Fellow Cellos... er, Cellists

[withheadphones]

I don't play cello but I was once deemed an 'honorary cellist' by Zoe Keating because I have a cello, I just can't play it! It's one of the most beautiful sounding instruments in the world... in my opinion.

Talk about your cello experiences here... how long have you been playing?

[sonorancellist]

I also own a cello! And I play it to varying degrees of success, but hold myself to standards I don't yet meet. That will probably always be the case.

In fourth grade, I announced to my parents that I was going to start playing the cello. In public elementary school back then, they wisely didn't let fourth graders pick a band instrument instead, because any ten year old would choose a sax over a violin, as ten year olds are fascinated by shiny objects. I wish I had a cool or romantic story about why I chose the cello, but the simple truth was that they needed kids to pick the cello, to round out the orchestra. My parents obliged, bought a cello, paid for lessons, sat through years of cat-strangulation. I did ok; I was in school orchestras, youth chamber orchestras, ensembles, and so forth. I got to be really good, fighting for first chair, going to all-state, busting out Bach Preludes and Swans and Elegies. But playing was an enormous source of stress in my life. I suffered from crippling stage fright, to the point where I couldn't hold the bow. And when I was finally away in college, I quit.

Fast forward to years and years. Now I play, and it relieves the stress of being a software developer. Go figure. I'm not as good as I was, and I don't care that I'm not. And I can still play a mean Swan. Still working on the Prelude.

Peace, love and rosin,
Burton

[withheadphones]

Awww... be lucky your elementary had an orchestra! We barely had a band.