5 point Inspection: How to Hold and Position Your Cello for Beginners
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video I offer up some ideas that helped me learn to sit comfortably with my cello. As someone who started the cello as an adult, I understand how awkward and cumbersome it can feel at first. By developing your physical and spatial memory of your body in relation to the cello, you will eventually feel at one with the instrument. Below is a breakdown of the video so you can skip around if you wish:
00:53 - Step One - Sit Down with Equipment Ready
02:14 - Step Two - Left Knee Position
04:00 - Step Three - "C" String Peg Position
08:31 - Step Four - The Cello's Angle(s)
13:30 - Step Five - Left Hand Glides
Billy Tobenkin is a Los Angeles-based cellist who specializes in teaching adult learners. As a professional cellist who started playing the cello from scratch at 25, he is in a unique position to help others, like him, who found the cello later in life. He has developed strategies from his own musical journey to accelerate the learning process, and he is here to share them with you.
Please contact him at billy@adultcello.com with any questions or comments! Or visit adultcello.com
I've watched several of your videos. You are the best cello teacher on TH-cam. Thanks for your help!
Nee cellist here. Made the switch from violin and there are no Cello teachers in my area as i live out in the sticks! These videos are so valuable to me and many others. Thank you.
yoo same im violin but i wanted to start cello too 🤝🤝
I just got my cello yesterday and am starting lessons soon. But these set of beginning lessons are super helpful and I going to come back at least a couple of times every week to review. Thank you so much for making it informative and engaging!
I'm so glad you find it helpful and congrats on starting your cello journey!
Getting back into cello. Lots of great information I was never told the first time around!
Super helpful.
Thanks so much!
I am not a beginner, but it's always important to go back and pay attention to basics!
So glad I just found your channel. I am 62 and just starting the cello. Played piano, trumpet, and guitar, but always loved the sound of the cello...well not my sound on the cello yet, but you know :) These lessons are so helpful. Thank you!
My pleasure, and congrats on starting your cello journey and adding it to your arsenal!
Very helpful! Thanks!
This is exactly where I am right now, with a cello I am not sure is the right size for me. Super, super helpful!
Yes, this definitely helps! I am a true beginner in my 50s. Thank you for the help!
This was incredibly helpful and I'll try making some adjustments for my next practice sesh.
On a side note, any tips for ladies who are "generously endowed"?
I am SO thankfull of this lecture! I have no private teacher in cello, and there was and is really many questions of the very basics: HOW TO HOLD the instrument ergonomically right is one of the main ones! Namely, I now decided to start cello on my really matured age of 62 (or "see if I ever can get a proper sound of it"), and as being an instrumentalist of different type of instruments I know, that if the bad habits have formed, they are much more difficult to change better than already from the beginning start right, and form right type of habits. Better to start right right at the beginning of this adventure :) Easy-to-remember-checklist!
I liked the video :D and also that backround with piano is great!
Thank you so much!
Great Tutorial .Thx🎉😊
Will apply your suggestions since sometimes I am holding/sitting with my cello and it is not comfortable... Thank you so much!!!
My pleasure! Hope it helps and thanks for your comment!
These are great ideas. I started "again" with cello (48 years later from 9th grade when I had to stop). I find that years of what I call the Praying Mantis yoga pose from years/decades of clanking away on a computer 8 hours a day is a big problem with finding a good "settle" with my cello. I used therabands for shoulder girdle exercises when I first began playing to open my chest back up and tighten lazified back muscles, and then now I'm digging into some lower string tone quality issues and having to revisit posture AGAIN. It's never settled science, I think. One's body changes and also your playing evolves so it necessitates looking at posture options again and again.
I totally agree! I think posture is definitely a working concept that has a degree of flexibility depending on where you are physically and technically. Those theraband exercises sound like a great idea! Thanks so much for your comment!
thank you for a great lesson
VERY HELPFUL! THANK YOU!
My pleasure!
Thank you. Had my first lesson a few weeks ago. In the meantime I have been practising on my own cause we will continue after the summer holidays, I don't want to do anything wrong. So this video is helpful.
I'm so glad this video was helpful, and congrats on starting your cello journey!
Thanks a lot for your help! it would be interesting to talk about how the use of the weight (right hand) will change or have a influence with the different angles of the cell.
First of all I'm so glad I found your TH-cam and I have subscribed. My natural inclination is to use my left hand for the bow, as I am predominantly left handed. However, several things I do right handed. Like welding. How difficult or challenging will it be to reverse what my brain thinks is natural?
If you take your cello further to your left practice 5ths with 1 and with 2 fingers! So you know how much the angle is, if not that will be a massive problem with intonation
I heard that legs were fairly important with cello positioning and I got a little nervous, because one of my legs is shorter than the other by an inch and an eighth. so when I sit down, my knees don't extend to the same place. Luckily, my left leg is the one thats the correct length, so I'm hoping it doesn't pose a problem
Very helpful and analytical. The exact position of the left knee to the C bout can be elaborated to be more helpful.
Thank you so much! To be honest, the exact position and point of contact will probably vary from person to person depending on how tall or short they are, how long their legs are relative to their bodies, and how long they decide to make the endpin. Hope that helps and thanks for your comment!
Thanks very much, Billy for these five tips. They are super helpful. There are times when I think I have the hold down pat and then there are some days where it feels like I've never done it before. The biggest problem I am having is with the A string. If your cello is positioned correctly, should you be able to "clearly" see the A string? Thank you!
There is one angle you didn't talk about. That is the / angle when looking at the cello straight on. You have a little bit of an angle there. It would come from the position of the end pin in the rock stop. I have heard that the rock stop should be directly in front of your nose, and I have also heard that it should be a little bit to the (right?) side of the midpoint. What do you recommend?
Thank you for the great video. (They are all great!) I am a beginner at 68 and making good progress although I can’t seem to get my positioning right. With a 9” endpin, I get the left knee contact and the chest and the angle to reach the A string, but the C peg is by my left cheek. With a 11” endpin the C peg is just behind my ear, and the angle and chest contact feel good but the cello point floats inches in front of my left knee. I can’t get a great position. Chair height, posture good. Any idea what’s wrong? (It’s a full cello and I am 5’6”) Thanks!
Very, very helpful. Now, what happens if you happen to have a long torso? How does one adjust for that?
Thanks so much! That's a tough one to answer because a lot of it also depends on your height and the length of your legs. It also depends on what angle of approach of the cello's body feels comfortable playing wise. I will say that many of the players I know who are taller or have long legs relative to their torso tend to prefer a longer endpin. Hope that helps, you can always email me at billy@adultcello.com if you have more questions about holding the cello.
Recently my family bought me a cello, but i'ts 3/4 size. Is anything i could do with this or will i've to buy a 4/4.
I recently found your channel and got very motivated, but the fact that the cello i have is not a full size one it's just there, neurotizing my thought 😅
Cheers from Mexico
I mus5 have it all wrong. Putting the cello between my legs ouch straight right arm. I just ached
Thank you so much for the video, it is very informative! One suggestion, the video is overall very low-lit and this + wearing black does not help to see where things are. I am an adult beginner and after 3 years I am again in pain :-( so I'm looking for any hints of what's wrong with my posture.
the commercials ruin it!
I would love a posture peg, but they cost a fortune here, to buy and install 2 costs about 290 euro 😵😵😵
super frustrated
..ME