There's always room for Cello!

Hello readers...LOL.  I thinks it's just me and this blog and that's okay.  Every Friday I have a cello lesson and really look forward to it. My cello journey started a little over a year ago, when a friend brought her violin to work.  She's an audiologist who plays in a community orchestra. She needed to practice for a concert and thought the sound proof booth would be a perfect place to practice durng lunch.  After she practiced her piece, I asked if I could look at her violin. "Sure !" As I opened the case, the smell of wood and the beauty's the instrument made my head spin!  I Iooked at her and said: "I'm going to do it!" I'm going to learn to play the cello."   I've always wanted to play the cello and thought "Why not?".  I went home that night and started learning as much as I could about the cello.  Turns out, there's a lot to know about buying a cello! For instance, cellos come in sizes, who knew?  After learning what I needed to know about the instrument, where do I buy one? How much should I spend? Is it safe to buy online? Does a bow come with it?  And he biggest question...how do I know it sounds good? That question was the hardest because I didn't know how to play one yet.  Honestly, I was afraid to go shopping alone because  didn't know a cellist or have a teacher I could bring with me.  I took a big breath and searched online. I found a website based on a video I'd seen on you tube. The owner seemed knowledgable.  This online seller was a cellist and played excerpts of music on each cello sold; offered phone consults; and cello kits. I took a chance and was lucky to get a good instrument, case and bow.  Now to find a teacher. It took me about a month to find a teacher and I was ready to go!

I'm an adult learner and my immediate goal was to learn how to play, "Twinkle, Twinkle".   Why, such a simple goal...I sucked! LOL.  When I opened the box my cello was packed in, I was so excited! I immediately sat down with my cello and drew my new bow across the strings and the cats ran from the room like I'd lit a firecracker! They peeked around the room a few minutes later. By then
, I figured we'd all been tortured enough.  I wondered for the first few weeks whether, I'd made a mistake.  Then one night while playing a D scale, I stopped for a minute and thought wow this sounds good. No squealing bow! The following week I began to learn Twinkle, Twinkle and it's been a little over a year and I've learned to play the cello better than I could've imagined. Now I can't imagine not playing!  My teacher started me on the Suzuki method and supplements it with other materials.  I thought Suzuki was for kids, but it's not. I am now on book 3 and learning Lully's Gavotte. A far cry from twinkle,twinkle.  My cats now come into the room and play nearby while I play cello.

It's been awhile...

It's been years since I've blogged. I loved it at the time and even had a small following. I'm back and ready to share my day to day life. Maybe one person or so will read it, maybe none. Blogging was always a place to put my thoughts. Since I last blogged I've lost parents to cancer, survived cancer, lost beloved cats and continued to have new adventures.

I decided with a new blog, I should have a new name! I used to be knitting infinity because I have a an obsession with knitting. Now the new name reflects my love of playing string instruments and knitting. I played classical guitar for years and recently took up playing the cello!  Thinking back on my childhood, I've played with string in some form or another starting with learning cat's cradle LOL.

I am also totally in love with and owned by two 3 year-old ragdoll cats!  Liam is my seal point mitted boy also known as the "paperboy" for his love of tearing up paper and his sibling
Nola, a purring machine who loves everybody!

Liam

Nola