I've just been recording my cello pieces for my A-level music coursework, and I always find that the cello sounds really bad when recorded. I can hear every little scratch or squeak. Do other cello players find the same? Or is it the way in which it was recorded?

What method of recording do you use? I have just bought an i-river MP3 for recording both cello and piano and it's really brilliant - an excellent sound quality and easy to use, and you can record onto a CD via the computer. As for the scratches and squeaks - if the cello is making them, they'll be recorded! I've found that my playing has improved after listening to my own scratches and squeaks , as I can hear exactly where they occur and do something about it - you don't always realise they are there when you are trying to remember a hundred and one other things!

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i-river MP3

Does this have an internal microphone, or do you plug it into a mic? And if so, what kind of mic and where do you position it?

I think that's enough questions for the time being!

It has an internal microphone, but you can use an external microphone as an alternative. I have found that the quality is so good that I haven't bothered with an external microphone. I find that you need to put the MP3 on to a soft surface (my cuddly polar bear wears it on his back!) and as far away from the cello/piano as I can get it in a room about 13 x 13 feet, otherwise you can get distortion.

I have two small battery-operated speakers which my husband picked up at a table top sale, which is handy for playback. I do find I need high volume - a balance of speaker and MP3 controls - in order to hear an accompaniment above the cello, though this isn't a problem if you are recording for self-criticism.

I have transferred my piano accompaniments to a CD, which is better than using them straight off the MP3 player. It also has the advantage that you can make more than one accompaniment to match your playing speed for whatever stage you are at in a piece.

Thank you for the detail! That is very helpful, especially the bit about putting it on something soft while recording!