Questions tagged [cello]
The "baritone" member of the string or violin family, played upright between the legs. Short for violoncello.
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Why does a harmonic still sound even though you lift your finger?
I have been experimenting with harmonics lately on my cello and found that the harmonic still sounds when you release your finger. Why is that? I know how to not let it sound (by plucking it) but why ...
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Will playing my cello over a track recording of other parts sound good enough for a performance?
I am cellist playing a piece for my brother's wedding. He wants me to play a quartet, and suggested I could record 3 of the parts and play the Cello 1 line (melody of the song) live. I am planning on ...
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Long horizontal line between notes
In my piece of music for cello, there is a straight line above two notes. It is dead straight and over two E's (and then again over two A's), the first note in each pair is a dotted crochet and the ...
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I know these are sixteenth sextuplets, but I was wondering what these are called when they share the same staff? And how they're played?
I am trying to figure out what they are, I've searched on YouTube but I don't think I have the correct keywords to find out what I'm looking for... Are they played like double stops or played ...
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Cello: playing D notes on A-string vs. D string [duplicate]
I'm a beginner to cello. On some cello cheat sheets. You can play the
D note on A-string by holding down two fingers (in first position)
But you can also play the D note on the D-string without ...
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What is the hypothetical string scale length of a 9/8 and 5/4 sized cello?
This link has a lot of cello related measurements. How can we calculated the string scale length of hypothetical 9/8 and 5/4 size cellos?
CELLO mm.
1/2
3/4
7/8
4/4
9/8
5/4
string length
602
637
672
...
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Can a cellist play minor sixths in thumb position?
I know that playing minor or major sixths on a cello within the normal range of the instrument is a very reasonable request. Adler shows several as possibilities (The Study of Orchestration, p. 79)
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What is at the tip of large string concert instruments, and does it damage the floor?
I sat very close to the stage Friday night for the Pops.
I could see a cellist in the front row and noticed the bottom tip of a metal rod where the cello stands, making contact with the wooden floor.
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How many notes can a cello play at one time? [duplicate]
What's the biggest number of notes that a cello can play simultaneously? Does it always play only one note at a time or is it common for a cello to play two lines at the same time? Can it also play ...
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Learning cello fingerings without owning one
Okay this is going to be a weird question but bear with me, I promise I'm not crazy.
Let's say I really wanted to learn cello. Now due to the fact I am not currently able to rent/buy a cello, this ...
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Is a solo cello strong enough to make a piano ring?
I attended a concert once where a trombone soloist played his instrument pointing towards the strings of a grand piano (lid propped fully open, pianist depressing the pedal). The effect was amazing; ...
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How to play notes in the kHz range on a cello
I have a piece in which there are notes exceeding 1 kHz (B5). I can only currently play up to 440 Hz on my cello. How can I do so? If it's hard, are there any strategies?
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Does anyone have any suggestions for some cello pieces to improve my comfort with treble clef/higher positions? [closed]
I've just finished playing "Allegro Appassionato" by Saint-Saëns and the first movement of Cello Concerto No. 1 in E Minor by Brahms. My teacher suggested I start playing Eduoard Lalo's ...
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Note check: Cassado cello solo suite 2nd movement, m. 74
The note in question is circled here: it's an F-natural in the 2 scores I found on IMSLP. My teacher seems to remember that it should be F-# as in the subsequent descending sequence. Can anyone ...
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How fast can a cello play with string crossings?
im currently writing a piece for orchestra, and im not sure if the cello part is actually playable. Can a cello player play this
in Adagio (around 70 bpm)?
I have never played cello myself, but I ...
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Nervous about concert! [duplicate]
I have a concert tomorrow and im really nervous, i have practiced many MANY hours but I don't think iv'e practiced enough for the concert, or maybe it just that im really nervous....any tips?
I play ...
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How do I reasonably deal with a clef change?
I am currently trying to transpose some notes from singing to the cello.
The Cello uses the bass clef, and because it is one of the many instruments which also uses concert pitch as stated in this ...
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What's special about cello strings?
I've built a skeleton cello (680mm scale length, 79mm fingerboard radius) and due to the high price of cello strings (2-400$ a set?), I found some flatwound bass strings whose string gauges seem to ...
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Is it spelled "violincello" or "violoncello"?
I’m trying to understand the proper spelling of the full name of the cello. I’ve seen it both of these ways, violincello and violoncello.
I thought since the cello is part of the violin family it ...
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High B-flat on cello
I'm working on a chamber music piece and I want the cello to play a high Bb at the end. I want Bb5 (sits above treble clef). The tempo is slow and it doesn't need to compete in the orchestration, ...
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Cello pressed at half length higher than harmonic?
I was playing around with harmonics on my e-cello, and noticed that when pressing at the first one (half-length), the pitch was higher than when merely touching for the harmonics itself. I thought it ...
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Is it safe to use thumb position in lower positions on cello?
A piece I've been playing has a notation to use the thumb in 2nd position on cello (with thumb on the D-string F# specifically, where first finger would go in normal 2nd position). I tried it out but ...
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Cello string crossing from open string to fourth finger: unwanted harmonics
I've been practicing slurred bows in 1/8th notes on cello for Pachelbel's canon, and there are many places where there is a string crossing in one bow either from fourth finger on the D string to the ...
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What is this upside down square fermata?
I was wondering what this marking means, it looks like an upside-down square fermata or an upside-down down bow marking with a dot. I found it in a piece for cello by Nadia Boulanger.
