Taught by renowned cellist
Andrés Díaz
In this course, celebrated cellist and Professor Andrés Díaz takes us on a guided tour of the most celebrated études of David Popper. The Popper études, the most important book of studies for a cellist, are a landmark group of compositions, and Professor Diaz has been working on these his entire cellistic life. We learn his secrets about how to practice octaves, how to coordinate the hands, how to work on sound quality, how to practice extensions, and much more. This is a landmark course from one of America's most celebrated pedagogues.
No. 1
In this lesson, we learn about efficiency and how to increase tempo while staying clean. Professor Díaz emphasizes that our left hand fingers must be down before the bow plays. We also learn about the importance of barring a finger over two strings, covering a fifth.
No. 2
In this lesson, we learn about a smooth tone, and the the importance of saving the bow. We also learn that our intonation can often be greatly affected by sloppy shifting during small shifts; therefore, Professor Díaz recommends walking (extending) versus shifting, whenever possible.
No. 3
We learn in this lesson about using this study as an exercise in sound quality. Professor Díaz encourages us to play with a solid sound but with low pitch, given the key of B-flat minor. We also learn how to navigate the classic Popper chromaticism.
No. 4
In this lesson, we learn about extending versus shifting, and how we must choose one approach or the other for this study. We also learn the importance of finding the importance of difficult places, isolating them, and practicing with extra intent.
No. 6
In this lesson, we learn the importance of barring a finger over two strings, to decrease out effort and increase velocity. Professor Díaz tells us to take every opportunity we can for this. We also learn about fingerings for the most difficult passages, as well as bowing combinations to assist in our practice.
No. 9
This lesson is on one of the most famous of all Popper études. As Professor Díaz says, with thirds, sixths, and octaves, we must hear the intonation through the duration of the entire shift. We learn about methods for practicing these chords, especially thirds, and we are encouraged to slide between intervals.
No. 12
In this lesson, we learn about shifting on the thumb, which is so crucial for fluid playing. We also learn about observing the marking restez to reduce the number of times we have to shift.
No. 13
In this lesson, we learn methods for practicing octaves. Professor Díaz explains that for him, octave work is much more beneficial when we make adjustments using our ears above all else, rather than trying to memorize physical spacing. We also learn some tricks for scale work.
No. 15
In this lesson, we learn about the importance of the hand shape for creating a good intonation, and how we must constantly adjust our thumb. One practice method Professor Díaz recommends is to practice this étude completely legato at first, to only focus on intonation.
No. 17
In this lesson, we learn about smoothly executed double stops. As Prof. Díaz notes, "I like to feel like my hand isn't stopping for each of these notes, that it's just slowing down." We also learn about alternate fingerings that Prof. Diaz has developed over the years.
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Unlock Course →Andrés Díaz, one of the country's premiere cellist-educators, is professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music and head of the strings department at Southern Methodist University.
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