Technique: Left-hand lightness for cellists

Cellists frequently use too much energy in the left hand, whether or not they are playing modern or Baroque instruments. This is possibly as a result of a quest for security in shifting, or clarity of articulation; or it may be a habit that creeps in from trying to be accurate in terms of timing. This overuse of the hand has negative impacts, both from a musical and a physical perspective. From a musical perspective, and this must be the starting point, percussive left-hand movement results in the production of unnecessary accents that interrupt the musical line and militate against playing legato. There is also a related tendency for the fingers to pluck the strings in a lateral movement in descending passages, which has a similar musical effect…