I am an unlikely Cellist as I was gifted a Cello and only recently decided to learn to play it (less than 6 months of self taught Suzuki). I played violin as a kid and never considered myself as a heavy on the vibrato type. However, immediately after learning and listening and listening to lessons to my surprise I automatically started mimicking the vibrato The Cello has such a beautiful tone and I am hamming it up on the vibrato. I want each song to sound as beautiful as possible as I mimic other cellists. As I am now on my second Suzuki book I want to improve my vibrato as I must have originally learned it on a violin and now applying it to the Cello. I vaguely remember vibrato from my childhood but for some reason the Cello brings it out naturally. Thank you for making this video. I am pleased to learn proper cello techniques.
I recently bought my first cello. I took for 3 years in elementary and then 2 more years in high school but have not touched one for over 40 years. Your videos have been very helpful
THANK YOU SARAH!!!!!! I've been struggling with my vibrato for so long...now I get it!! I was applying a gross motor answer to a fine motor question ;-) I just finished practicing and it's a whole new ballgame, thankyou thankyou thankyou!!!!!
Sarah, Whenever I try to do vibrato, my cello moves instead of my fingers, 😔 is there any way to fix that? Also, I keep getting nervous whenever I play and that causes me to make weird screechy noises and causes me to play faster. Do you have any tips? Thanks
Try to not pinch between your left hand thumb and fingers. Pretend like you're hanging from a tree branch. That relieves tension. Then, make sure that the cello is sitting solidly between your legs. See if that helps. :) Screechy noises are just a part of being a beginner. Practice slowly with a metronome to hold yourself accountable and focus on having a straight bow and consistent tone.
Heres a tip with the cello pretend ur holding hmmm a doornob and twisting it but back and fourth thats what it pretty much is and let me tell u it sounds BEAUTIFUL also this might not be alot but Ive been playing cello for 2 1/2 years and been practing vibrato for a month and a half so...
Hi! I'm in middle school and I play for the orchestra there, though I have a few concerns. My arms get really tired after a short amount of time when performing a song and when the song is over my arms feel so relieved. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong? Also whenever I hold my bow for a long period of time I start to get a cramp like feeling in the area between my thumb and index finger? Is THAT normal? If it is not normal how do I fix it?
+Aaliyah Ahmed It is hard to answer without seeing you play. It is normal (as a beginner) to become tired very easily. Playing the cello requires specific muscles that you have yet to develop. There is a difference, however, between fatigue and pain. If you have an area that actually hurts, then your technique could be wrong, or you could be gripping, pushing, pressing, etc.. too hard. The key is to relax whatever you are not using at that moment. Do the minimal amount of work possible.
+Sarah Joy ohhhhh I understand now! I think the pain I feel in my right hand when holding the bow is because I hold it too tight. Thanks for responding and helping me out!
Thank you for the video! I have a question that may sound odd, but, actually, when should you try to learn vibrato? Is too early bad (say for intonation) in the long run? What I do as a beginner is practice without vibrato (until my teacher actually tackles that in her classes) and then just practice vibrato with a particular finger on a particular note to get ahead Thanks again.
Hm.. Yes. I do think a beginner should wait a bit until starting vibrato. I know that some teachers might argue with me, but I think it causes too much tension in a beginner who already has enough to think about. And yes, intonation could also be an issue.
I recently started learning the cello (about 3 weeks ago) but have been playing the violin for 8 years and have really good vibrato on there. However, when attempting cello vibrato I can get the right motion but I can only do it really slowly and can't figure out how to speed it up. Do you think I am doing something wrong?
