Cellist for hire

If you haven't figured it out already from reading my blog, I play the cello, and I really love playing. If you live in the Dallas or Fort Worth area, I would love to play for your next event. I have over 20 years of experience as a musician.

I have played for many weddings, parties, and bands over the years, and it's been really fun. Of all the things I do musically, playing for events is what I love the most. I love the camaraderie  with my fellow musicians and making the music sound great. Live music really adds a bit of class to these events.

I used to live in San Diego, and that's where these pictures were taken-- for my sister's wedding! It was at the beach, and it was a perfect day.

Now that I have lived in Texas for a bit, I have met other musicians in town-- guitarists and other string players, so I can put an ensemble together if you want as well. If you're interested, you can email me at elegantcellist at gmail dot com. Seriously. It would be a pleasure.

A cello walks into a bar...

I taught my first cello lesson last Sunday, and then went to watch the Chargers game with some friends at a bar. Well, I took the cello into the bar with me because I generally don't like leaving it in my car. The bar was empty on our side because everyone had been watching the Cowboys game (of course) and had cleared out. No one really cares too much about the Chargers here. I'm not surprised by this.

During the third quarter of the game, this guy comes up to me, asks me if my instrument is a cello, and then tells me he's a cellist. I'm immediately skeptical for a number of reasons:

1. He's slightly intoxicated
2. He asked what instrument was in the case...if he was a cellist, he would have said something like, "How long have you played the cello?"
3. He was guarded in answering all the questions I asked him about playing the cello.

Well, then he sits down and pretends to play, and that's when I know for sure that while he may be a "playa," he's definitely not a player. His technique on air cello--not so good.

Turns out that most of the people at the bar were in the other room and made a bet with this guy that I wouldn't let him play my cello. He admits this, and then asks if I would play. Pretty soon, a bunch of people from the other room walk in and want to see me play. I'm like, "Seriously? Does this mean I get tips???"

So I got talked into playing and I played three songs. I made $6.00. I will also never forget that day. Ever. It was a memorable experience.

Cello-ing in Texas

What a week. I went to the TCU vs. Utah game. This game was really big. Biggest crowd in the stadium, best ranking ever for TCU, they are having a magical season.

Today, I played cello at a wedding in the Japanese Gardens in Fort Worth. What a beautiful place! I wish I had taken my camera, as I got in free and we had a little bit of time to explore before the guests arrived. The weather was great this morning, but the clouds started rolling in at about 3:15pm, exactly when we were supposed to start playing. The officiant was great, and even sang an a capella version of "At Last" to the bride and groom. She noticed that a downpour was becoming more likely by the minute, so this was probably the FASTEST ceremony I've ever done. As we finished playing the traditional bridal recessional, it started to drizzle. It felt weird putting away my cello before playing any more, but my violinist friend was like, Robyn, it's starting to rain, PUT YOUR INSTRUMENT AWAY! Sure enough, after we quickly packed up and headed to the parking lot, it started to pour. At least we got through everything we were supposed to.

As we were heading out, this thirteen year-old kid started talking to us about music. Apparently, he played bass, and really wanted to connect with us. He was so excited and cute in that eager thirteen year-old kind-of way. I asked him a little about his experience and told him to talk his parents into lessons. I love it when kids are excited about music. I hope he continues to be excited about music.

NEW CELLO!!!

Thanks to all my family and friends, I was able to purchase a new cello today. I am so grateful!

My virtual donation wall:
Tara, Trippe, Nancy, Adam, Duncan, Tracy, Mom, Dad, Sue, Jon, Grandma J, Grandpa Steve, and Grandma R.

I am the band

I have really been thinking about posting an ad on Craigslist to see if there are any bands out there who are looking for a cellist, or if they might want to play with one occasionally and instead, I found an ad for a cellist. I listened to this guy's music and then I contacted him. I think he and I are both excited about playing together. I think we are very compatible as musicians, and after talking with him, I think we'll be able to work well together.

He is exactly where I wanted a music partner to be... not quite there yet in terms of exposure and publicity, but someone who is an established musician and someone who is motivated to do well and take care of the managing part of the music scene.

So. Check out my new band mate: Nathan James.

