One of our greatest goals on the cello is to create a good tone or sound. We spend a lot of time practicing to get good tone, discussing how to do so with a teacher or cello-playing friend, and hopefully enjoying the beautiful sounds we create on the cello. Three factors must be balanced in […]
Music teachers always talk about how practicing adds up over time: if you practice consistently everyday over the course of a year, you’ll make more progress than if you only practice once a week. We wanted to know just how much that would add up over time – and really be able to SEE the […]
Need a little help finding cello notes on the fingerboard? Notes on the cello go in half steps, so every finger is a half step note apart from the previous one. While CelloGuide’s note chart includes all notes through fourth position, only first and fourth position and their fingering are marked separately. Use these positions […]
Today we’re answering some commonly asked questions about the cello. Let’s jump right in! Q: How do you pronounce ‘cello’? And ‘cellist’? A: Contrary to how it looks, it’s a ‘ch’ sound at the beginning of the word, like the word ‘change.’ So it’s pronounced ‘chel-lo’ and ‘chel-list.’ At least some of us have been […]
In our experience, it doesn’t matter if a student is 12 or 64, it always seems to take awhile to establish a routine of slow practice. Most students – regardless of age – usually get the rationale for slow practice, but that doesn’t mean they do it. And really, we get it. Slow practice is […]