I broke my right hand recently so can't play guitar for a month :( However I can hold and use a bow through the cast strangely enough, so I borrowed my friends 3/4 scale cello today. Coming from 11 years of guitar I have a lot of dexterity in my left hand so can already do basic scales, but this vibrato just aint happening. I take pride in my guitar vibrato (it's pretty sexy) but this is so totally different! I'll get it though. Anyway thanks :)
Sarah Joy That or stupid haha. Thanks for the encouragement! This cello has no end pin though, so I have to use a broken off bit of a round file, and jam a lighter in the bow to give it tension because it too is broken. lol
+Broaderick Gantt This video talks about the left hand, not the arm, but it does show the height that the arm should be at. It also talks about the "sinking in" concept. th-cam.com/video/9p9hVftn6CE/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for all your videos! Very prolific! If you have a moment and feel like sharing, I am curious why we dont just raise and lower, raise and press on strings for vibrato, rather than what at my beginning level feels like much more work and much more awkward movement trying to roll my forearm and finger back and forth on strings? Admittedly I am a total beginner, only a few lessons so far with a basic acoustic cello I have.
Really, vibrato is actually a bit of a mixture between those two things. On the backwards roll, you do slightly release the pressure. That aspect is discussed a little more in part IV (if I remember correctly).
So I have a major problem. When I do vibrato, my hand always hurts and I press my fingers too hard. I am trying to get a warm, rich sound, but end up not pressing hard enough and making a screechy sound. Could you please help me with that?
I've been taking your advice, as well as my teacher's, and doing different practice techniques. I'm getting the hang of it when I practice it at a slow tempo, but I'm having trouble doing the rotating of the arm when I speed it up. Any tips?
+Sasha Numbers Use a metronome and practice the pulses at a steady beat. That way, you can gradually increase the metronome, and eventually, you'll be where you need to be. :)
It is not easy to play vibrato with 4th finger within 3rd to 4th position( Lower Position) , it let my cello rocking up and down. Would you mind let me to know what a skill doing it a little bit improved?
Hi! Your videos are amazing but, I just switched from violin to cello 4 months ago in my junior high school orchestra and I'm trying to get the hang of shifting and vibrato. I think my shifting is coming along alright (just a little slower than I'd like), but I can't get my vibrato fast enough no matter how hard I try...Even with daily exercises it still hasn't gotten any faster. Do you have any tips on improving my vibrato? Thank you!
when I hold the Cello my arms get tired a lot I can play one song but when the song is over I am relieved because my arms are about to fall off. not sure if I am holding my left arm in the correct position I believe I am, but it would be hard for me to play for a long time getting fatigued so quick. I am very much open for any suggestions. and thanks a lot for your videos and taking the time out to help student.
+Broaderick Gantt Well, the cello works a lot of muscles that aren't usually used. It takes a while to build them up. For beginners, it will often take about a year to two years before it really becomes comfortable. However, if you think about sinking into the instrument instead pulling or pushing the sound out, you will find that gravity really helps. Your arms are heavier than you think. Let dead weight do its job, and relax as many muscles as you possibly can. The left arm should not be held straight out, but slightly facing down (though not all the way). I hope this helps!
You seem to shift your thumb down to vibrato on your second, third, and fourth finger. My first finger is really getting me. Is it okay if I shift my thumb up and down so it's easier for me to vibrato on my first finger?
Question: how fast do you think I can get to Grade 2? My friends say it took them 3 years to get to grade 2 (they play flute/sax), but I'm doing gcse music and I need to get up to grade 2 in at least one instrument.
Catherine M. Just make sure you practice a lot and take the time to self teach outside of class. I usually practice 1-3 hours a day, sometimes up to 5 hours even.
do you play violin as well? if so, is it easier to vibrate on violin or cello, because i play both and have an okay wrist vibrato on violin, and am just now starting vibrato on cello.
+Nasty_Nipples 123 They both require some practice, but I don 't believe one is harder than the other. Violinists actually have different types of vibrato, so there are more techniques to learn.
+cvs4297 I believe Violin is a lot harder. I've tried playing both but I'm not very good at the Violin so I might be biased. It's just that most Violin players I know have worse vibrato than me or my fellow cellos.
