secretary chair and desolate cello

A modern secretary chair props up the cello, keeping it out of the dirt. It's built like a tank, so there is no danger of cello spillage. It's not overly often that the cello see's such direct sunlight and the grain patterns within the finish light up under ultraviolet.

Peg Mod

My cello's new ergonomic C peg skews the traditional symmetry of the scroll. The C string tuning peg has been a thorn in my neck for years, interfering with the natural placement and movement of my head when playing. The first attempt to modify the C-peg was the installation of the "Posture Peg", a kind of peg which has no handle and is turned by inserting an Allan key tool into it. The posture peg is an insane invention requiring the tool on hand at all times (if you don't have the key, you can't tune). Although it would appear to be self-evident, it only took a couple of scary moments to figure out tuning cannot require extra equipment. The times that damned key was left on the shop bench, in the flight case or just misplaced was more than enough reason to have it removed permanently.

The tool-less design of this peg (handmade by David Doyle) buys my head another few cm of clearance and was made from an existing peg.

Analog octagonal bow

The flip clock's digital display is run by a gear train of analog wheels, which is pretty much
representative of any cello recording that made it onto the album.

East Asian cello on George Nelson inspired slat bench (punch design inc., c. 1976)

It sounds really good to my ears. The distressed finish looked appropriate. It was applied with some degree of vision, as if they specifically chose the environments it was exposed to through time. This cello could easily acquiesce as the focal point in any restoration hardware catalogue shoot. I picked it up confidently - that is, I grabbed it out Kirks hands when he removed it from its case. I don't think I've ever done that with the other cello. I asked kirk what he though of it so far - how did it compare to the other. It's not so much that this cello was made in China you see, it was that the other cello with pedigree cost at least five times the amount. Kirk didn't really say much in response. "I can feel it here" he said while pointing. He didn't do the cliche'd point to the heart. He instead pointed to his shoulder, as if he was choosing a dance partner instead of an instrument...

Incidental Cancer Music

Our cultures of music making are more dissimilar than you might think. I still have one foot in the classical world, but another in the world of singer/songwriters and indie rock n roll. I bring my best game to all a lot of different gigs, and it's the meeting points between cultures that can cause things to unravel.

Classical rehearsals start and end on time. They can end mid-phrase. They are regimented, hierarchical, and for string players individuality is not always a desirable trait. They often involve drawn out back and forth about which bow direction should be used. I enjoy unconventional bowings and I've always thought more time should be spent discussing phrasing than bowings. The upside is your role is totally clear, the page is on your stand, the light will be ok at worst, and you are not waiting for an eternity to pass before people or gear show up - if they do at all.

Playing with bands is fraught with issues. Rock musicians are sometimes unfamiliar with the art of 'cello navigation' (please stay away from my instrument). Monitoring is often an issue. It's part of the reason I bring a rack with a channel strip (eq) to gigs, so I can deliver a great sounding line level to send to the PA. It's no guarantee it will sound good, chances are the board has not been zeroed from last night's post-metal snafu. But with the rack gear the odds are definitely better.

Some of these differences came to light a couple of weeks ago playing a (union) gig with a good Ottawa-based band. It was a live performance and screening of George Romero's "Night of The Living Dead". Awesome movie. So I've got a score and a conductor, but it is also a rock gig. We're in rehearsal and it's going well, the score is comprehensible, interesting, even compelling.

I felt the first waft of cigarette smoke before I saw it. It didn't trail off, but intensified. In a rest I looked up to see the beam from the projector playing, beautifully, on a thick cloud of nicotine.

After this rehearsal I have a lunch meeting, another rehearsal, and then teaching in the evening. My cello smelling like smoke has been added to the agenda.

Sickly bow perched on reborn mid century dining chair

Kirk and I had an argument over this bow. It's our culture clash, you see. When I look at the bow, I see mother of pearl, perched upon the silhouette of a modern workhorse (the chair has been around 30 years or so - I picked it up eight weeks ago, removed the original dark green plaid fabric and recovered it in white vinyl). It is a beautiful representation I think, even though the specific items are far removed from the pedigree they replicate. Kirk observes the bow, and is disgusted. It's the 1980's solid state peavey amp of bow's he tells me. It's missing hair and rough hewn machine manufactured body are a disgrace, because the cello is a noble undertaking. A bow is not a guitar pick, I've learned today.

Electric cello with 1960-1970 danish inspired modern school chair (mogensen)

Do you need an electric cello to play rock? Is the magnetic coil transducer tone required to bend and shape the instruments ability? Kirks electric cello lays fallow. It's bridge had deviated with lack of use. You don't need an electric cello to play modern, digitally shaped rock, because the instruments feel and resultant tone is nothing like the difference between an acoustic and electric guitar. The most important electrical flow still derives from end plate potentials in the hand, and the carved instrument bends faster and admirably to the task.