Bach | Music | Conducting | Ensemble Direction | Violoncello da spalla | Viola da spalla | Conducting | Bach People

Violoncello piccolo da spalla

The Compleat Violoncellist

My fixation on the cello playing stems from my fascination with basso continuo. It’s not that continuo part is extremely important in baroque music — of course it is — but what fascinates me most is how continuo playing can dictate the outcome of a whole performance.  The leader of the continuo group is like the quarterback of the offensive side of a football team; not only that he/she can drive the whole ensemble forward, but also that he/she can make the soloist(s) perform so much better, in the same way a good QB can make the offensive skill position players play lights-out. My mentor Hidemi Suzuki is, by far, […]

The Compleat Violoncellist Read More »

Violoncello piccolo da spalla

(Originally posted on October 30, 2010) This is a dream instrument for any violinists and violists who want to play the cello.  And this is the dream instrument for a guy like me who wants to do Bach cantatas that call for this instrument.  It is, for me, a quite essential instrument!  Sure, you can go buy a chin-cello to play some cello pieces if you are a violinist/violist.  But this instrument has an E string that chin-cello doesn’t have, and it is more like a smaller cello while the chin-cello is just like a huge viola.  This  instrument is often called the violoncello piccolo [da spalla (shoulder)], or the

Violoncello piccolo da spalla Read More »

ja日本語