Taught by renowned cellist
tonebase Artists
The art of true legato is one of the most sought-after aspects of string playing, and in this course, master cellist-teachers show us their secrets and methods for developing a true legato. From the Introduction to Legato via the Right Arm with Inbal Segev to Isolating the Legato and Applying to the Repertoire with Daniel Lelchuk to Clive Greensmith's Finding Liquidity Legato in the Bow and other lessons, this course on legato is like none other in the pedagogical world of cello playing.
Removing Consonants
In this lesson, we learn about producing a big, soaring rich tone without the use of consonants. As Schween explains, legato playing requires a careful concoction of vertical playing with horizontal motion. She advises us to sink into the flexible part of the string with arm weight, and not to lock our right hand fingers.
Finding Liquid Legato in the Bow
In this lesson, we study concepts of slow bow, bow distribution, and excising any habits in the bow that create bumps in the smooth bow. Professor Greensmith gives us exercises he uses to work on a very long, slow, smooth bow. As he says, "If you practice enough of the super slow bow, you will get a true legato." We are also encouraged to take small fragments from the solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire and study these to develop your sense of legato. Professor Greensmith encourages us to find a liquidity in the hands and to listen to recordings of great singers to study the legato.
Isolating the Legato and Applying to the Repertoire
In this lesson, we learn principles about legato--Italian for bound--and how we can apply these principles to the music we play. Lelchuk shows us that one way we can detect how true our legato is is by playing passaged without any vibrato. This way, we can isolate the bow. We also learn to watch our bow, and how that in itself can show us if we are falling into any bad habits. We study examples from Brahms and Haydn as illustrations to practice a real legato.
Introduction to Legato via the Right Arm
In this lesson, we learn about connecting one note to the next, called legato. Inbal Segev teaches us about using arm weight to carry the sound through the bow, and all about the pronation of the right hand. We also learn that being loose and having relaxed shoulders is key to producing a big, full, rich tone.
Legato and Drawing the Beautiful Bow
In this lesson, we look at ways of developing the links of notes together-- what Professor Clein calls "the magnetism of linking one note to the next." We look at the idea of Bach already being the initiator of legato playing for cello. Clein encourgaed us to exhale as we begin and to feel the sensitivity of the fingertips as we look to develop the legato. Clein also tells us we must always look to our best friend-- the metronome--as it must help us shape the bowing and phrasing.
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