Natalie Haas - Trad Cello

Cello as a folk instrument? In this 40-minute interview, Judy Minot speaks with cellist Natalie Haas, who has influenced an entire generation of cellists, making cello an acceptable and even sought-after instrument in trad music ensembles.  They talked about what we call "trad," the benefits of playing with others, specific cello/accompanist practice routines, incorporating rhythmic variation, crafting an arrangement, and much more.   **Links/Resources** www.nataliehaas.com Natalie and Brittany Haas's CD "Haas" out now Mike Block's Guided Practice: www.mikeblockmusic.com Check out Nick Canellakis: The Practice Fairy www.instagram.com/nick.canellakis\cellist/reel/DRcd\0Ijvhm/ Valley of the Moon Camp www.valleyofthemoon.org Scottish String Fling ashokancenter.org/product/scottish-string-fling-2027   Judy Minot www.judyminot.com/bestpractice   Memorable Quotes   "Once you have this vocabulary of rhythmic patterns that you can draw from, basically you're teaching yourself to think like a drummer." "The goal of practicing is to be able to play better with other people. Because that's way more interesting than making music on your own - which can be satisfying in and of itself. But making music with other people is really what it's all about." "10 to 15 minutes of focused practice is way better than an hour of unfocused." "This is a rhythm instrument, too. It can be percussive. It can be the whole rhythm section for a band. You don't need a drummer, you don't need a guitar player. Yeah. If you embrace this, concept of strings being both chordal and rhythmic, then you have this whole new world opened up to you."   **Guest Natalie Haas** is an influential "roots" cellist. She grew up in San Francisco playing with her sister, the acclaimed American fiddler Brittany Haas, and by her early teens was touring with the Scottish violinist Alasdair Fraser, which she continued to do for 25 years. She has played and recorded with many of the most well known names in European and North American "roots" music. She also teaches, notably at the Berklee College of Music, but also at Valley of the Moon Camp, and Ashokan String Fling and has recently released her second CD with Brittany, "Haas."   **Host Judy Minot** is a music educator, musician, and author of the award-winning book Best Practice, Inspiration and Ideas for Traditional Musicians. Judy is an evangelist for the power of trad/folk/roots music to bring richness to our adult lives. A lifelong musician but never professionally, she enjoyed a long and successful career in broadcast television and in digital marketing, picking up two platinum records and a platinum video, multiple awards. She holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art of aikido, is a certified yoga teacher, a regular contributor to Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and has sung on the stage of Carnegie Hall. She teaches Best Practice concepts online and in person around the world.   Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode. Start transforming the way you practice - and play. **Rate, like, comment, and share.**