A little departure from the norm. This is from a YouTube channel I can’t quite get enough of lately: the “Pick Your Nose” Cello Extension technique.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fafqRSwmiwk&w=640&h=390]

okay, so it’s a little “kid oriented,” but I love clever and fun ways to remember technique, and I think this fits into that category.

Abagail also does a great series of videos instructing Suzuki 1 pieces, and although I wish I had discovered a year ago, the videos invite revisiting them with a new approach. I especially appreciate how she she vocally articulates bow stroke technique and pressure (while playing) and breaks down practice strategies

As an adult beginner with no formal music background (a year of piccolo in fourth grade really doesn’t count), I often find myself searching for “kid stuff.” It’s been my experience learning a second language that the best way to acquire language is to simulate the way a child would learn using simple vocabulary applicable to direct experience and lots of repetition. In a similar way, I initially avoided a lot of complex conceptual information about cello technique, in favor of basic “kid friendly” practical skills and simple metaphors. I needed to feel it, before I needed to know all about how and why it works.

I found these videos to have a wealth of simply delivered information and practical exercise without being too “heady.” They invite a watch- listen- repeat pattern that I’ve found to be extremely useful in acquiring the technical skills to become proficient. Of course, no video can provide feedback and individual instruction identical to one-on-one student/teacher interaction, but these are a great additional resource.