I’m a professional cellist here in Chicago. Living in a condominium when people are home I do use a heavy practice mute however there’s a brand new type that’s very good. It mutes the sound even more than a heavy practice mute yet it does not create extra wolf tones unlike every other practice mute I’ve tried. The response of the cello is the same as not having a mute on at all. I’m sure you noticed when you have a heavy practice mute on the Cello it responds very differently so if you do a lot of playing with a heavy mute and then you take it off the difference is rather shocking. The only downside is that this mute is very expensive it was over $200 with shipping because it comes from Spain. WMute is the name. I’ve been using it for the last week and really like it even though it was ridiculously expensive.
Hi Steven, thanks so much for telling me about the WMute! I had heard about it, but it's good to hear directly from someone who has it and thinks its worth it. With so many neighbors working from home nowadays due to the pandemic, practicing during the day has gotten a lot more complicated... Thanks again, I will definitely check it out!
You bet!! WMute Has a practice mute that you can purchase also has a regular Standard orchestral mute, I bought the combo one of each. My personal preference for my best cello is to use the leather mute for orchestral and chamber. It’s a pain not being attached to the instruments but the sound of the leather mute is much better than the four different kinds of rubber mutes that you m attach on the string(s) behind the bridge. Yes, I’m one of those types I like to try everything, LOL. I do enjoy your videos keep them coming!
@@stevenj9970 I'm partial to the leather mute as well, totally worth the extra little hassle! I'm a bit of an equipment nerd, too, it's just too tempting not to try all these little advancements!
@@stevenj9970 the leather mute really produces the warmest sound and to a certain extent may be better than the original cello sound. in your experience how much % volume reduction would you say with a leather mute?
@@mallinmall1327 For me anyway the leather mute has a beautiful sound but it still projects quite well. The rubber mutes that I have used in the past (several different types) mute quite a bit more than the leather one. In fact I’ve even filed a little bit of the leather away so that it doesn’t mute quite as much, you see I’m the principal Cello with Orchestra‘s here in Chicago and very often there is a cello solo which requires the mute but I don’t want to mute too much. I remember when playing the solo from Swan Lake I have the adjusted leather mute on and it only muted my sound maybe 10% which is much less than any other mute. The conductor kept looking down at my cello but he saw that there was a mute attached so he couldn’t really say something about me not playing with a mute. Conductors are easy to fool.....
Well, I live in the countryside of Germany. My neighbor on the right is too far because we have our gardens separating us. On the left is a vacant lot I also plan to buy this year. Behind me is again the garden, the garage, trees. Nobody there would listen to my cello at night. Besides that, I have a large basement with another 3 large rooms. If I ever move out from here I want to go to a countryside place where nobody can disturb me or get annoyed by a cello in the middle of the night. The best place for a cellist to live is near nature and here in Germany you have all possibilities. 🎻💖 Greetings from Wolfsburg 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞
That sounds amazing! I wish there was more open space and nature here in Los Angeles. Just reading your message makes me want to find a beautiful forest and build a home there!!
@@adultcello exactly! In the woods. California has also sights of Bigfoot in those forests but I don't believe Bigfeet will be annoyed by the Cello if you play in tune. 👍🎻💖
@@adultcello I lived in big cities before and that was long, long ago. I prefer to be more near nature and in a quiet area without cars, noisy people/avenues. Here is so peaceful sometimes and silent. Besides that, the big large walls of this house also keep noise outside.
The leather mute sounds sooooo lovely! I’m thinking of starting to learn the cello and I was worrying about spending so much on the cello and not being able to practice because of how loud it is! This has been very helpful! I also think that an acoustic one would be best for an absolute beginner as it would probably let me get the actual feel of playing the instrument. It’s sooo expensive though 😫
Well, that's put a spanner in the works. As an adult beginner I had just about decided on a Yamaha Silent Cello both for fun factor and silent practice but they are expensive. Could get a pretty reasonable acoustic cello for the same money. Hmm... Food for thought. Back to square one! Excellent video by the way. Keep up the great work. It's appreciated.
sound really IS everything!. unlike digital/hybrid piano which can do a much better job in mimicking the sound of acoustic piano, string instruments really are very different.
I totally agree! It says something that even with all the technological advances since the 1600s, most violin makers today are using the same tools and methods. So cool!
@@adultcello which is why even with the pain of traveling with an acoustic cello, I still bought the acoustic version. But honestly, I HATE traveling with cello, esp international air travel! one day, I wish I could have my private jet that I can fly with my cello. Oh well, at least in my dreams I can.
