My daughter has been playing the cello since august 2008 and is due to take her grade 2 cello exam this summer. One night a week she attends a string group provided by the local council. One of the teachers involved brought in their cello to play with my daughter as she is the only cello player in the group. They have advised her that her fingering is wrong and should be using different fingers to play on her c string

Current fingering is C open D/1 and E/3 and F/4
she had been recommended to play as C open D/1 E/2 and F/3

Is it just a matter of personal preference and either fingering can be used?

There are no position changes in the piece.

Daughter is a little worried and does not want to upset this teacher but prefers her current fingering.

That's certainly what I was taught for cello fingering - it's basically a semitone between each finger, e.g. on the C string, 1st position:
1 - D
2 - D#
3 - E
4 - F

I would very much advise AGAINST that new fingering, for a number of reasons:
1) it makes absolutely no sense as far as playing pieces is concerned - it's an unnaturally stretched position which you would only use in exceptional circumstances, and after all the point of scales is to prepare you for scalic passages in pieces,
2) it's much much harder and far more liable to be out of tune,
3) it will potentially put a lot of strain on your daughter's hand, especially if she has a small hand - I know that I would not use that position unless I really had to because it would strain my hand, and my hand is presumably bigger than hers!
4) your daughter's teacher will, in the vast majority of cases, know better what is good for your daughter, and finally
5) I wouldn't suggest changing anything this close to the exam anyway!

I'm rather worried that this was even suggested to your daughter. I can see no beneficial reason for it. Were these players who suggested it violinists? It's a violin fingering (I believe) but most definitely not a cello one. I would take with a large pinch of salt any radical suggestions they make in the future, or at least run them past your teacher first...

Hi thank you for the reassurances I will be running this past her teacher at her lesson as a few other new ideas were suggested by the teacher.
I can imagine my daughter’s teacher’s reaction now

I do believe this teacher also plays the violin, my daughter does as well, and cross fingering has never been an issue for her, so she was a little confused about the idea.

I'd wager that the 'cello' teacher is a violin or viola player - that fingering smells of fiddle fingering to me...

Everyone is right, it should be C (o), D (1), E(3), F(4)

I am a violinist and a competent cellist. I have also taught cello and the fingering of D(1) E(2) F(3), is not what I would recommend.

The only time D(1) E(2) is played, is when those notes are follwed by an F# with the 4th finger.


..and sounds like they are a violinist who doesn't even PLAY the cello.

I remember my old viola teacher years ago complaining that a violin teacher of her acquaintance had started teaching cello and was teaching what sounded like exactly the same incorrect fingering. I don't know whether the person in question actually played the cello or just taught it

Gee, I last had a 'cello lesson in 1964 (it was the schools instrument , and I've not touched one since!) , and I can still remember the basic fingering (hankers after having another go at it !) C(open) D(1) D#(2) E(3) F(4).

What everyone else has said!

Hi thank you to every one who replied daughter felt much better and stopped panicking.
She had a lesson last night and her teacher was just a little confused about the fingering idea, and again reassured daughter that she is correct with her fingering but has offered to look at the piece to give my daughter piece of mind, and I think out of curiosity as well. Not sure how I will get on asking for the music as the children are not allowed to bring the music home to practice.

I hope my diplomatic skills are up to this as the bow hold issue now needs to be addressed.

How on earth can they expect a pupil to learn the music if they won't allow them to take it home to practice. Even professional orchestral players take their music home to practice if they want/need to.

Oh dear, do I sense she's been taught a violinistic bow hold as well?

Daughter often used to bring home music to practise when she paled her violin with this group 2 years ago, but I think a lot of children were forgetting their music so this seems to be the new rule.


Yes daughter comment was ‘its like the violin hold’

As daughter plays the violin her cello teacher encourages daughter to have what they call a deep hold. So it’s slightly over exaggerated just to keep her form confusing the two holds until it becomes ingrained.