How do you build confidence in your cello playing? How do you go about the world being confident in your skills as a performer?
The apparent response is the amount of practice you put out daily.
But is it just enough to practice? Does practicing alone help you solve all your issues?
It can if you practice mindfully and establish a set routine for yourself.
Just showing up in your practice room and beginning to play your concerto from beginning to end without paying attention to details will not do the trick.
One major confidence-building promoter I learned from my teacher was when I was a student at the university.
I was playing principal in the University orchestra when a professional cellist played with us on one of our rehearsals to help us.
During the break, he asked me one interesting question.
"You are very talented, but do you play your scales daily?"
And the answer to that would have been a "no" at the time.
When I began to study with him in the future, he introduced me to his system of playing scales for one hour daily, which I started implementing. He believed that playing scales for one hour a day before engaging in working on one's repertoire was powerful.
After doing that for one month, my technique improved tremendously. I began waking up at four in the morning and practicing my scales. Then, I was ready to tackle any rehearsal or practice my repertoire anytime during the day. That was a significant confidence builder for me.
Getting up early and practicing my scales soon became my morning workout routine.
Now, I don't recommend that you wake up at 4:00 a.m. I needed more time these days as I worked part-time and had to run to classes in the afternoon so that worked for a while. But, in the end, getting up that hour is not recommendable, but at a healthy time during your day, it is worth it to begin practicing with your scales. And if an hour is too long, at least half an hour or even fifteen minutes will be advantageous.
Suppose you find the practice of playing scales too daunting. In that case, it can be mixed and matched with etudes and using the many exercises composed for the cello. And there are many.
Also, it is essential to note that if you feel any pain during these workouts, it is best to stop and deal with it before continuing.
Again, it is also a helpful reminder for the above to begin slowly. If you are not used to playing scales for one hour, I would start slowly and build towards that goal. That is, begin with ten minutes per day, then add five more minutes several days later and continue adding until you feel entirely comfortable with the practice.
I practice every day but have been avoiding playing my scales recently. Just yesterday, I decided to begin my practice session with my scales. I started with a twenty-five-minute session of scales and then proceeded to play my repertoire.
It was fascinating how light my hands felt after my practicing session. Many of the problems resolved themselves. And I could spend less time dealing with the problem spots.
If you use similar practices that help in your warm-up sessions, please share them in the comments section below.
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