Hello, I hope this finds you well. I have been playing violin for about three years now and I have just now come to terms that it's not for me. Whether it be the bright booming high sound that makes my ears ring after playing, the placement right next to my ear or the fact I just can't feel the music in my heart...I think it's time to move on. I have been learning piano in the mean time and I do enjoy it but I miss bowing and feeling the strings and the vibration of an acoustic instrument on my body. I want to try cello but my fear is that it will be just as loud as a violin and although I truly love the sound of a cello I don't want to spend another three years lying to myself saying I will get used to the sound to only put the instrument down and feel defeated. I know this a lot and I apologies but I guess what I'm asking is in your opinion is the cello very loud? I can never tell on video and have not had heard one played in person for many years. It sounds so soothing and healing in recordings but in person? Thank you, all the best. quick edit: I'm asking without it being muted and just the raw sound of the instrument. Thanks again
Hi! Cellos will range individually in terms of how loud they are and how bright (penetrating) the tone is. I would bet that you could find a cello that would be a great fit for what you want to hear. Essentially, it sounds like you want an instrument with a darker, more diffuse tone. Sometimes it's not as much about decibels but just the intensity of the tone that's being created. Hope that helps!
Hi! Thank you so much for this video. I’m living in a very quiet building and it seems like the practice mute is the quietest based on your review, but I’m having a hard time telling the volume difference in the demo video? Do you think it makes a significant difference and do you find it significantly compromises the richness of the sound/adds any extra wolf notes? Thank you so much!
Hi Rachel! That's a great question and I think the mic placement did mask the difference in sound since it was so close to the cello. The practice mute was by far the quietest in terms of volume. I've never noticed any extra wolfiness with the practice mute but I should say that to my ear it definitely compromises the cello's richness the most as well. But in my opinion I would rather practice on an acoustic cello with a practice mute than an electric cello. Hope that helps!
That's an amazing video thank you! I'm planning on buying a cello but I'm concerned about the sound being so loud because I have tinnitus and sensitivity to loud noises. So mutes might be my solution right? But still I was wondering, do you think ''no mute'' sound is too loud and would disturb so much someone like me? Your playing sounds wonderful by the way!
Thank you so much! You know, since you experience tinnitus and sensitivity to loud noises, I think my personal recommendation would be to look into custom hearing protection options along with the possible use of a mute. I have hearing protection with multiple options for how many decibels of sound I can reduce, and this is especially helpful in other non-cello activities that I find too loud as well. The great thing about high end hearing protection is that it usually attenuates sound evenly across the spectrum, so you can still hear high and low frequencies. The brand I use is Westone, and below is a link to their products if you're curious. I don't have this exact model but I think it might be a good fit. Hope that helps! www.westone.com/store/defendear/concert
@@adultcello Thank you for your detailed reply and leaving the link, this helps a lot! I have a few hearing protection at home but I'll make sure to check out the ones you mentioned. Best wishes!
The best thing about this video for me is that it will help me resist to the temptation to buy an electric under the justification of "I need it for quiet practice".
Hi! I'm glad to hear that, I sincerely believe that if the sound of an acoustic cello is what inspired you to start, then you want to make sure you can recreate that sound. Thanks for your comment!
I clicked on this video with a hope of finding out how to make my electric cello practice less annoying to my neighbors and what I found instead was an advice of a person who clearly does not understand how restrictive a built-in acoustic reverb (wolves included!) is to contemporary music production and that I should instead opt for a much louder instrument because it hums like a bear and some women apparently like that. so was this video helpfll? well yes, at least I made a decision not buy those worthless silencer gadgets, haha.
Thank you for the comparisons. I really like the tone of the leather mute.
I’m a professional cellist here in Chicago. Living in a condominium when people are home I do use a heavy practice mute however there’s a brand new type that’s very good. It mutes the sound even more than a heavy practice mute yet it does not create extra wolf tones unlike every other practice mute I’ve tried. The response of the cello is the same as not having a mute on at all. I’m sure you noticed when you have a heavy practice mute on the Cello it responds very differently so if you do a lot of playing with a heavy mute and then you take it off the difference is rather shocking. The only downside is that this mute is very expensive it was over $200 with shipping because it comes from Spain. WMute is the name. I’ve been using it for the last week and really like it even though it was ridiculously expensive.
