Foundation, Form, and Motion
The cello is perhaps the most beloved instrument of the Western Art Music world, largely because its range and tone are so close to the human voice. Many, both adult and child, are drawn to the idea of mastering the instrument. And many are quite surprised at how little of this beautiful sound they are able to generate when first attempting this noble venture. Even after some years of dedicated practice, unaddressed technical problems can cause immense frustration while searching for this unique sound.
Gabe finds it difficult to consistently hit the correct pitch when shifting between positions. His lack of a proper foundation at all times causes this inconsistency.
Isabella’s bow often catches a lower string when she crosses strings. Even though her form is correct, her motion is applied incorrectly.
Alice cannot control her bow properly. It is difficult for her to play in the upper half of the bow and still achieve a forte sound. Her form is compromised, thus restricting her motion.
Eric has always had difficulty producing vibrato that pleases him. He finds it too fast and tight, and he cannot keep it continuous. His foundation is weak, compromising his form and inhibiting his left arm motion.
Reiko is unable to play for long stretches of time without cramping in the bow hand, almost dropping the bow at times. Her foundation and consequently, her form, are the root of her problem.
Kwan’s left hand struggles with fast passages; his fingers tighten up more with each measure. Improper form is limiting his motion.
All instruments of the stringed family are a great challenge to master. They have no visible or tangible means (frets, keys, or buttons) to help find a particular pitch. The bow, awkward to hold and manipulate, only produces proper tone when drawn in a particular fashion. The cello’s substantial size (one of the two largest instruments of the family) can make the mere positioning of the instrument against the body difficult for a beginner.
Struggling to find pleasing pitch and tone, many beginners rely on crutches such as tapes on the fingerboard for finger placement or bow grips to help produce better tone. While the use of a temporary aid or simply the determination to try again and again until correct may momentarily help guide the beginner, there is no substitute for proper FOUNDATION, FORM AND MOTION.
FOUNDATION: sitting posture and positioning of the cello against the body.
FORM: arrangement and shape of the arms, hands, and fingers
in proximity to the instrument.
MOTION: movement of the arms, hands, and fingers to produce sound.
Foundation is the core of a cellist’s proper technique. Unnecessary tension may occur when the foundation is improper, compromising both form and motion. Form and motion must allow appropriate weighting of finger strikes on the string, movement of the fingers along the fingerboard with accuracy and speed, generation of vibrato, as well as various articulations and dynamics through the bow stroke.
You may have proper foundation and still have improper form and/or motion.
An incorrect motion may disturb form and possibly even foundation.
Properly executed motion without correct foundation or form, may compromise sound production, vibrato, and pitch.
It is far easier to start correctly from point zero than to undo wrong habits accumulated over time.
Cora came from a small town with only a violin teacher available for any stringed instrument instruction. Her many years of childhood “cello” lessons were with this teacher. As an adult playing in amateur orchestras, she found it difficult to learn the pieces for many of the concerts, especially if they contained fast passages. Finally, once she found a proper cello teacher, Cora saw that her form was that of a violinist’s and was the cause of her struggle. With the help of her new teacher, as well as foregoing orchestral participation in order to focus exclusively on the necessary changes, she slowly began the long journey of unlearning years of incorrect form and motion.
June recently learned thumb position on the cello and was amazed at how quickly she could find the right form and motion in this new placement of her left arm, hands and fingers. She was even able to produce correct vibrato, something with which she had always struggled. The new arrangement of form in thumb position differs enough from the lower, non-thumb positions that her poor habits of the past were not an interference.
Carlo sought out private cello instruction after years of playing on his own and in school orchestras. With the proper guidance from the teacher he found, he was finally able to loosen his left thumb, facilitating faster and more accurate pitch and shifts as well as a much nicer vibrato ….... but only if he thought about it almost continuously. He went on vacation for two months without his cello, and upon his return found that much of this new-found form was lost to him, as the time he spent using it was not enough to consistently override his long years of incorrect foundation, form and motion.
Caryn confessed that for years she thought that to play the cello meant to hurt. The long rehearsals for the amateur orchestra of which she was a member were not only extremely fatiguing, but within one hour her right shoulder and neck tightened and pain began to creep in. Correcting her foundation was just the beginning, as it inevitably changed her form and motion. Glimpses of pain free playing resulting from this correction enticed her to pursue further improvement and conquer her poor habits.
Some players are able to achieve relatively proper form and motion without correct foundation. One may even attain quite impressive motion efficiency while still suffering incorrect form and foundation. However, the cost of such compromises, not always obvious in the beginning, could potentially lead to injury, and begs the question: how much better would the outcome have been with Foundation, Form and Motion properly in place from the beginning?