FIRST...I LEARNT THE CELLO
Somewhere around fourth grade, my mom and pop took it in their heads to start me in music lessons. There was a consultation of brief duration with a music teacher, and it was decided that I should take up the cello. I didn't know what a cello was. The mystery dissolved when I was presented with a real-life, well-worn, public school rental cello and bow. A small bus began making weekly stops at my rural elementary school, with a teacher providing lessons for me, and a few other students. More advanced study came from occasional lessons from Frank Gelber at his home. He was the orchestra director at Parkersburg High School and a great teacher. I wasted a lot of his time and money my parents could ill afford as I didn't practice much. When I needed an instrument of my own for college, Frank somehow obtained a nice John Juzek cello for me from Germany for less than $200 (my life's savings!). Frank's son “Wild Bill" Gelber and I would sometimes hang out at the house after lessons, and later Bill and I lasted two whole semesters as music majors at West Virginia University. He later played bass with guys like Leslie West, Todd Rundgren, and Joe Cocker, but died young of a drug overdose.
I stuck with the cello thru Junior and Senior High, despite the "uncoolness" factor of a guy playing a sissy instrument in the orchestra. I had poor practice habits but somehow ended up first chair cello in the all-state orchestra my senior year.
I took music theory class my senior year of high school, and I was very glad I did. In college, the theory courses were self-taught/self-paced from a textbook and practice tapes. My college classmates who attended small West Virginia high schools struggled. Music theory was not offered at their schools, and now, they were attempting to catch up without an instructor.
My cello teacher in college (Jon Engberg) exhibited much patience in working to establish some foundational techniques of the instrument I was missing. He would gaze wistfully out the large window in his office as I played and verbally correct notes and technique without looking at me or the music. He discovered pretty early on that I was lousy at sight-reading music ‘cold’. Professor Engberg rarely demonstrated a point by playing himself, lest I mimic him and avoid reading the music.
I stuck with the cello thru Junior and Senior High, despite the "uncoolness" factor of a guy playing a sissy instrument in the orchestra. I had poor practice habits but somehow ended up first chair cello in the all-state orchestra my senior year.
I took music theory class my senior year of high school, and I was very glad I did. In college, the theory courses were self-taught/self-paced from a textbook and practice tapes. My college classmates who attended small West Virginia high schools struggled. Music theory was not offered at their schools, and now, they were attempting to catch up without an instructor.
My cello teacher in college (Jon Engberg) exhibited much patience in working to establish some foundational techniques of the instrument I was missing. He would gaze wistfully out the large window in his office as I played and verbally correct notes and technique without looking at me or the music. He discovered pretty early on that I was lousy at sight-reading music ‘cold’. Professor Engberg rarely demonstrated a point by playing himself, lest I mimic him and avoid reading the music.
Having no particular goals, I went to college due to the lack of inertia in any other direction. I have told people since that I majored in walking and pinball. I did a lot of both. Walking relieved my restlessness, and I sometimes skipped class if I was on a roll in pinball. The goal was to win extra games and sell them (at a discount, of course) to the next player. As I recall, you could rack up as many 15 games. This was important as I had an average of $10 a week spending money otherwise.
Sometime in my second college semester, a light came on in some dark recess of my brain. I was a music ed major, training to be a music teacher. When I started college, I had no such goal...or any goal. I pretty much punted on my non-music classes at that point. I finished the semester and was gone.
The best thing about my two semesters of college was the University Orchestra. I was introduced to Mahler’s Symphony #1 and Stravinsky’s Firebird, among other musical masterpieces. Playing in this orchestra was one of the high points of my all my music experiences.
After college, I didn't take any proper cello lessons again for over ten years. By this time I had a family, and being chronically poor, I mowed the lawn for an Ithaca College graduate student in exchange for lessons one summer. Well worth the sweat equity.
Over the years I have played the cello in bands, community orchestra, and for special events. There were also opportunities to play on recordings.
All but one of my ten albums have some cello. Otherwise - the cello discography goes like this:
Sometime in my second college semester, a light came on in some dark recess of my brain. I was a music ed major, training to be a music teacher. When I started college, I had no such goal...or any goal. I pretty much punted on my non-music classes at that point. I finished the semester and was gone.
The best thing about my two semesters of college was the University Orchestra. I was introduced to Mahler’s Symphony #1 and Stravinsky’s Firebird, among other musical masterpieces. Playing in this orchestra was one of the high points of my all my music experiences.
After college, I didn't take any proper cello lessons again for over ten years. By this time I had a family, and being chronically poor, I mowed the lawn for an Ithaca College graduate student in exchange for lessons one summer. Well worth the sweat equity.
Over the years I have played the cello in bands, community orchestra, and for special events. There were also opportunities to play on recordings.
All but one of my ten albums have some cello. Otherwise - the cello discography goes like this:
- Let The Whole Earth (1984) Ted Sandquist
- Not For Flatpickers Only (1986) Robin Kessinger
- Thread Of Healing (2002) Karen Taylor
- Sing With The Angels (2005) Karen Taylor
- Songs Of Scott's Run (2016) Various Artists/Chris Haddox
- Black Soil (2021) Brandhi Irvon
There is a lot of cello on my "CHRISTMAS GUITAR" album
My junior year I was second chair All-State Orchestra
I was first chair in my senior year, but can't locate a photo
I was first chair in my senior year, but can't locate a photo