Cello 101!

I am going to show you how to play the cello!

Disclaimer: You will have to learn notes and music theory on your own! I am just going to show you the setup and how to make sounds!

To play the cello, you will need a.....cello! Bravo! You are getting it!

These can be purchased for anywhere from $50-4 million! I would suggest going nice, but not ridiculous (my cello cost about 2500 dollars, and is a basic/nice student instrument.  I am hoping to get a nicer one soon.  Yes, they are expensive!!)
This is my cello.  :)

These hard cases are expensive (350-1000 dollars), but are well worth it.  The next picture shows my case, and you can see the white scratches and other marks.  The fact that the case and not the cello has all the dents  made it well worth paying 350 dollars!

Now that you have a cello, it is time to start playing!

First of all, take the cello out of its case.  (If you cant figure out this step...well, uh, good luck!)

Find a good chair to sit in (comfortable, but not super high off the ground.  You also want a chair with a relatively flat seat.  not sloped, like the cheap plastic chairs at school!)  Extend the end pin (the sharp thing sticking out the bottom) by loosening the screw.

The goal is to get the cello resting against your body as shown in the pictures.  This is harder to figure out than  it looks!

Sit with good posture (back straight, sitting on the edge of the chair.) you grip the cello between your knees with your feet spread out and your legs making 90 degree angles with the floor.

Great! Now that you know how to hold it, it is time to get out the bow (gasp!).

The bow, like the cello, has a large price range. It can be anywhere from $15-15,000.  Mine is about $150, if you are looking for general student bow price range.  Mine is made of carbon fiber, which is more flexible (and a bit cheaper) than its traditional wood counterpart.  The carbon fiber is black, while wood is......you got it! Brown!!  (super cheap bows made of fiberglass are also brown.  Dont be fooled!)

Now you need to take the bow out of the cello case.  DO NOT touch the pretty white horsehair on the bottom! The hair is very susceptible to finger oils and touching it damages the bow.

To make the bow give you a good sound, you must apply rosin. This is a cake of tree resin, and causes the bow to stick to and vibrate the strings, producing sound.

 I use Kolstein Rosin (as of recently), an American made rosin.  I like it!

Apply the rosin by running the bow hair back and forth across the cake of rosin a few times. If you apply way too much rosin, it gets REALLY hard to play.  Dont zone out while doing this and apply 40 strokes of rosin.  This is not the time for daydreaming! :)

Now, you get to learn how to hold the bow! Place your thumb on the place shown in the picture, and make sure it is slightly bent! your other fingers fan out on the other side. It feels a little awkward, but you should survive! :)

Hint-it is nice to practice your bow hand while applying rosin!  Look up at that picture and you can see that I had a good bow hand :)

Finally, (sitting in your perfect cello position with your perfect bow hand), place the bow on the strings. The bow should be on a 45ish angle with the strings of the cello (the hair should be parallel with the floor).

It should look like this!

Gently apply pressure using your wrist, index finger (sort of like a lever!), and the weight of your arm. Now, move the bow back and forth.  Voila! You are playing the cello!

Granted, these are only the most basic parts of playing the cello.  To learn more, talk to a cellist! (Such as me!  I would be happy to let you try this technique with my cello.  Just talk to me!).

The End!

Advertisement:  I am a cello teacher!!! I have had 3 students and I know how to get beginners going strong on the cello! If you or someone you know is interested in learning cello (my cost is 10 dollars for a 30 minute lesson), feel free to email or call me! (or just talk to me at school.) :) Bye!