Tykenolm Well, they each have their own challenges. :) I think violinists have a bit harder of a time with (like you said) vibrato, and also intonation (since the intervals are smaller). Cello, however, requires twice as much endurance.
The cello I'm using is kinda hard to press (u know what I mean) so it's really difficult to do vibrato. Is there any way to make it easier? By the way, I love your videos.
+Claressa Latia Thae The problem could be caused by one or two things. The bridge might be too tall. This causes the strings to be too far above the fingerboard which is actually very dangerous, and can cause some serious injuries (tendonitis). It could also just be an issue of building up your finger muscles. To be safe, however, I would recommend taking your cello to an instrument shop. Have them check the bridge. Good question! Thanks for watching! :)
But here’s the thing. I can’t do vibrato because my arms want to do the same motion. My bow wants to go crazy when I’m trying to learn vibrato. How in the hell do I overcome that?
I'll try that thanks! I also think I'm pressing down too hard during the forward rotation and kind of shoving the cello. Can you do a video on vibrato in 4th position?
+Relientdolls I'm trying to remember what my teacher did for me. I think we may have waited a little under a year, but I was very very young. That may have contributed to the wait.
Jermaine Herrera Just saying that it is actually pretty hard for the cello, as I am sure it is for the viola. I bet pretty much anybody that doesn't play a stringed instrument would say that it 'looks easy, so it must be'. But in EVERYBODY'S defence vibrato is a relatively difficult skill to perfect in general.
I'm not blurry, I'm just tøp trash I play both cello and viola, it is a bit easier on cello than it is on viola, and I imagine, on the violin as well. you dont have to carry the weight of the instrument so your hands are able to move more freely, but yes, vibrato is a skill that takes time to learn
She pretty much dropped an, “if you can play it slowly, you can play it quickly.”
Twoset fam!
#twosetviolin
LING LING
LL 40 hours
I am an unlikely Cellist as I was gifted a Cello and only recently decided to learn to play it (less than 6 months of self taught Suzuki). I played violin as a kid and never considered myself as a heavy on the vibrato type. However, immediately after learning and listening and listening to lessons to my surprise I automatically started mimicking the vibrato The Cello has such a beautiful tone and I am hamming it up on the vibrato. I want each song to sound as beautiful as possible as I mimic other cellists. As I am now on my second Suzuki book I want to improve my vibrato as I must have originally learned it on a violin and now applying it to the Cello. I vaguely remember vibrato from my childhood but for some reason the Cello brings it out naturally. Thank you for making this video. I am pleased to learn proper cello techniques.
I recently bought my first cello. I took for 3 years in elementary and then 2 more years in high school but have not touched one for over 40 years. Your videos have been very helpful
Its a joy to watch miss joy
THANK YOU SARAH!!!!!! I've been struggling with my vibrato for so long...now I get it!! I was applying a gross motor answer to a fine motor question ;-) I just finished practicing and it's a whole new ballgame, thankyou thankyou thankyou!!!!!
Oh awesome!!! I'm so glad that this video could help. Let me know if you ever have any more questions on this topic!
I have 4 essays due tomorrow.
I dont play the cello
*its 2 am*
Hope your essays go well. Go sleep 😂
yay just achieved vibrato!
Oh that's awesome!!!! :D
Sarah Joy Thanks you! Your way of explaining on how to do it is understandable and it really helped. 😊
You indeed helped us best video of vibrato so far
So happy to help!!
Thanks Sarah. You are really amazing and has a excellent way to explain!!! I love your videos!
Thank you for the encouragement!
Going to practice this on my arm, and when I get to my cello in school on Wednesday I’m trying this right away!!
Sarah, Whenever I try to do vibrato, my cello moves instead of my fingers, 😔 is there any way to fix that? Also, I keep getting nervous whenever I play and that causes me to make weird screechy noises and causes me to play faster. Do you have any tips? Thanks
Try to not pinch between your left hand thumb and fingers. Pretend like you're hanging from a tree branch. That relieves tension. Then, make sure that the cello is sitting solidly between your legs. See if that helps. :) Screechy noises are just a part of being a beginner. Practice slowly with a metronome to hold yourself accountable and focus on having a straight bow and consistent tone.
