Exploring the space within intervals: an approach on different ways of shifting on cello

After listing the different ways of shifting and looking for direct applications in the repertoire, my goal was to enhance the accuracy of my shifts. Looking for different approaches in order to raise accuracy brought me to three different conceptions about practicing. The first approach refers to have a clear idea of the body movement required to achieve the different types of position change. However, according to recent studies, this approach using an internal focus (focus directed to the movement itself) tends to be less effective than using an external focus (focus directed to the effect of the movement on the environment). Therefore the second approach consists in anticipating the sound as an external focus as well as developing the geography of the instrument. Nevertheless, anticipating the sound and knowing where a sound is located on the instrument does not include a musical context. Consequently the last approach is related to the goal conception as well as the practice of the musical intention. My main conclusion is that musical intention should be the main concern of the artist in his practice, which will lead to a more authentic approach in his artistic development. Besides, I encourage musicians to use goal setting in their daily practice to develop awareness of their intention, which will help to have a better view of what method to use to reach the desired result. The last approach which is motivated by the musical intention should encourage teachers to use instructions based on an external focus in order to help the student finding his own voice in music.