Listening to the sound you produce

 One thing that is often overlooked is the importance of listening to the sound you are producing rather than merely being concerned with the aspects of technique. Listening to the tone you are producing whilst playing is like a conversation between you and the cello. It is always important to decide what kind of sound is appropriate for the piece and why this is so. Doing so will help you to clarify your feelings about the piece you are studying. This will help you to learn how to most effectively convey what you feel the composers' intentions are.

However, when starting to think about these aspects, you may not know what kind of sound you want, so this is when listening to recordings and attending concerts can be invaluable in giving you ideas and inspiration to discover what kind of sound most fits your interpretation. Exploring the colours you need when studying a particular piece takes time and patience. Keeping a particular sound in your memory is a skill which can be developed.

The essence of sound  and especially music is that only exists in the moment you are producing it. After performance, the sound disappears forever and only exists in the memory. So, developing a memory of the sound you are making is extremely important in order to create the same sound on different occasions. In this repect, experimentation and creativity are essential elements in helping your approach be fresh and stimulating.

Another crucial aspect is getting to know your own instrument. Like people, every instrument has its own personality and way of responding. Producing the sound you have in your mind is like a dialogue between you and the cello. Listening to how it responds and why it does is vital in producing the tone colour you desire.