Continuing with Bach’s 3rd Cello Suite, BWV 1009, here is a performance of the Allemande. I’m still wholly engrossed in getting my technical abilities to the point where I can play these pieces at any time, in any situation, in front of any audience… and I’m definitely making progress.
A few notes on the performance:
- This piece has even better rhythmic pulse than the Prelude. I’m actually playing this piece at the tempo that I think it should be, rather than the tempo that I am physically able to achieve, which is a first for me. The dance element of the piece is really starting to take shape.
- I only did four takes of the Allemande before deciding which one to publish. This is a huge improvement from previous recordings where I would need 20+ takes just to get something passable. Sure there are a couple of honkers in there, but I want this to reflect where I truly am with the piece, and at this point there are still a couple of mistakes each time I play it.
- I’ve been working a lot on tactile memory lately and it’s been a real breakthrough. Being able to feel where I need to go next as opposed to just knowing visually and aurally has made my playing so much more solid.
- I actually like the way it sounds. I’m 36, and for the first time in my life I think I might actually be proud of something that I played. Better late than never.
A few things that I still need to work on:
- I know it’s getting old, but I still have a ways to go in “solidifying” my technique. I know I’ll never get to the point of technical perfection, but I still think there’s some low-hanging fruit for me to grab and continue getting better in this area.
- Articulation – this is a big part of baroque interpretation. Some of what I’m doing in this area is good, but at certain places in the piece I still don’t have enough mental bandwidth to focus on articulation just yet. The easier the piece gets for me technically the more I’ll be able to do here.
Everything that I’m doing to continue my technical improvement is described in the free lessons on this site. So if you need to improve your technique, check out the lessons.
Thanks for watching!