Hi Steven, thanks so much for telling me about the WMute! I had heard about it, but it's good to hear directly from someone who has it and thinks its worth it. With so many neighbors working from home nowadays due to the pandemic, practicing during the day has gotten a lot more complicated... Thanks again, I will definitely check it out!
You bet!! WMute Has a practice mute that you can purchase also has a regular Standard orchestral mute, I bought the combo one of each. My personal preference for my best cello is to use the leather mute for orchestral and chamber. It’s a pain not being attached to the instruments but the sound of the leather mute is much better than the four different kinds of rubber mutes that you m attach on the string(s) behind the bridge. Yes, I’m one of those types I like to try everything, LOL. I do enjoy your videos keep them coming!
@@stevenj9970 I'm partial to the leather mute as well, totally worth the extra little hassle! I'm a bit of an equipment nerd, too, it's just too tempting not to try all these little advancements!
@@stevenj9970 the leather mute really produces the warmest sound and to a certain extent may be better than the original cello sound. in your experience how much % volume reduction would you say with a leather mute?
@@mallinmall1327 For me anyway the leather mute has a beautiful sound but it still projects quite well. The rubber mutes that I have used in the past (several different types) mute quite a bit more than the leather one. In fact I’ve even filed a little bit of the leather away so that it doesn’t mute quite as much, you see I’m the principal Cello with Orchestra‘s here in Chicago and very often there is a cello solo which requires the mute but I don’t want to mute too much. I remember when playing the solo from Swan Lake I have the adjusted leather mute on and it only muted my sound maybe 10% which is much less than any other mute. The conductor kept looking down at my cello but he saw that there was a mute attached so he couldn’t really say something about me not playing with a mute. Conductors are easy to fool.....
Leather mute is interesting sound! Never heard that before.
I totally agree! Very velvety compared to the others :)
Well, I live in the countryside of Germany. My neighbor on the right is too far because we have our gardens separating us. On the left is a vacant lot I also plan to buy this year. Behind me is again the garden, the garage, trees. Nobody there would listen to my cello at night.
Besides that, I have a large basement with another 3 large rooms. If I ever move out from here I want to go to a countryside place where nobody can disturb me or get annoyed by a cello in the middle of the night.
The best place for a cellist to live is near nature and here in Germany you have all possibilities.
🎻💖 Greetings from Wolfsburg
💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞
That sounds amazing! I wish there was more open space and nature here in Los Angeles. Just reading your message makes me want to find a beautiful forest and build a home there!!
@@adultcello exactly! In the woods.
California has also sights of Bigfoot in those forests but I don't believe Bigfeet will be annoyed by the Cello if you play in tune.
👍🎻💖
@@adultcello I lived in big cities before and that was long, long ago. I prefer to be more near nature and in a quiet area without cars, noisy people/avenues. Here is so peaceful sometimes and silent. Besides that, the big large walls of this house also keep noise outside.
@@marleneorein9484 Yet another reason to focus on having truly excellent intonation :D
@@adultcello 😂🤣🤣😄😅
The leather mute sounds sooooo lovely! I’m thinking of starting to learn the cello and I was worrying about spending so much on the cello and not being able to practice because of how loud it is! This has been very helpful!
I also think that an acoustic one would be best for an absolute beginner as it would probably let me get the actual feel of playing the instrument. It’s sooo expensive though 😫
This is a great video! Definitely will refer to it should I need a specific mute. Right now I just have the rubber mute
Thank you so much, and thanks for your comment!
Well, that's put a spanner in the works. As an adult beginner I had just about decided on a Yamaha Silent Cello both for fun factor and silent practice but they are expensive. Could get a pretty reasonable acoustic cello for the same money. Hmm... Food for thought. Back to square one! Excellent video by the way. Keep up the great work. It's appreciated.
Thanks so much, and thanks for your comment! If you have any other questions about equipment, feel free to email me at billy@adultcello.com.
Thank you for the video! Starting lessens soon and your video's are very helpfull.
My pleasure! Congrats on starting your cello journey!
Nice video. All the best!
Thanks so much!
sound really IS everything!. unlike digital/hybrid piano which can do a much better job in mimicking the sound of acoustic piano, string instruments really are very different.
I totally agree! It says something that even with all the technological advances since the 1600s, most violin makers today are using the same tools and methods. So cool!