He is excited because once we're ready to go, he can actually start advertising and promoting the "Nathan James Band." So I told him I wanted a shirt that says, "I am the band!"

I want a new cello...

I went to the music store yesterday with a friend of mine who wants to buy a cello. So I got to play all these beautiful instruments.

It is so frustrating to know that I cannot afford to buy a new instrument, and that I won't be able to afford one for at least 5 years. Not without going into a lot of debt.

See, right now, I owe a lot of money on my credit card. I get frustrated because it just seems like I'll never get them paid down.

Until I get a better job with a higher salary, there is no way I can afford a new instrument. And honestly, I kind of need a new car more.

I found a beautiful German cello at the shop for just under $4000. It sings so beautifully, and the playability on it is really high. I'm trying to figure out if there is any way to manipulate my finances so that I could possibly afford this thing... as long as my friend doesn't want it.

Ironic

I was just telling my friend Cathy about how I had to play Ave Maria as a cello solo at the wedding, and about how I had only heard it all the way through twice in my life because I don't really like it...

I was at Burger King at the mall this morning where there is also an ice rink. Guess what one of the skaters was skating to? That's right. Ave Maria.

Bittersweet

Last night was my last night playing with the Harbor Uptown band for awhile. I will miss them so much! Playing with them has been the highlight of my week through the summer.

From an email we (the band) got from our worship leader guy today:Got lots of gushy feedback about the music last night. Someone even put a note in the offering box saying how much they loved the cello solo in Jordan's Stormy Banks. You guys do such an outstanding job I am just bedazzled. You ALL are the best one!

To all of you at Harbor Uptown: Thanks for an awesome summer and creating a wonderful example of a worshipful community. I will miss you tremendously, and will be counting down the months (9!) until I get to come back!And to whoever loved my cello solo in "Jordan's Stormy Banks," and wrote it down in the offering box, thank you! This compliment/comment made today even better.

Cello Bow

Apparently I am a magnet for bad luck this week. First, I lost my cello bow. Then my car got hit while it was parked in front of my house, and the guy didn't pull over. Hit-and-Run. I do not think my insurance is going to cover it because I drive an old car, and I just had liability. I am bleeding money at the moment. So to bolster my spirits, I went shopping for a cello bow today.

I think the process of buying a bow is the closest humans will get to purchasing a wand. So in the spirit of magic, here is a short excerpt from "why buying a bow is like purchasing a wand:"

They are both made of wood. Woods have different levels of densities, thicknesses, and levels of stiffness, and each person has their own individual style and preference. You have to try them all out before purchasing one. Do you prefer slender and whippy? Or dense and heavy? Bouncy or smooth? Octagonal or round? Although you can effectively use someone else's wand or bow, it will not be as effective as the one that chooses you.

Although I cannot vouch for wands, I would imagine that like bows, they are expensive.The bow I lost was a lightweight $300 octagonal bow. I was at the music store for 90 minutes and my decision came down to two bows, the one that I really hoped to buy ended up being too light for me and more expensive. So I'm kind of glad the "cheaper" bow I chose actually produced better sound on my instrument than the more expensive one. Let's just say it's a minor investment. The bow I just bought is cool looking. It is Brazilian. The frog (bottom of the bow; where you hold it) is made of snakewood, so it has cool markings--sort of like tiger-eye rocks. This bow has a tan leather grip, and gold binding. Normally, the grip is black and the binding is silver. This bow is heavier than my last one (although I've discovered that almost ALL cello bows are heavier than mine was) but it produces really good tone on my instrument. I'm excited. So the next time you see me play, you can tell me how good it sounds.

The Messiah

For the last three years, I have played The Messiah by Handel. It's most famous song is the "Hallelujah Chorus." I'm always playing so I never really pay attention to the words. This year I tried to pay more attention. This is an awesome and inspiring piece of music that tells the story of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. I have to say, it is hard to play with gladness when you lose your music right before a performance. But God's grace abounds, especially when one of the other cellists runs to retrieve an extra copy from the music building (which is located across campus) in a tux. He made it back right before we tuned.I had friends and family show up, and in my opinion, this was the best performance we've done since I have been playing with this group.It was beautiful. I feel encouraged.

