Sheet!

My years playing cello spanned my elementary school years. I was four when I began and 11 when I quit in an ill-advised and short-lived move to the trombone. I learned using the Suzuki method, which focuses heavily on students learning by ear.

"I play, then you play," my teacher would say.

Note-reading of sheet music came at a later stage.

The problem for me now, given the age at which I quit, is that my time reading sheet music was pretty limited. I played in concerts with a full youth orchestra but, hidden in a pack of cellists, I could disguise my weakness sight-reading because I could listen to the cellists around me and then mimic. It's a little like speaking a foreign language phonetically. You might sound fine, but you have little idea what you're actually saying.

I am not completely illiterate in sheet music reading, and I was able to read and play the harmony of Mozart's Duet #1 well enough once Carol, my violinist, pointed out the sharps in my part of the duet. It was frustrating to hear the wrong notes, and to know I was playing them because I am mildly illiterate.

On the bright side, my Suzuki training served me well as far as playing in unison goes. My sense of rhythm was not entirely out of whack, and I felt I had a strong ear for harmonizing with the violin.

Carol and I decided we'll practice an hour to an hour and half each week on Wednesdays. In between sessions, we'll practice, practice, practice.