@@adultcello which is why even with the pain of traveling with an acoustic cello, I still bought the acoustic version. But honestly, I HATE traveling with cello, esp international air travel! one day, I wish I could have my private jet that I can fly with my cello. Oh well, at least in my dreams I can.
@@mallinmall1327No kidding! I love the dedication to travel constantly with your cello, though!
May I ask for the cello rubber mute - is it only muting a specific string ?
Please could you leave a link to where you bought the mutes?
I just added links to the description, thanks for your comment!
@@adultcello Thank you! :)
This post is so interesting
Thanks so much!
Hello, I hope this finds you well. I have been playing violin for about three years now and I have just now come to terms that it's not for me. Whether it be the bright booming high sound that makes my ears ring after playing, the placement right next to my ear or the fact I just can't feel the music in my heart...I think it's time to move on. I have been learning piano in the mean time and I do enjoy it but I miss bowing and feeling the strings and the vibration of an acoustic instrument on my body. I want to try cello but my fear is that it will be just as loud as a violin and although I truly love the sound of a cello I don't want to spend another three years lying to myself saying I will get used to the sound to only put the instrument down and feel defeated. I know this a lot and I apologies but I guess what I'm asking is in your opinion is the cello very loud? I can never tell on video and have not had heard one played in person for many years. It sounds so soothing and healing in recordings but in person? Thank you, all the best. quick edit: I'm asking without it being muted and just the raw sound of the instrument. Thanks again
Hi! Cellos will range individually in terms of how loud they are and how bright (penetrating) the tone is. I would bet that you could find a cello that would be a great fit for what you want to hear. Essentially, it sounds like you want an instrument with a darker, more diffuse tone. Sometimes it's not as much about decibels but just the intensity of the tone that's being created. Hope that helps!
Hi! Thank you so much for this video. I’m living in a very quiet building and it seems like the practice mute is the quietest based on your review, but I’m having a hard time telling the volume difference in the demo video? Do you think it makes a significant difference and do you find it significantly compromises the richness of the sound/adds any extra wolf notes? Thank you so much!
Hi Rachel! That's a great question and I think the mic placement did mask the difference in sound since it was so close to the cello. The practice mute was by far the quietest in terms of volume. I've never noticed any extra wolfiness with the practice mute but I should say that to my ear it definitely compromises the cello's richness the most as well. But in my opinion I would rather practice on an acoustic cello with a practice mute than an electric cello. Hope that helps!
That's an amazing video thank you! I'm planning on buying a cello but I'm concerned about the sound being so loud because I have tinnitus and sensitivity to loud noises. So mutes might be my solution right? But still I was wondering, do you think ''no mute'' sound is too loud and would disturb so much someone like me? Your playing sounds wonderful by the way!
Thank you so much! You know, since you experience tinnitus and sensitivity to loud noises, I think my personal recommendation would be to look into custom hearing protection options along with the possible use of a mute. I have hearing protection with multiple options for how many decibels of sound I can reduce, and this is especially helpful in other non-cello activities that I find too loud as well. The great thing about high end hearing protection is that it usually attenuates sound evenly across the spectrum, so you can still hear high and low frequencies.
The brand I use is Westone, and below is a link to their products if you're curious. I don't have this exact model but I think it might be a good fit. Hope that helps!
www.westone.com/store/defendear/concert
@@adultcello Thank you for your detailed reply and leaving the link, this helps a lot! I have a few hearing protection at home but I'll make sure to check out the ones you mentioned. Best wishes!
@@Sleepyheadbg My pleasure, and congrats on your decision to start learning cello!
The best thing about this video for me is that it will help me resist to the temptation to buy an electric under the justification of "I need it for quiet practice".
Hi! I'm glad to hear that, I sincerely believe that if the sound of an acoustic cello is what inspired you to start, then you want to make sure you can recreate that sound. Thanks for your comment!
5:33 I'm crying :'D
😸😸
Do you need to go to schooling to become a luthier.
5:33 😂😂😂
I clicked on this video with a hope of finding out how to make my electric cello practice less annoying to my neighbors and what I found instead was an advice of a person who clearly does not understand how restrictive a built-in acoustic reverb (wolves included!) is to contemporary music production and that I should instead opt for a much louder instrument because it hums like a bear and some women apparently like that. so was this video helpfll? well yes, at least I made a decision not buy those worthless silencer gadgets, haha.
The thought of anyone hearing me makes me cringe.
We've all been there!
Some one get him a comb
Dude this is loud as fuck. I need quiet shit. These mutes don't do much.