My Passion for Cello
I started cello in first grade, and I believe that the cello is the best instrument (no offense to other instruments) as it can provide a grand vibrato sound or playful bouncy tunes, which are both melodious. I have played many solo pieces and am now working on the C Major Cello Concerto composed by Joseph Haydn. I also joined orchestras in the New England Conservatory Preparatory in sixth grade and is now honored to become the first cellist in the Youth Repertory Orchestra. We are now working on the piece “Overture of the Candide” and just performed the Joplin and Moldau piece, where I had a little solo in.
However, the first lesson did not go as I planned it to be. We started with the easiest notes: the open D string, the open C string… and played them again and again. Even though I’m most positive I played the notes in tune, my teacher still forbade me to move on.
It was the first few weeks when the pain kicked in. The tips of my fingers were tingling from pressing into the hard string, and the muscles of my right arm were sore from playing with the bow. Soon, calluses formed on the fingertips of my left hand, and to young me, they were the worst thing ever. They were hard and ugly, and I tried to rip them off, but they grow back again every time I practice. I was mad at first, but got used to them as the days went on.
It was in the sixth grade year when the frustration really kicked in. On one hand, I was getting so much better, and the pieces I have played are getting more and more complex, more and more beautiful. On the other hand, many other things, such as harder school work and the passion for volleyball took away leisure time in my life, time that I used to practice the cello. The much harder pieces also required more time as I had to use the metronome and tuner while playing. It also did not help that many of my friends have chosen sports over music and are pushing me to do the same. In this year, I had many thoughts of giving up, and really wanted to chuck my cello across the room and cut off all links between the path of music and I, but when my parents took out their phones to contact my teacher, I always grab their phone from them and forbid them to send the text saying that I have decided to stop playing the cello. I don’t know if it’s the love for cello that is hidden in the depths of my heart or the feeling of guilt that I’ve spent all those years playing the cello to end up with nothing, I keep on practicing.
This past year, I’ve gradually accepted the cello part of me and started really loving this instrument, especially when I just found out a few months ago that I am able to play the songs I love on the cello after just listening to the tune. This shows my rapid improvement and boosts my confidence when practicing my solo pieces. While my time practicing the cello is not as much as when I first started in first grade, I use my time well and disallow any kind of procrastination when playing.
As much as I love the cello now, I must admit that it wasn’t always this way. My emotions definitely went through a huge rollercoaster. When first choosing an instrument, I picked the cello after listening to Yo-yo Ma play the G Major Cello Suite No. 1 composed by Bach. I was amazed by how beautifully Yo-yo Ma played it, and under my enthusiasm, my parents quickly enrolled me into taking lessons with a cello teacher.
At the times when I am feeling most lost in cello, I would often listen to the orchestra music I am playing. The orchestra piece is like the light that guides me out of the darkness when I am overwhelmed by the solo pieces and the fingering practices. I’ve always enjoyed playing in the orchestra, because the blend of the strings, winds, brass, and percussion always appeared very musical to me, and I often secretly admire how composers can make the different noises each instrument makes blend together seaminglessly.
Cello has taught me the traits of patience and resilience. Throughout my journey, I’ve faced countless challenges, from initial frustration of calluses fingers to the temptation to quit. But each setback has pushed me to grow stronger. The cello has shown me that the key is not to never struggle, but to continue moving forward, even though I am unsure of the future. My love for cello cannot be replaced and I believe that the strings of the cello have secretly found its way into my heart, and became a tangled knot there, tying itself to my life forever.
After years of working on the basic scales, arpeggios, and easy nursery songs, I started to play the G Major Cello Suite No. 1 in fourth grade. I remember feeling super excited when my teacher introduced me to the piece, as it was the reason why I started playing cello in the first place. However, even after practicing a bazillion times, I still didn’t sound like Yo-yo Ma when I listened to my recorded playing. My bow arm seemed so rigid compared to his, and my tempo wasn’t fast enough. I felt depressed, but my parents told me that it was part of the process of succeeding, and that Yo-yo Ma would not be so great and famous if everyone could play like him. That made me feel better.