Twinkle Marathon - Theme And Variations!
CONGRATULATIONS! On making it this far. Now it is time to perform. What you can do in your practice room is only the start. You have spent weeks if not months learning to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star now its time strut your stuff. This version puts it all into one performance piece you can and should use to wow your friends. If not your friends, at least your fellow cellists. Upload your Twinkle Marathon video to YouTube and share the link in the comments below. I’m happy to reply to as many as I can!
I want to remind you that you are not learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star so much as you are learning to play the cello. Twinkle is a means to an end. It is a straightforward first step. You may think you learned “Tucka-Tucka-Stop-Stop” but really you learned how to communicate through an inanimate object. Twinkle was the means by which you first had to combine left and right hand techniques to create music. All of Suzuki Book 1 builds on these basic skills. In fact, the next 7 songs, nearly the first half of the book, uses exactly the same notes you played in this piece. Other rhythms, meters, and techniques are introduced but the foundation of your entire cello journey has now been laid.
Fatigue is an issue that all dedicated musicians have to manage but PAIN should not be. This marathon will test your endurance. You may find that your arm gets tired. There is a difference between normal fatigue that comes when you are using muscles that aren’t used to being used that much and searing pain from self-abuse. Identifying the underlying causes behind pain is one of the invaluable services that a high-level private teacher should be able to provide. However, the two most common culprits are the muscle between the thumb and first finger on the bow hand and the top of the shoulder on the bow hand. If you have pain in either of these places please review the natural bow stroke and the bow hold lessons. You are likely holding up your shoulder as you bow and/or squeezing with the thumb.
Pro Tip
Practice with a pianist! Music is more fun with a friend. These piano accompaniments couldn’t be more simple. You deserve to play this with an audience AND accompaniment.
As you perform the Twinkle Marathon, make sure that your posture is setting you up for success (not pain) down the road. Here is a handy posture checklist:
- Posture – feet flat on the floor, cello between your knees, touching at your sternum, sitting straight up, shoulders relaxed, elbow out like a kickstand, straight EWP (elbow-wrist-pinkie)
- Left hand – thumb and fingers bent (making a “C”), fingers arched and contacting the string with the pad of the fingertip, thumb bent and under 2nd finger
- Bow path – bow travels straight across the string (t-bow), midway between the fingerboard and the bridge (forte-freeway)
- Bow hand – thumb slightly bent, index finger touching the stick between the first and second knuckle, hand pronated, fingers slightly apart — not overly spread or bunched together
- Keep fingers down as you play – as you ascend the string 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.
- 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.