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I thought tuning my cello with pegs that won’t stay in their place was difficult and mentally exhausing.
boy, was I wrong
today I had to straighten the angle of my bridge that got angled too far on the other side
It’s barely 5 pm and I want this day to end. Sorry for the rant.
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Cello Problems
The rockstops all disappeared, so the entire section is either balancing their endpins on the stands or are down to one shoe. Only one tuner is present. It has seen many hardships. Someone’s peg slips. The section leader is summoned from their century long slumber. An attempt is made to fix the A-string. The entire orchestra is watching in fascination at what (for them) is a menial task. The powers of Thor are invoked in order to wrench it back into position. It snaps. Now we’re all screaming. There’s no escape. Chaos reigns.
Today while shopping:
Mum: *holding up a skirt* This is a cute skirt!! You can wear it for your music exam!
Me:
Me: Mum, I play cello
When you bow on the D 🍆💦💦😈string😩 and you feel that hard💦😍😩wooden🌲🌲💥 Cello 🎻🎻 vibrate😨💀 in between😳 your😲 legs😰😶👼
PSA for string players: How to straighten your bridge if it's starting to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa - especially due to the pegs pulling the top towards them: Anchor both hands underneath the black parts (fingerboard and tailpiece) and use one thumb to gently push in the general direction you want to go and the other thumb is to act like a safeguard so you don't push the bridge over. In general, aim for a 90° angle from bridge to the top of the instrument on the tailpiece side. Look for gaps at the bridge feet in case it's telling you something different. When I fit a bridge to a top, it will fit seamlessly. There will be no gaps if it is standing up straight where it is supposed to. ***I have seen some rental violins that have the bridge carved at a lean and in order to get it straight - the feet don't fit. I pull it as straight as I feel comfortable, which usually means not all the way. Get a new bridge if yours does this. The bridge will fall over more easily and pitch recognition might be off compared to a well fit bridge.*** If the bridge isn't moving, make sure there is pencil lead in the grooves to help lubricate the crossing of the strings. When I was in college as a player, I am aware that I probably broke a bridge because of letting it lean when I was trying to tune my violin after a peg popped due to humidity. 😳 I thought it was a fault of the bridge, but now I'm pretty sure it's just because I let it lean for too long and it eventually folded under the pressure of the strings - equaling a broken bridge. It was startling and I'm lucky I didn't cause more damage from the tailpiece hitting the top after the bridge snapped in half. 🙊 Bridges don't generally wear out. They might warp and eventually snap due to leaning, but if taken care of, I've seen well maintained bridges in action over 30 years old.
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Movies Starring the Cello
by Audrey Williams
I’m always game for a good movie with a compelling story line. While volunteering for this year’s Atlanta Film Festival, I had a conversation with one of the patrons that got me thinking about movies that feature the cello. If the cello is your thing, then below are some movies (or scenes) you might want to check out:
The Soloist (2009)
This movie is based on the book The Soloist, by Steve Lopez, which is a true story about a child prodigy cellist named Nathaniel Ayers who developed schizophrenia while attending Julliard and later became homeless. Jamie Foxx plays Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. plays the reporter Steve Lopez. The two men develop a profound relationship after Lopez hears Ayers playing the violin on the street and is able to get him a new cello and a cellist mentor. This is an emotionally intense movie that will make you cry and smile as you follow this tragically brilliant cellist who had the misfortune of manifesting a severe mental illness in the prime of his life.
Take the Money and Run (1969)
The cello only appears in the opening scenes of this comedy satire Woody Allen movie, but those appearances are memorable and hilarious, giving you an essential understanding of the protagonist: an inept criminal named Virgil Starkwell. Starkwell took cello lessons very seriously as a child even though his teacher never had anything good to say about him, except that he loved his cello very much.
The interview with his cello teacher was probably the worst review one could ever give a student, but it was his deadpan delivery that made the scene so funny. He said out loud what a lot of music teachers are probably thinking in their heads but would never have the nerve to say externally to students or parents. One scene shows the cello flying out of a 2nd story window of the Starkwell household. Another shows Virgil trying to keep up with the marching band. For me, that scene alone was worth the price of the download. Fair warning: the scene when the neighborhood bullies destroy Virgil’s cello is not for the faint of heart. The rest of the movie is dryly funny in that Woody Allen sort of a way.
Hillary and Jackie (1998)
And, of course, there is HILLARY AND JACKIE, which is supposed to be the story of sibling rivalry and dedication between Jacqueline du Pré (who was arguably one of the world’s greatest cellists) and her sister Hillary, who was a talented flute player. It must be mentioned that the truthfulness of this film has been vehemently challenged by Jacqueline’s teachers and others - even though it was based on conversations with her brother and sister. My cello teacher introduced me to some of Jacqueline du Pre’s recordings somewhere in the midst of my high school years. It was very inspiring to hear how great she willed herself to play even though MS had taken away most of the feeling in her fingers.
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
The main character, Nina, is beside herself with grief after the passing of her boyfriend, Jamie, a cellist. While Nina is in deep despair, Jamie reappears as a cello-playing ghost and the couple is temporarily reconciled. Although Nina is ecstatic, we learn Jamie’s true intentions by the end of the film. He wanted to tarnish Nina’s idealized image of him so that she would feel free to move on. How haunting and beautiful.
Love In The Afternoon (1957)
This is an older romantic movie starring Audrey Hepburn as a young femme fatale cellist who gets caught up in some risky business while trying to prevent her eventual love interest from committing a horrible crime. Supposedly, Audrey did the basic cello playing herself.
These are just some of the movies with cello features that really piqued my interest. There are definitely others out there that I’m still planning to watch – starting with this list of recommendations below:
Gauche The Cellist, a 1934 short story by Japan’s Miyazawa Kenji
Micki and Maude (Directed by Blake Edwards, starring Dudley Moore, 1984)
If I Stay (2014)
The Living Daylights (1987)
A Song from the Heart (TV Movie, 1999)
Departures (2008)
Audrey Williams is an associate member of the Recording Academy and a blogger for Behind the Bridge.
How to scare the living daylights out of the cello section: accidentally hit the side of a cello with literally anything and just hear the collective “G A SP IS IT OKAY DID THE WOOD CHIP IS IT ALRIGHT IS OUR CHILD OKAY?!?!?!?!?!” I am one of the clumsiest cellist in my section and I swear this happens every time
Me: plays new piece straight through without making many mistakes Me: I believe that with my talent and expertise, I am destined for great things in the world of music :) Me: realises half of the piece is actually in tenor clef and I was just reading it as bass clef Me: :(