Heres a tip with the cello pretend ur holding hmmm a doornob and twisting it but back and fourth thats what it pretty much is and let me tell u it sounds BEAUTIFUL also this might not be alot but Ive been playing cello for 2 1/2 years and been practing vibrato for a month and a half so...
Sarah Joy thank you!
Hi! I'm in middle school and I play for the orchestra there, though I have a few concerns. My arms get really tired after a short amount of time when performing a song and when the song is over my arms feel so relieved. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong? Also whenever I hold my bow for a long period of time I start to get a cramp like feeling in the area between my thumb and index finger? Is THAT normal? If it is not normal how do I fix it?
also I am aware I could have just asked my director that, but I'm already here so why not get someone else's advice for a change?
+Aaliyah Ahmed It is hard to answer without seeing you play. It is normal (as a beginner) to become tired very easily. Playing the cello requires specific muscles that you have yet to develop. There is a difference, however, between fatigue and pain. If you have an area that actually hurts, then your technique could be wrong, or you could be gripping, pushing, pressing, etc.. too hard. The key is to relax whatever you are not using at that moment. Do the minimal amount of work possible.
+Sarah Joy ohhhhh I understand now! I think the pain I feel in my right hand when holding the bow is because I hold it too tight. Thanks for responding and helping me out!
Aaliyah Ahmed
Yep this happened to me and I wasn't doing anything wrong (or at least my teacher never _said_ I was doing anything wrong)
I love all your videos!!!!!!!
+arturo velazquez Thanks Arturo! That means a lot!
i've played for FOUR YEARS and i literally cannot get it... uh oh
Maddy Mensour, I know how you feel, I’ve been playing for 7 years and I just can’t seem to get it either!!! 🎼🎻
I’m almost a senior and I’ve been playing since 5th grade and I still can’t
:(
Loooool
To be a Ling Ling u need to practice 40 hours a day sis
Great! I will share this video with my students.
Oh wonderful! I hope it can help!
Sarah Joy Thank you!
Thank you so much!! I finally learned what I was doing wrong with my vibrato and fixed it!
Awesome!!! So happy to hear!
Thank you for the video! I have a question that may sound odd, but, actually, when should you try to learn vibrato? Is too early bad (say for intonation) in the long run? What I do as a beginner is practice without vibrato (until my teacher actually tackles that in her classes) and then just practice vibrato with a particular finger on a particular note to get ahead
Thanks again.
Hm.. Yes. I do think a beginner should wait a bit until starting vibrato. I know that some teachers might argue with me, but I think it causes too much tension in a beginner who already has enough to think about. And yes, intonation could also be an issue.
thanks for the reply!
Amazingly helpful! thank you very much ♥♥
+Miss Lawiet No problem :) There is a 2nd vibrato video and the 3rd is getting released today. Thank you for watching
Hello! I just wanted to know at what time cellists should be learning vibrato. Thanks! I also wanted to say how helpful your videos are to me. :)
I think it's different for each cellist. If you feel ready, begin experimenting with it. :)
great video
You are so sweet and precise.....thank you
I recently started learning the cello (about 3 weeks ago) but have been playing the violin for 8 years and have really good vibrato on there. However, when attempting cello vibrato I can get the right motion but I can only do it really slowly and can't figure out how to speed it up. Do you think I am doing something wrong?
