CELLO TECHNIQUE: Principles and Forms of Movement

by Gerhard Mantel, Musikverlage Hans Gerig (Contributor)

An analysis of the physics and physiology involved in playing the cello. For performers, teachers, and mature students.

Genres: Music

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you should know before taking on this reference book is that (1) you stand to learn a great deal of very detailed and indispensable information about the physical nature of playing the cello and how it must shape the cellist's technical approach to the instrument (2) you are in for some tough sledding. The scientific and analytical presentations are painstaking to the point of Sahara-like dryness; you will not knock this one off in a single evening of reading because you'll be fast asleep long before you get there. And really, you shouldn't try to rip through the whole text without having your cello to hand to experience much of what Mantel describes. All of it is grounded in the physical reality that dictates what technical approaches will meet with success and the great many others that will come up short. The payoff here for putting your shoulder to the wheel is the development of the clarity of thought and action that can lead to excellent performance on the cello. In the read and in the application in the practice studio, there are no short cuts to mastery.

[Emiel Vertongen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of very useful information. So much that I spent over a year reading it so I could slowly implement different aspects into my playing.
I wouldn't recommend it to everyone however.
The author tries to describe a lot of movents and processes in the tiniest details, wich often can be overwhelmingly exact. This can lead to very stiff movements and fixations on partial movements when trying to replicate them all in practice.
Beware of trying to do everything exactly as precise as described from the beginning, as it may be damaging to your fluidity and musicality at first.
I would recommend this book only when reading very slowly and trying to implement one thing at a time with oversight of a teacher so you won't overcompensate or exagerate certain things.
Making connections between the first chapters about movement control, goal conception, equilibrium and gestalt is crucial in every following chapter.
When properly used, this book can be very, very helpful.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a ton of practical tips for cello technique but the free-body diagrams fried my brain.