Why can't I get this RIGHT?!

Oh, my GOSH, I cannot make this one string stop whining... I swear, if I finger that stupid passage wrong again, I'm going to lose my mind!!! Sound familiar? STOP... right there. As a beginner (and even as a long-time professional), especially if you're coming from another instrument or returning to cello after a long absence, you will find yourself occasionally wanting to take an axe to your cello and chop it up into little tiny pieces and throw a match onto the pile that's left behind. Even if you're not coming from another instrument, there will be days you feel this way. This is NORMAL!

The answer here is very simple. TAKE FIVE!!

Often times, we forget to check our bodies for tension, and as beginners... or just as frustrated, stressed-out adults going through our daily lives... we don't think about how this can affect our playing and even our shortest practice sessions. It doesn't take long to reinforce bad habits, but it can take WEEKS to undo them, particularly as an adult. "But my 7-year old can play circles around me!" Maybe so, but it's a well-known fact that it takes longer for the matured brain to develop new pathways and learn new material. It's not impossible, but it's definitely more challenging. And comparing yourself to a 7-year old is like trying to do gymnastics with no training. You'll only hurt yourself more as you tense up and want to throw your....never mind. Just don't do it.

So why does tension increase bad habits? Simple. Our muscles learn. It's called muscle memory. That's why you "never forget" how to ride a bike. It might take a moment for you to remember, but your body eventually goes, "Oh, THIS is how you used to do that!" and then takes over. Tension held in your muscles repeatedly teaches your muscles that tension is necessary for playing, and thus causes us to fight what we SHOULD be doing naturally, and making it much more difficult for us to normally relax and let the music flow. I cannot tell you how many times I have been so bunched up trying to practice cello that my muscles in my shoulders just ache. It carries down into my hands, and I'm surprised I haven't snapped my bow off at the frog some days. These are the days I just put the cello down and walk away until I can get a better frame of mind.

Playing cello professionally is a dream that anyone can accomplish, but the tension... and the resulting frustration and subsequent concrete wall-banging... can make you second-guess whether or not you should actually try. Technique is everything... and tension will destroy technique. So, don't take an axe to your cello, please. Just find the tension in your body, usually in your shoulders, and consciously release it. Take a deep, cleansing breath, and let it melt down through your body as you release it. Go listen to some beautiful music. Have a snack, get a glass of water, a piece of chocolate, go drive a truck over your ex.... (No, don't do that one...) ...but relax, then go back and try again. You'll find the dream fresh and alive inside you, waiting for you to rediscover it ...without the tension.

...and for heaven's sake, DON'T go watching 5-year olds on YouTube who can play a Bach concerto on a 1/2 size cello!!