I broke my right hand recently so can't play guitar for a month :( However I can hold and use a bow through the cast strangely enough, so I borrowed my friends 3/4 scale cello today. Coming from 11 years of guitar I have a lot of dexterity in my left hand so can already do basic scales, but this vibrato just aint happening. I take pride in my guitar vibrato (it's pretty sexy) but this is so totally different! I'll get it though. Anyway thanks :)
+Paul McDonagh you'll get it!! Most beginners don't start learning vibrato for about 2 or 3 months. You're brave 😅
Sarah Joy That or stupid haha. Thanks for the encouragement! This cello has no end pin though, so I have to use a broken off bit of a round file, and jam a lighter in the bow to give it tension because it too is broken. lol
+Sarah Joy Im thirteen but I have been playing cello for 3, almost 4 years and I just started trying to learn vibrato.
Taryn Schell VanOtterloo That's awesome! It should be a little easier for you since you've already been playing a while.
Thanks. do you have any videos on this matter. I would like to make sure I'm good on my end. Thank you so much
+Broaderick Gantt This video talks about the left hand, not the arm, but it does show the height that the arm should be at. It also talks about the "sinking in" concept. th-cam.com/video/9p9hVftn6CE/w-d-xo.html
Sarah, thanks again. By the way, do you skpe lessons?
Broaderick Gantt Yes I do! If you're interested, email me at sarahjoyrecordings@gmail.com
Thanks I am going to get a cello and this helped!
+nicole candy great!! Let me know if you ever have any questions. :)
nicole candy u are wierd and stupid
xxxSHADOW GIRLxxx you are a weeaboo
nicole candy SHUT THE FU.CK UP U LITTLE NIGGA YOUR FU.CKED UP
xxxSHADOW GIRLxxx lol arent you 11? Thats pretty explicit for someone your age
Thank you for all your videos! Very prolific! If you have a moment and feel like sharing, I am curious why we dont just raise and lower, raise and press on strings for vibrato, rather than what at my beginning level feels like much more work and much more awkward movement trying to roll my forearm and finger back and forth on strings? Admittedly I am a total beginner, only a few lessons so far with a basic acoustic cello I have.
Really, vibrato is actually a bit of a mixture between those two things. On the backwards roll, you do slightly release the pressure. That aspect is discussed a little more in part IV (if I remember correctly).
So I have a major problem. When I do vibrato, my hand always hurts and I press my fingers too hard. I am trying to get a warm, rich sound, but end up not pressing hard enough and making a screechy sound. Could you please help me with that?
🌹🌹🌹
WOW 2:55 - 3:06 was amazing what song was it?
+Gell Sutcliff If I remember correctly, I think I just made something up. Lol
Sarah Joy | doesn't matter you're still awesome 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I've been taking your advice, as well as my teacher's, and doing different practice techniques. I'm getting the hang of it when I practice it at a slow tempo, but I'm having trouble doing the rotating of the arm when I speed it up. Any tips?
+Sasha Numbers Use a metronome and practice the pulses at a steady beat. That way, you can gradually increase the metronome, and eventually, you'll be where you need to be. :)
+Sarah Joy Thank you so much!
For some reason I really struggle to do vibrato when playing a note with my pointer finger, such as an E on the d string. Any tips?
It is not easy to play vibrato with 4th finger within 3rd to 4th position( Lower Position) , it let my cello rocking up and down. Would you mind let me to know what a skill doing it a little bit improved?
Is it weird when I was trying the motion that my wrist kept making clicking sounds
I typed in both "Sarah Joy" and "vibrato" on Curious, and I couldn't find any vibrato tutorials. Have they been taken down?
Hi! Your videos are amazing but, I just switched from violin to cello 4 months ago in my junior high school orchestra and I'm trying to get the hang of shifting and vibrato. I think my shifting is coming along alright (just a little slower than I'd like), but I can't get my vibrato fast enough no matter how hard I try...Even with daily exercises it still hasn't gotten any faster. Do you have any tips on improving my vibrato? Thank you!
Faster vibrato happens with smaller movements in the hand. Try narrowing your vibrato first, and the speed will follow.
