Playing Lightly Row on the Cello

My name is Diana Flesner and we are here at the International School of Music in Bethesda, Maryland. In this clip, we will be learning the song Lightly Row. It s a great song to get started with. You just adjust the A and the D strings on the cello and uses basically, fingers one, three and four. So, we will start out on the A string. I will go each line at a time and say the note names as well as playing it so that you are acquainted with what your left hand is doing. So, it starts on the A string with the note A. I will just say through the note names first and then I will play it so that you can hear how they two correspond.

It s A, F Sharp, F Sharp, G, E, E, D, E, F Sharp, G, A, A, A. So, now I will play that same part. The second line starts out the same way and has a different ending in the last two measures. So, this line is A, F Sharp, F sharp, F Sharp, G, E, E, E, D, F Sharp, A, A, F Sharp, F Sharp, F Sharp and playing, that sounds like --.

Going on to the third line, we begin with the note E which is first finger. So, notes for this line are E, E, E, E, E, F Sharp, G, F Sharp, F Sharp, F Sharp, F Sharp, F Sharp, G, A. The last line of the piece is almost identical to the second line and it just has a different ending. So, this one that goes A, F Sharp, F Sharp, F Sharp, G, E, E, E, D, F Sharp, A, A, D, D, D.

So, as you noticed we use basically, fingers one, three and four and when you have fourth finger down you want to have all of the other fingers down with it. If you are only playing with three fingers or the third finger, the first three fingers will be down and with first finger; it s obvious the others will be in the air.

In the next clip, we will be covering the bow hold with the right hand and how to hold to hold the bow?