Time to Extend Your Playing!
You already know the D major one octave scale now its time to extend your playing. A two octave D major scale means extending on the C and G strings to reach F# and C#. I highly recommend you checkout the video lesson on forward extensions where I go into more detail on how to properly do extensions. You are going to be doing forward extensions in virtually every piece you play from now on, so let’s start off doing it right!
Start with your first finger on the C string, it is the fattest string on the cello all the way on your right. While reading music is a great tool, you certainly don’t have to read music to get started. Either follow along with the written-out fingering below or watch the sheet music as you play along with the video.
1(on C)-x2-4-G-1-x2-4-D-1-3-4-A-1-3-4 then back down 3-1-A-4(onD)-3-1-D-x4(on G)-2-1-G-x4(on C)-2-1
You should already know the D major one octave, G major one octave, and C major two octave scales. So you should already be used to the bow pattern I use. Start with separate bows as shown above. Once you have the finger pattern comfortably in your hand, advance to two notes per bow, then four, then eight. The aim is to build mastery of the finger pattern by accelerating the number of notes per bow but continuing to encourage the use of full bows — frog to tip — even as the left hand speeds up. This develops independence between the hands, big full tone, and forces the player to become comfortable using all quadrants of the bow.
Pro Tip
THUMBS & ELBOWS! Every pro will tell you that when you hit an obstacle in your practice. When things are not improving as you would hope, take a close look at your thumbs and elbows. Your left thumb should be perpendicular to the neck and under 2, especially when extended. The left elbow needs to be out like a kickstand such that you have ample air under the armpit but not so high as to cause strain.
Let’s review the healthy habits that will come with us through all our scales:
- Keep fingers down – as you ascend the scale don’t lift the finger you just played when you place the new finger. As you descend place all 4 fingers and then peel off the fingers one by one. This is especially important on the G and C strings as you descend in extended position. Dropping all 4 fingers in extended position and peeling them off may take extra practice.
- Check cello posture – scales are when we can be most mindful of our posture. It is where we build the foundation of all our playing. Feet flat on the floor, cello between your knees, touching at your sternum, sitting straight up, shoulders relaxed.
- Check bow path – watch your bow. Is it traveling straight across the string (t-bow)? Is it midway between the fingerboard and the bridge (forte-freeway)? Has your bow hold collapsed? Is your bow thumb bent? Are you touching the stick between the first and second knuckle of your index finger? Is the hand pronated?
- Check your left hand – is thumb bent (making a “C”)? Are your fingers arched? Are you contacting the string with the fingertips? Do you have a straight EWP (elbow-wrist-pinkie)? Is your elbow out like a kickstand?
- Check intonation – verify your intonation. Play with the video, use a tuner, watch your hand in a mirror to check that you are on the tapes. Don’t assume, verify.