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Is it possible to play jazz on a cello?
I'm writing articles for a website about music and musical instruments. Usually, our team writes about topics that have already been conceived. But sometimes we can suggest our own topics as well. I ...
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Which instruments to physically familiarize with to become a better orchestrator?
Physically familiarizing with which two orchestral instruments would be a good compromise between having to buy all the instruments and gaining leverage in orchestral writing? My own opinion is ...
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Tuning cello in 4ths
I want to learn double bass but I don't have the budget to buy an instrument yet; however, I do have an old cello lying around. Is it ok if I tune the cello in 4ths so that I can start learning finger ...
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Chord progression for 1st 4 bars of Bach Prelude from Cello Suite No 1 Cello in G
The harmonic reduction of the first four bars of the Prelude goes like this:
B | C | C | B
D | E | F#| G
G | G | G | G
When I hear this and also based on my understanding of tonal harmony, I'd analyse ...
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Cello tuning by harmonics: Just intonation vs ET
Since fifths in just intonation (JI) are 2 cents wider than ET fifths, should I expect an electronic tuner to tell me that my D, G, and C strings are flatter (and getting progressively flatter) if I ...
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How do I progress without a cello teacher during COVID lockdowns?
I’ve been playing cello for four years now and I want to get better, but I don’t know how. I started playing when I was placed in the wrong course at school and I ended up in the experienced class ...
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Bow markings in advanced solo string music
I understand that bow markings are important in orchestral music, one reason being to keep players in sync visually.
Back when I played viola, my (very basic — grade 4 or 5) music was littered ...
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Clarinet range-transposing a cello part
I have a cello part that I would like to transpose for clarinet. The lowest note is a concert G(2 below middle C). Is there a clarinet that has that note?
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Why does this edition use an upside-down up-bow to indicate down-bow?
I have a piece here that uses upside-down up-bows to indicate down-bow, which I have never seen before. Since I know other editions of the same opus, I know that they have the meaning of a normal down-...
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Metalic sound on cello G string
I am new to the cello and have been experiencing a sound on the G string that I can't quite pinpoint the cause of. Everywhere I have looked online appears to be specific to wolf tones or rattles, and ...
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Music engraving - chord with different note lengths (half and quarter)
Another engraving question arised from the same book Sebastian Lee; Op. 70
In Nr. 40 there are two chords, containing half and quarter notes:
since this is a cello score, and you can not play three ...
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Intonation of string instruments in chamber music
Recently when playing in a piano trio as a cellist, my teacher told me that a note can have a small range of correct pitches depending on the chord.
Shouldn’t everybody try to play exactly in tune ...
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Do pegs for stringed instruments require holes?
We bought some new pegs for a cello but they came without holes. As a result, it seems impossible to tighten the strings as they keep slipping. But there must be some use for pegs without holes, ...
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Cello double stop
Just want to make sure this is possible. As you can tell, it's styled after Pachelbel's "Canon," but it's in G. I'm sure it would have to be somewhat detached, and, wherever possible, an ...
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What is the difference between accent and sforzando?
In particular, on cello. I got the impression that both are strong (either by pressure or speed) at the beginning of the note, followed by quick release of pressure/speed. What is the difference ...
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Cello Strings Tension
I'm a novice, I have yet to have my first lesson
In the meanwhile, I've busted a string on my Gear4 beginners cello, I won't get into how, and I hope it's not a sign of things to come.
Now I've been ...
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What's this rectangular notation symbol?
I recently encountered a symbol in a Violoncello score which I was not able to identify. It is shown in the image below after the p (piano).
I looked for it in the Musescore documentation and in the ...
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Ideas for solofying for cello [closed]
I'm looking for some schemes to solofy a simple tune on cello. Some obvious things, like adding a fancy bassline fail in this case of course.
As an example let's take this simple tune.
One obvious ...
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Melody with only notes C, G, D, A
Is there any well-known melody that only contains the notes C, G, D and A? I'm learning to play the cello, so far practicing only playing on open strings and would love to be able to play a melody.
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Should I learn the violin first before I learn the cello?
I love the cello and would love to someday be able to play Bach's cello suites. It has such a warm sound. But 1 thing deters me from going straight into learning the cello, the price of it. I looked ...
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Creating a cadenza (Boccherini Concerto No 3 in G Maj)
I need to create a cadenza (a virtuoso passage inserted near the end of a concerto movement) for cello for the first part of Boccherini Concerto No 3 in G Maj (Allegro, starting at measure 98 in my ...
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Can Cello and Violin Pieces be played on piano?
This may be a dumb question, but can pieces such as Tzigane or Cello Concerto in B. Minor, OP.104, be played on the piano?
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Most efficient practice schedule
As a Student, I have limited time to practice. But overall, I have approximately 1.5 hours on the weekends. So should I do 1.5 hours in one sitting or 45 minutes in 2 seatings?
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Solo Cello Composition: Double Stops Question
Can the G or D strings be muted by Cellist so that a double stop can be played on the G and A, or C and D strings? Would greatly appreciate a response.
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Are Cello straps and stops necessary to rent for beginner?
My daughter is starting cello at her elementary school in the fall, she is 8 years old, renting a 1/2 scale cello.
In the process of renting the cello I need to decide if I should rent these two ...
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Can I play the cello without pronation of the bow hand?
I would like to learn to play cello, but I have a mini-disability that prevents me from turning my right hand down (palm-down, or pronation) or up (palm-up, or suspination).
How much is this going ...
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