Hi, I'm Ailbhe McDonagh. In this video, we are going to be learning how to approach a piece called Cowboy from my book It's a Cello Thing, book 1 (published by Boosey & Hawkes).
This is one of my favourite pieces in the book. It has a number of really fun features, but the most important one is the marking at the very top, which says "Swung."
Understanding the "Swung" Rhythm
This piece is in 2/4 time and the key of G major. If you played the notes exactly as they look on the page (straight quavers), it would sound very rigid. However, when we see "Swung," we have to change the feel.
The numbers: a swung rhythm means two quavers are played like a triplet crotchet followed by a triplet quaver.
The feel: instead of counting 1-and-2-and..., try counting: one-and-a-two-and-a...
You are splitting one beat into three triplet quavers. It gives the music a bouncy, "loping" feel, perfect for a cowboy theme!
Pizzicato with the Bow in Hand
The piece starts with pizzicato (plucking). However, unlike earlier lessons where we put the bow down, here we must hold the bow while we pluck.
- Hold the frog of the bow with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers.
- Your thumb and index finger should be free.
- Place your thumb on the side ridge of the fingerboard (not underneath it).
- Pluck with your index finger.
The "Quick Draw" Exercise
We have a transition in this piece where we must go from pizzicato to arco (bowing) in just two beats. I call this the quick draw.
To practice this:
- Start in your pizzicato position.
- Quickly switch to your bow hold.
- Switch back to pizzicato.
Don't just practice the piece from the start; isolate this transition. Practice your "quick draw" repeatedly until your fingers can find the bow hold instantly.
Legato and String Crossings
In the middle section, we switch to arco with slurred bowing. We have a lot of string crossings here.
To keep it really legato (smooth):
- Prepare the left hand: if you are crossing from the G string to the D string, get your finger ready on the D string before the bow moves. If you have both fingers down during the crossing, the sound will be seamless.
- Anticlockwise circles: most of the string crossings in this section use an anticlockwise motion with the bow arm.
Hooked Bowing and Left Hand Pizzicato
There is a bar with two up-bows marked under a slur with lines on top. This is called hooked bowing (or re-articulated bowing). You simply stop the bow slightly and start moving it again in the same direction (up, pause, up).
Finally, watch out for the little + sign over a note. This indicates left hand pizzicato. While you are playing with the bow, you use a finger on your left hand to pluck the string!
Accompaniment Recording
If you would like to play this with the piano part, the tracks are available here on Spotify and Apple Music.