Meerkat gave me her old cello at the Leicester concert and I am totally loving to play it (thank you sooooo much Jane!!!). I can play a nice 2 octave C major scale already I'm having to learn the bass clef, but that's kind of fun......and it's a great exercise for me too as I'll need to know the bass clef for Grade 5 theory I think?

The cello is definitely something I'd like to keep up with, I can't afford/don't have time for lessons, but would like to teach myself and slowly pick it up over time. Much like I do with my harp really

I'm already thinking of saving up for a good quality student cello, can anyone recommend a good model to get? *sigh* I'm going to be saving up for a Gliga Gama viola like sarah-flute's too, so it will take me a while......damn you all for bringing your fabby instruments to Leicester

Also, do I need to get any accessories? Endpin thingybob, mute, etc? Will violin rosin be OK for the cello bow?

Thanks for any advice!

Toni x

Yes, I think so.

Sounds like you're having a great time

You lucky thing.....

Yes, as well as alto and tenor clefs

Glad you're enjoying the cello. Learning it is one of my "one of these days" projects.

Glad you're getting on with it (Did your luthier sort it for you already? Wow!)

I have a very very lovely Gewa cello, which I bought from Sheehans in Leicester for £950.

Oooh a cello, you lucky devil. I want one!

No, I haven't managed to get it sorted out by a luthier yet.....I'm trying to find one near here (Oswestry) because it will probably be cheaper than taking it back to London to get it sorted. But it's in good enough condition for me to practice very basic scales on I was very pleased to find that the tuning pegs work so well, so I didn't struggle to tune it!

The two bottom strings are taking some getting used to, they feel very "loose" and it's tricky to get a decent tone from them rather than just a growl.....but I have been through all the cello-related posts in this forum and have found that another beginner had the same concern about that, and that it's normal

I *must* make sure I hold my cello bow correctly from the beginning, as I have always held my violin bow wrong!

So I need to learn the alto clef for Grade 5 too? What fabby excuse to buy that viola.......oh, man Even if I didn't bother learning to read music, I could enjoy simply improvising with lots of long notes and vibrato......it sounds so mellow.

Mellow cello!

I don't know about an "endpin thingybob" but a mute you probably won't need unless you start playing in orchestras, so I wouldn't bother with one yet. Cello rosin exists, although I have no idea what the difference is between that and violin rosin.

Well chaps, I just bought some books of Grade 1 pieces (Grade 1 challenge here I come!!) and yes, an endpin thingybob

Yes, and the tenor clef too! Good luck with the Grade 1 Challenge! I'm glad someone else is doing it too!

ROFL. Do you mean a cello stop (to stop it sliding about?)

Having played on the particular cello you've got, I have to point out, you'll find it massively easier to play when the bridge has been lower. It's hard to get a decent note out of it as it is. You'll be amazed how fast you progress when that's sorted.

According to the luthier where I first hired and then bought my daughter's cello, there is no difference between violin and cello rosin.

He just said that if you go into a music shop and ask the question, you will often get either someone who doesn't know or someone who decides that it is an easy way of ripping you off by selling you two blocks of rosin when you only need one.

Or you live in a block of flats and are in danger of being evicted for noise pollution!!!!!

You LUCKY thing, Tom! Wish to heck someone would even give me a tenner towards a cello!!!! Keep on dreamin', girl.....

Good luck with the cello (you may have seen on another thread that I fell off the wagon and started cello too - it's great fun!).

I would recommend you get a cello stop to stop the end pin sliding (particularly useful if you have wooden floors like I do) and that you get the bridge sorted if it's too low (as Meerkat said) - that will make your sound so much easier to produce.

As for rosin, I would say that you can use violin rosin on a cello as long as you use a dark rosin (stickier) - I use one block of rosin for all three of my stringed instruments (violin, viola and cello) and have found that a dark, sticky rosin works fine for all.

For cello makes, I have just ordered a gliga gama cello, Liz sells them on here (elidatrading) and am eagerly anticipating its arrival (I already have a gliga violin and viola) - as you're just starting out you could probably get away with one of the Gems 1 models, which would be great value. Speak to Liz.

Have fun and thanks for making me feel less guilty about being a serial offender!

Allan

But you don't need to be fluent in them for theory.

Ahhhhh! I'm already in lust with the Gliga Gama Viola.....I bet the cello is gorgeous

I brought Meerkat's cello home to London from Oswestry this afternoon and the train was so packed out I had to have it sitting upright on my lap all journey, with me tucked underneath it! Now I'm home and can tune it against my bf's keyboard I have realised that I had tuned it down an octave - no wonder the lowest notes sounded so growly, heheheh!! And I now realise the problems caused by the high bridge - with the strings under more tension it's very difficult to press them down. I'll be arranging to have it sorted by a luthier tomorrow.

I have been able to play the basic grade one scales and a few tunes, but I've been doing the fingering wrong! I've been using my 2nd finger, like you do on a violin, and shifting about to get the notes, instead of putting down 1-3-4.......ooopsy. The thing is, I'm playing the notes in tune, so I'm not sure I want to confuse myself by learning to use 1-3-4 instead of 1-2-3. Is this a terribly BAD THING?

Oops I forgot to tell you I'd slackened off the strings while it was in store.

it's not my cello any more - it's YOURS!

I'll leave it for better cellists than me to answer your question about fingering.

Ah, good one!!

He he another cellist - great stuff. congratulations on becoming the proud owner of one of the most drop dead gorgeous intruments there is to play (not that I am in any way biased you understand). Good that you got an endpin thingumy - absolutley vital. Also I would DEFINITELY say get that fingering sorted out now before you get it ingrained in your head the wrong way (I know it already is but you are only at the start now and can easily get it ingrained the right way). 1,3,4 is vital I would say and will give you a stable base to go from when you DO have to start leaping about. Also (as you will have noticed!) the stretches between the notes are much bigger on cello than you have been used to so using 1,3,4 instead of 1,2,3 is just plain easier!! good luck, do post if you need any more advice.

Just listening to Slava playing Bach Cello suites... it really is a fabulous instrument isn't it?

Are you going to fall off the wagon too, Sarah?.... go on, go on, go on (selfish of me really, the more people I can convince to play cello in addition to fifteen hundred other instruments, the less guilty I feel!)

Allan
Go on.

Loan me a cello?

If you can get to North West France, you're on!

Hmmm, I'll have to save up