Practice

I had a friend ask me how I'm doing spiritually this week. Instead of answering the question directly, I kind of made up some excuses that did not really answer his question. I guess I was dodging the question because I was hiding the truth.

The sermon tonight at church was about God's comfort. The pastor told us that if we feel God's absence, that is evidence of his presence at other times in our lives.

I think this gave me hope.

Tonight, I got to play cello with a band that I absolutely love. They lead worship on Sunday nights at the church I attend. I have to admit that worship is definitely a state of mind, and it is difficult for me to truly worship God when I play cello. The reason is because I'm thinking more about the music than my state of mind. I can count on my hand the number of times I have truly worshipped God using my cello. But I can say that those times were some of the most meaningful experiences I have ever had as a musician. They come few and far between, but because music is a discipline, the more I practice, the better I become, the better my fingers remember their positions, the less I have to think about what I'm doing, and the more likely it is that I start to think outside of what I am doing physically and move in to a state of meditation. In this state of mind I am able to think beyond the music and think about what the music means. It is in this state of mind that I am able to worship God with all my heart. Like music, worship is a discipline. This is why I practice.

Nerves

So, I just practiced my cello for an hour. And now the nerve in my index finger on my left hand is super sensitive. It feels like there's a spring in it. Every time I touch something, the nerve "bounces" in my finger. Kind of like when you hit your funny bone in your elbow, and it vibrates. Yeah, except in my index finger...and its not going away yet...

Opera

Went to the opera tonight. It was a tragedy. No. Not the fact that I went to the opera... the opera was a tragedy.

The lead female character goes mad in the third act and kills her husband on their wedding night because she was forced to marry him while she had pledged her love to another man, and basically, all the main characters die a la Romeo and Juliet. Sort of.

Well, in the intermission right before the third act, I heard the flute player play taps (the military "all is quiet, good night" song, usually played by a trumpet or bugle).
That was funny. Cause basically, everyone in the opera was doomed.

Also, have you ever noticed that whenever someone is dying in musicals, operas, movies, or TV, the main death theme is played by a solo cello or by the cello section? It makes me laugh every time.

The cello is a sad instrument. Which is why I'll never be a great cellist. I'm not depressed enough. Yet.

Musical Temperament

Yeah, okay, I have pushed myself to the point that I got short-tempered last night with a friend at our rehearsal. Except that when I'm short-tempered I just sort of seeth inside, I don't tend to lash out unless I'm feeling extremely attacked...I forgot to print out the music for Sunday morning even though she e-mailed them to us, and so I had to share with the other guitar player and then transpose all his music cause everything was capo-ed (Capo? how do you turn it into a past tense verb?). Bottom line: I got frustrated with myself. I'm really tired and worn out and facing some high level anxiety about performing my solo this evening for that wedding I'm going to be playing in on Saturday. I also just found out that they have a flute player too, and so now I'm thinking to myself, "Why don't they just have her play the song?" because it was really written for flute or violin. Anyway, I'm out of time to practice, and I have to perform tonight.

When I take a step outside of myself right now, I'm really intrigued by how quickly my anxiety is escalating the closer it gets to performance time. I just read a book about the Musical Temperment (1996) and the author, Anthony E. Kemp, uses various studies to show that in general, musicians tend to have higher levels of anxiety than others, are more sensitive, are more introverted, and tend to be more independent. He wanted to see if it was true that people who play the same instruments have similar temperaments. According to this study, there was some truth to that. Here's what they say about cellists:

Ben-Tovim and Boyd (1990) maintain that the cello requires a quiet and reflective intelligence and work that is equally conscientious and sustained as that required by the violin. They also suggest that cellists are often of a shy temperament. The 34 cellists in my research very much confirmed these suggestions, displaying significant levels of introversion over and above that shown by all the string players. In fact, they emerged as even more aloof than the rest of the string players who, as we have seen were already characterized by aloofness. Their other trait, also associated with introversion, was self-sufficiency which emerged along with a definite level of astuteness. This is an interesting combination: the cellist's introversion combines with a social awareness, two qualities that, at face value, do not relate well together. Perhaps Ben-Tovim and Boyd have an important insight in this respect when they suggest that cellists are characterized by a 'quiet and unstressed sociability.'

Interesting.