dotzauer. I am live streaming Bach cello suite 1 next month as part of the Bach festival my cello teacher is running with some of her students. I am finding your videos very helpful as an adult learner. I find that some cellists I ask have a more difficult time articulating the answers because they began playing so young and don’t really remember going through these issues.
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you found it helpful! I think going back to easier repertoire is a truly excellent idea whenever you're trying to make a foundational change to your technical approach. That's great about the Bach suite, and if you practice your new hand shape on easier etudes, you might finding it creeping into your Bach suite without you feeling like you have to tear each movement apart to work on your left hand. That might be a bit stressful since your performance is coming up. Thanks again for your message!
Wonderful video! As an adult intermediate cellist, I’ve really struggled with left hand tension which resulted in minor tendinitis in my forearm. I’ve had to learn how to relax my arm and hand so playing is not painful and I can play longer. I am making progress and learning how to shift and exploring vibrato have forced me to loosen up on the first position death grip I had for far too long. Love the analogy of balancing on a moveable walk way. I also really appreciate the encouraging and relatable tone you bring to all your videos.
Thank you so much for your message, I really appreciate it! I'm glad to hear you're working your way out of tension, it can be discouraging but if you use the tendonitis as a learning tool, it can really open up the pathway to a superior technical approach that you may not have found as quickly otherwise!
Great stuff! I use the subway analogy when teaching bow hold, but never thought of applying it to the left hand as well.
Thanks so much! :)
This is great. I’m an intermediate adult learner cellist, and one thing I have been trying to work on is maintaining a good wrist position, or arm/hand setup. I used to tend to bend my wrist, probably due to holding my arm too low. It’s better but still something I work on…better position results in better hand/finger strength.
Related to that is my hand/arm position for vibrato. In certain string/finger/position combinations I have a difficult time getting a good vibrato. Example - most notes on A string in first position, especially first finger B. I don’t find a good possibility for my arm so that I can have vibrato on B….it’s a little better on D and G strings, but not much! Second and third finger vibrato are the best. This aspect of vibrato, or the differences per finger and position/string are not really helped by the usual vibrato prep exercises. Suggestions?
Thanks! Love your videos.
Hi Claudia, thanks so much for your message! For vibrato troubles on the a string in first position, my guess is that you're holding too much tension in the elbow area. I had the exact same issue. You want to find a balanced arm position so that you can sink weight into the finger, but also you want an elbow that feels feather light and not HELD in that perfect position. Maybe try some vibrato in that area and put your mind's eye in your left elbow. I hope that helps, please let me know if it does!
Amazing! I was literally just searching for a lesson re: left hand struggles from you. Thank You!
My pleasure!
I needed all of these tips. I've been having some left hand pain and can have a hard time getting good tone out of notes I'm holding down with my pinky. These were all helpful for getting better hand placement so I can hopefully do better with both of those. Thank you for the video!
Very helpful! Now I know what I did wrong (pinky too flat, and was very sore for a while).
I'm so glad it helped! Thanks for your message!
Thanks a lot!
gratitude
Bravo! Your conception of the "framework" is amazing, and spot on. Now, for us older beginners (I'm 68) lacking the flexibility of you youngsters, can you help with the forward and back extensions? Thanks in advance!
Hi! Absolutely, that's a great idea, thanks so much, I'll try to make a video on that topic soon!
Loverly teaching style. Just wish I could afford your online course. Possibly if I remortgage the house...
So, I've been straightening my fingers like the "duck bill" to avoid finger pain. When I play with curved fingers, I'm pressing down the strings with the tips of my fingers and it's painful. I can't figure it out. Am I pressing too hard? If so, how do I get the string down with less pressure? Do you have a video about this?
This video really helped me! My biggest problem is my left hand and sometimes I wanted to chop it off because it was so stiff.😹 Thank you!
Hi Billy,i tuoi consigli sono eccezionali.
Purtroppo il mignolo tende ad appiattirsi
Maybe I can ask a question here: I have borrowed a cello and am self-teaching a little (cello was on my bucket list and I finally just wanted to try). I had ten years of violin lessons and 7 years of practice without a teacher after that. I can play/ practice the violin for 3 hours, but feel exhausted after 30 mins of cello. I have been playing for 6 days now. 🙃 Unfortunately, I never took notes about when I was learning what on the violin. I do remember, however, that the first 3 months were hard and I could not play long. With my background in violin learning, is it normal to only be able to play for 30 mins or does that mean I am doing something wrong?
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I had never played a string instrument before as you have, but I am learning the cello also and have considerable hand/joint pain. I can't tell whether or not I'm developing arthritis or is the pain and inflammation in my joints a normal response to over-doing it at times. I have been doing hand strengthening exercises and it is helping quite a bit with stamina but I am curious to hear what kind of response you get. I really want to avoid doing permanent damage to my hands, but I also want to continue playing.
Hi! If I had to take a guess, I would bet that you're violin playing is just more efficient than how you're currently approaching the cello. I think there's no question that playing the cello is a more physically demanding than the violin (since the higher string tensions and thicker strings take more energy to make vibrate), but eventually you will be able to play cello just as long as the violin. I would maybe take inventory of what exactly feels exhausted (right hand thumb, right shoulder, etc) after 30 minutes of practice, and then you can start narrowing down the source of your fatigue. I must say, 30 minutes at a time after only 6 days sounds pretty good if you're just starting your cello journey, though.
Hi Carol, please see my response above :)
Billy, I don’t feel pain in the hand but I do in the arm! When I press a note with my pinky I get this dull pain down the arm from the tendon. This doesn’t happen when I play other instruments! What do I do?
I would check body posture and the way you are using your arms when playing the pinky. My guess is that that while the pinky itself is not in pain, there is something in your setup that is compromising either a tendon or nerve. Please keep in mind I'm not a medical professional and I would suggest seeking answers from an expert if the pain persists. That being said, a problem with your left arm setup may be why this is only a problem on the cello. Hope that helps!
@@adultcello Thank you my friend -- raising the elbow and shifting my hand to not be as spread out when I use the pinky has worked wonders for the feeling!
@@martialartsnerd3253 That's great! I'm so glad you were able to analyze your posture effectively!
This is a great video, and my current interest and problem is the pinky. I’m an older beginner cellist. When I play the fourth finger, my tendency is that the first knuckle, near the nail, bends severely, and the second knuckle is pushed in, flat. so my pinky looks like a garden hoe. I have a very hard time keeping the pinky rounded without that flattening. Can you suggest exercises to strengthen the muscles that will help keep that pinky rounded? Or using something like a ring splint?
I developed tennis elbow in my left arm when i started
Wrist pain? Thumb side-. VERY PAINFUL …. Help?