34
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Which instruments to physically familiarize with to become a better orchestrator?
I would strongly advise you NOT to buy any instruments. You don't need to. Do you imagine composers play lots of instruments? They don't. The only instrument Berlioz played was a guitar - tolerably - ...
- 5,450
33
votes
Is it spelled "violincello" or "violoncello"?
... part of the violin family...
Actually, as baroque violists love to point out, during the early evolution of these instruments, both violin and cello were part of the viola family. The viola was ...
- 12.4k
30
votes
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What is this upside down square fermata?
By convention, a square fermata has a longer duration than a rounded fermata.
It's not "upside down". Traditional notation convention usually tries to put the fermata over the note head, ...
- 466
29
votes
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Should I loosen the tension on the bow for a break?
As a bowmaker, I would like to temper these answers a bit. Yes, if you leave a bow under tension too long, it will lose its camber (bend) faster. So that's true: one should get in the habit of ...
- 6,324
28
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Are very cheap cellos acceptable for a beginner?
I'm going to suggest an alternative route. Get him an electric cello.
The weak point in cheap instruments is the acoustics, and to meet the price point they have to be constructed in a more rough-...
- 4,742
27
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What does this symbol mean in cello music?
The ϙ sign is just the “finger number” for the thumb – high notes on cello are played in thumb position and the ϙ indicates the C is played not with any of the normal four fingers but with the thumb, ...
- 34.9k
23
votes
What's special about cello strings?
You correctly suggest that "a string of a given mass must be under a given tension to vibrate at the selected pitch". The issue is that you bought flatwound bass strings with the same gauge ...
- 6,169
22
votes
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Cello pressed at half length higher than harmonic?
This happens on all stringed instruments. There are two reasons for that.
As you already noticed yourself, pressing down the string does require bending it a little, i.e. stretching, which increases ...
- 34.9k
22
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What is at the tip of large string concert instruments, and does it damage the floor?
The device is an 'endpin' or just 'spike'.
Floor damage is prevented by addition of a protector, variously called endpin stoppers, pinstops, donuts, black holes, endpin anchors, endpin holders, spike ...
- 25.5k
21
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Should I loosen the tension on the bow for a break?
I'd add to Dr. Mayhem's list:
You never know when something will interrupt your plans. You might be 20 mins into a planned 1-hour break, and then the doorbell rings, you welcome a friend, ... next ...
- 14.7k
21
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What is at the tip of large string concert instruments, and does it damage the floor?
This is really an "extra" answer augmenting, since Tetsujin has the important part.
Yes, endpin spikes definitely can damage floors. The cellist's main concern is that their instrument stay ...
- 12.4k
20
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Is it spelled "violincello" or "violoncello"?
tl;dr
It's violoncello.
Language considerations
Lots of classical music words usually have a specific language as their origins (mostly Italian), so, unless an extended literature can confirm standard ...
- 5,820
18
votes
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Is it possible to play jazz on a cello?
Jazz cello is absolutely possible. Here are resources to get you started in your project. Note that most if not all of these come with contact information. You should not be shy about contacting ...
- 71.8k
14
votes
Should I loosen the tension on the bow for a break?
I would always loosen it off for that one hour break, for two reasons:
Over time, tension will eventually damage the bow. Keeping tension on when you don't need to will just shorten the lifespan of ...
- 36.7k
14
votes
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Can I play the cello without pronation of the bow hand?
IANAMPT (music physical therapist), so take this as encouragement rather than direction.
I would not let any physical disability short of losing your arm :-) stop you from trying to learn the ...
- 14.7k
13
votes
What does this symbol mean in cello music?
The o-like symbol refers to the thumb. You finger that note with your thumb of your left hand.
The roman numerals refer to the string you play on. I is the A string, II is the D string, III is the G ...
- 1,047
13
votes
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Do pegs for stringed instruments require holes?
Yes, holes need to be added for the strings. Pegs for violin family instruments are usually sold as "blanks" that are ready for shaping and setting.
Because of the wear and use of the pegs, the peg ...
- 7,341
12
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Should I learn the violin first before I learn the cello?
As a music instructor, I always advise against a person purchasing their first instrument. It's impossible to know for sure how well you will enjoy playing that specific instrument, whether the time ...
- 121
11
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Are very cheap cellos acceptable for a beginner?
Your mixed feelings about cheap instruments are correct. For electronic instruments such as keyboards, cheap ones are somewhat acceptable, because they are mass-produced from stable materials and ...
- 778
11
votes
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Intonation of string instruments in chamber music
The piano might not even be playing. If it is, it is indeed probably the best reference.
However in other circumstances it is possible that you would play a slightly different pitch for (example) an ...
- 3,428
11
votes
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Cello tuning by harmonics: Just intonation vs ET
It does apply to any instrument, but for cello it's perhaps most notable because we so often play with instruments that have E-strings: violins, or else guitars. If you tune a cello in Pythagorean ...
- 34.9k
11
votes
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High B-flat on cello
You get higher notes in cello pieces. Not often perhaps but they are there. Elgar's cello concerto and the William Tell overture would be two examples.
Any professional cellist would not have a ...
- 4,951
10
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Are very cheap cellos acceptable for a beginner?
They are absolutely acceptable. I recommend you look around on forums and generally on the internet to hear what real people are saying about the cello you're thinking about.
I'm an adult beginner ...
- 2,626
9
votes
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Chord in the Bach d-minor prelude
It is actually misleading to think about this music in terms of chords as we know them, as the system we use to identify and speak about vertical harmonies was still under development during Bach's ...
- 813
9
votes
How to pluck fast 16th notes on cello
There are multiple possible ways how this passage (Jupiter, bars 170-190 that would be, I presume) could be played. I'll discuss three of them:
Two-hands, single-finger, single-string
Here's a ...
- 34.9k
9
votes
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What's this rectangular notation symbol?
As someone else has already said, this symbol indicates that the player should play at the heel or frog of the bow.
These images are from an edition of Bach's 6 Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (...
- 1,329
9
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Why does this edition use an upside-down up-bow to indicate down-bow?
He explains this right at the start of the book (First Edition, from IMSLP).
Tirez = pull, Poussez = push. In other words, ^ is a different notation for a down bow.
- 109
8
votes
What is the safest way to set down a cello?
The safest place to put your cello is back in its case. It really doesn't matter how you put a cello down on the floor or on a chair: there's still a reasonably good (bad) chance that someone will ...
- 14.7k
8
votes
Are very cheap cellos acceptable for a beginner?
Cheap instruments are almost always going to be a pain to play and upkeep, but you are right in that some are more playable than others. Cheap woodwinds and brass are especially bad in that the cheap, ...
- 1,835
7
votes
Chord in the Bach d-minor prelude
It's an Asus4 chord, which is a suspended chord where the third (C#) is replaced by the fourth (D). The fourth is carried over from the previous chord (D minor), and - as you've suggested - resolves ...
- 19.9k
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