Today we&#39;re joined by our good friend and LA Phil principal cello, Robert deMaine. Bob tells us about his childhood, his musical family and an early teacher who gave him a complete musical education, including piano and composition.



He also unpacks how he fell out of love with the cello during his teen years and took an extended break from playing. Eventually he found his way back and went on a tear, pursuing a solo career and at the same time winning principal jobs in Hartford, Detroit, and finally Los Angeles.



Bob doesn&#39;t hold back as he discusses anxiety, negative self-talk, and the long road toward mastery of an instrument.



Key Points From This Episode:



Different orchestral seating arrangementsBob&#39;s upbringing, important places and inspiration from his familyHaving and then losing the best music teacher in the worldThe difference between relative pitch and perfect pitchDisasters in ice cream shops and disasters on stageBob&#39;s early jobs in music and testing boundaries with senior musiciansThe Detroit Symphony and the strike that ended with Robert moving to LABob&#39;s audition for the LA Phil and the hand problem he had leading up to it The steps toward improvement and how they widen as you grow as a musician Differences between teaching and coaching; bringing out the best in students Recreating sounds, learning accents and the power of cultivating the ear The event that precipitated Bob&#39;s performance anxiety, and the way through it Upcoming projects for Bob, including his 



Tweetables:



“I grew up playing on my mother&#39;s cello, and my sister played the cello that my mother played when she was a child, and it was a real beater.” — @robertdemaine [0:06:35]



“I don’t think I would have played as well as I did had it not been exactly that way. So much of it has to do with just timing.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:15]



“I’ve never really separated how one prepares for a symphony concert versus how one prepares for a concerto.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:51]



Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:



Robert deMaine on TwitterRobert deMaineStrings MagazineMariano RiveraLeonard RoseJanos StarkerEastern Music FestivalJuilliardCurtisCentral State UniversityEastmanGood Will HuntingDexterDays of Wine and RosesIrving Klein CompetitionPaul ParayGeorge SzellNeeme JarviJoseph SilversteinSliding DoorsThe MatrixGoofus and GallantFear and Loathing in Las VegasGuido LamellAnthony BourdainNow Hear ThisHandelJoe Rogan MashTaxi



Transcript



EPISODE 32



[INTRO]



[00:00:00] NC: Hi and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am thrilled to be here not only with Akiko. 



[00:00:07] AT: Hello.



[00:00:07] NC: But our good friend and close colleague, Bob deMaine, principal cello here at the L.A. Phil, and actually we’re right here in Disney Hall, the bowels of the hall. 



[00:00:16] BD: Our home away from home.



[00:00:18] NC: Yeah. 



[INTERVIEW]



[00:00:32] BD: Thanks for having me on. I

032: What about Bob? Robert deMaine, our principal cello

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