Hi, I'm Ailbhe McDonagh. In this video, we are going to be learning how to play a piece called Chinese Garden from my book It's a Cello Thing, Book One published by Boosey & Hawkes.
I wrote this piece to explore the legato, calm, tranquil sounds we can make on the cello, capturing the feeling of peace you would have in a Chinese garden.
Setting the Mood: The Dorian Mode
The piece starts with the piano introduction. It is written in 4/4 time, but you will notice there is no key signature. The piece is written in the Dorian mode. This mode creates an "old world," calm feeling, similar to what you might hear in Gregorian chant.
Because of this mood, we don't want any sudden changes of bow speed that might interrupt the calm.
Left Hand: Using the 2nd Finger
We start by using the second finger. Rather than our standard major finger pattern (open, 1, 3, 4), this piece relies heavily on the second finger, making it a great etude for practicing that specific hand shape.
The Opening: Dynamics and Bow Placement
The direction is to start moderately soft.
- Tip: instead of starting at the heel (where the bow is heavy), start around the balance point. The weight of the bow is easier to control there, helping you keep the dynamic soft.
Bow Distribution: Measuring Your Bow Speed
In this piece, we have half notes (minims), quarter notes (crotchets), and eighth notes (quavers). They don't all need the same amount of bow!
- Half notes: Use a longer bow stroke.
- Quarter notes: Use about half that amount.
- Eighth notes: Use very little bow (maybe a quarter of the amount).
If you match your bow length to the note length, you won't get stuck at the tip or the heel. This is the art of bow distribution.
String Crossings: Clockwise vs. Anticlockwise
This piece has some tricky string crossings. A great way to practice is to isolate the bow arm by playing on open strings first (ignoring the left hand fingers). Ask yourself: is my arm moving clockwise or anticlockwise?
- Phrase 1: almost every circle is anticlockwise (moving from higher strings to lower strings).
- Bar 7 onwards: we start to see clockwise motions (moving from lower strings to higher strings).
Pro tip for legato: when crossing from a fingered note to an open string, hold your finger down until you have actually started playing the open string. This makes the sound ring longer and feel more resonant.
New Technique: Col Legno
After a short rest, we encounter a fun technique called col legno. This literally means "with the wood." We are going to play using the stick of the bow rather than the hair.
How to do it:
- Move to the upper half of the bow (about 3/4 of the way out).
- Rotate your hand sideways (like a "window wiper" motion) using your first finger and pinky.
- Tap the rhythm using the wood of the bow.
We play this on the C string first, and then we have to adjust our arm angle to do the same thing on the A string.
The Transition Back
The hardest part is the very end. We have to go immediately from col legno back to normal bowing.
- The trick: as you finish the col legno rhythm, rotate your hand forward immediately. Place the hair on the string before you need to play the note. This gives you control so you don't crash into the final phrase.
I hope you enjoy learning this atmospheric piece!