Author Archives: Brendan F

final cut daft punk vid update

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i’m having trouble syncing the audio and the video in final cut, so the project still isn’t complete.   basically, i have the rendering set to ‘on the fly’ or whatever it’s called so that i don’t have to re-render (an hour-long process) every time i make a tiny edit.   but the frame rate slows down when i’m doing this, i guess because i  have multiple video streams going at once.  at the slower frame rate i don’t have the granularity to tell if the sync is good.     soooo, basically i have to render export the session (another process that takes an hour)  to create a consolidated video file of some kind that can play back at a higher frame rate.   but i have to do this whole process again and again  with every nudge , until i get the sync right.   omg.  there has to be a better way!

 

scale book sequencing ideas update

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after “basic” 2 octave majors (CGDAF and Bb)

go into 2 octave major + minor, all keys, universal fingering.

when introducing universal scale fingering, provide a visual representation of patterns as well as the pitches on the staff.

then do d major scale, 1 octave in thumb position for shape/strength of hand position.

then do three/four octave, universal fingering, into thumb position.

blam!

 

From blog “The Stark Raving Cello Blog”

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Cellist and teacher Emily Wright has an inspirational and well written blog about art, cello and life.  She maintains a studio of mostly adult students.   Here’s a little excerpt from a post she did about one of her adult students becoming discouraged:

 

Taking on the cello (or any other instrument) as an adult is not a trifle or vanity: it is, aside from its own massive worth, a brave statement of the refusal to stop chasing dreams, a confirmation of the value of your time, a daring exploration of every possible issue in the self-help area of your favorite bookstore. Sometimes family and friends are surprised by this sort of thing: it doesn’t conform to the view of you they have in mind, and see it as a threat. While I don’t advocate a life that ignores the needs of your loved ones (golf widows will attest to the detriments of that lifestyle), try not to let the caustic fumes of the people around you corrode your relationship with the cello. I find that it is a direct reflection of your relationship with yourself, and as a result, with everyone else.

I’m making a cello scale book

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Yep.   I’ve never found a scale book that’s comprehensive and well sequenced, so I’ll do it myself.

The Klengel and the Yampolsky books either start at a level too advanced or don’t go through all the keys.  Then they go right into math-rockish technical exercises.  Booo.

My Guiding Principle is:  a cello scale book needs to be based on reasonable cello pedagogy.  Like, obvs.  Another guiding principle is that while I like my own fingerings (because they’re awesome) , other teachers and students might prefer their own.  So each scale beyond a single octave will appear once with suggested fingerings and once without.

Basic Layout:

One Octave Scales

  • Closed Position [D Major, G Major, C Major.]
  • Extended Position [A Major]
  • Half Position [Bb Major]

Two Octaves

  • Major Scales to 3 sharps and 3 flats.  [C, F, Bb, Eb, G, D, A]

Three Octaves

  • Moveable Finger Pattern for all Major Scales (124,124,124,124,134…12,12, 123)
  • Same for all Minor Scales

BAAAAM.

Daft Video

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Apologies, the daft punk cello video has been delayed, and I have to push back the deadline yet again.    I have a lot coming up in the next two months, but I’ll squeeze time in to edit the video at the Soapbox studio and have it done by the end of this month of May!

shooting video

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got a bunch of footage shot at soapbox last night of daft punk cello version. (thanks heidi for being the film crew!) now comes the task of editing it in final cut. i’m going to have to extend my deadline to may 8th for the finished version because soapbox is in use today and tomorrow…