What Is the Inner Cellist?

All learning, beginning or experienced, young or old, cello or another discipline, involves the student’s inner self.  So, for the student cellist, I call the student’s inner self the “Inner Cellist”.  That Inner Cellist involves the following three aspects:

• Physical

• Aptitude (natural ability)

• Emotional

Physical.   Cello playing takes a lot of strength.  When a student starts playing, their body must be lined up (in other words, angled correctly, which is not intuitive) so that their hands can connect to their core.  Proper alignment leads to a “right (physical) feeling”, which the student learns to recognize when they play.  

Aptitude.   Beginning students will have different levels of natural ability to feel rhythm, hear pitch, and sense the physical distance between their fingers and how it relates to intonation.    These natural differences with one or the other of aptitude elements can be addressed during their growth. 

Emotional.  Music is the language of feeling.  The elements of music are like words.   The cellist translates their emotions into musical words, using tone colors and dynamics.  The musical words evoke feelings from the listener.