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

Today we'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'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'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's early jobs in music and testing boundaries with senior musiciansThe Detroit Symphony and the strike that ended with Robert moving to LABob'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's performance anxiety, and the way through it Upcoming projects for Bob, including his

Tweetables:

“I grew up playing on my mother'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 feel like I’m sort of your honorary stand partner, because I sit next to you in the orchestra.

[00:00:37] NC: Yeah. Actually – I mean, yeah, the usual. If everybody's there, we've got Martin, and then I'm sitting second right next to him, and then on my other side is you. When I first came to the orchestra, they had the violas where you are instead. So principal viola was on my other side.

[00:00:53] BD: The viola was there?

[00:00:55] NC: They did.

[00:00:55] BD: That’s something I’ve never seen before.

[00:00:58] AT: Wrong seating number two.

[00:00:59] BD: That’s right. Isn’t that David Sanders, like his lingo from Chicago or something?

[00:01:04] AT: I think we’re currently in wrong seating number four.

[00:01:06] BD: I like right seating number one. I mean, cello is on the left.

[00:01:10] NC: The outside.

[00:01:10] BD: Yeah, the outside.

[00:01:12] AT: Everybody wants the outside.

[00:01:13] BD: So much more room over there. I don’t care how it sounds.