Thank you so much!
when I hold the Cello my arms get tired a lot I can play one song but when the song is over I am relieved because my arms are about to fall off. not sure if I am holding my left arm in the correct position I believe I am, but it would be hard for me to play for a long time getting fatigued so quick. I am very much open for any suggestions. and thanks a lot for your videos and taking the time out to help student.
+Broaderick Gantt Well, the cello works a lot of muscles that aren't usually used. It takes a while to build them up. For beginners, it will often take about a year to two years before it really becomes comfortable. However, if you think about sinking into the instrument instead pulling or pushing the sound out, you will find that gravity really helps. Your arms are heavier than you think. Let dead weight do its job, and relax as many muscles as you possibly can. The left arm should not be held straight out, but slightly facing down (though not all the way). I hope this helps!
You seem to shift your thumb down to vibrato on your second, third, and fourth finger. My first finger is really getting me. Is it okay if I shift my thumb up and down so it's easier for me to vibrato on my first finger?
Well, to be 100% accurate, the thumb should always remain across from finger 2.
Okay, thank you. I'm currently trying to play Scherzo by C. Webster and I'm trying to vibrato without moving my thumb on the meno mosso part.
Question: how fast do you think I can get to Grade 2? My friends say it took them 3 years to get to grade 2 (they play flute/sax), but I'm doing gcse music and I need to get up to grade 2 in at least one instrument.
I think that depends on how well and how much you practice. Having a private teacher will certainly help you move even faster.
Sarah Joy At my school we have 30 minutes a week either by ourselves or in a group of 2. I'm signing up with my friend Taniya who is also a beginner
Well I got to grade 4 and I've only played for about 4-5 months. I think playing violin previously helped, but I dunno...
Catherine M. Just make sure you practice a lot and take the time to self teach outside of class. I usually practice 1-3 hours a day, sometimes up to 5 hours even.
do you play violin as well? if so, is it easier to vibrate on violin or cello, because i play both and have an okay wrist vibrato on violin, and am just now starting vibrato on cello.
+Nasty_Nipples 123 They both require some practice, but I don 't believe one is harder than the other. Violinists actually have different types of vibrato, so there are more techniques to learn.
ok, thank you.
HEY WE ARE TWINS
+cvs4297 I believe Violin is a lot harder. I've tried playing both but I'm not very good at the Violin so I might be biased. It's just that most Violin players I know have worse vibrato than me or my fellow cellos.
Tykenolm Well, they each have their own challenges. :) I think violinists have a bit harder of a time with (like you said) vibrato, and also intonation (since the intervals are smaller). Cello, however, requires twice as much endurance.
Sarah, I struggle with the position. Any suggestions?
+Broaderick Gantt I would be happy to help! What specifically are you having trouble with?
The cello I'm using is kinda hard to press (u know what I mean) so it's really difficult to do vibrato. Is there any way to make it easier? By the way, I love your videos.
+Claressa Latia Thae The problem could be caused by one or two things. The bridge might be too tall. This causes the strings to be too far above the fingerboard which is actually very dangerous, and can cause some serious injuries (tendonitis). It could also just be an issue of building up your finger muscles. To be safe, however, I would recommend taking your cello to an instrument shop. Have them check the bridge. Good question! Thanks for watching! :)
+Sarah Joy Thanks for the advice! You're amazing!
Hi Sarah, when doing my vibrato, my cello just shakes everywhere, and it sounds horrible. I've been trying to use less tension, but nothing works.
I think I'd need to actually see you play before I could give any helpful tips. :/
Okay, thanks for replying though. c:
please, teach how to play liszt "liebestraum"
the cello version :D
Oh goodness. We'll see! haha
Hi! When you started play the cello?
+Aldana Farina when I was 5. :)
Can you do minor scales I'm new to watching your videos 😀
+Chris Braband that would good. I'll add it to the list of tutorial topics. Thanks!
But here’s the thing. I can’t do vibrato because my arms want to do the same motion. My bow wants to go crazy when I’m trying to learn vibrato. How in the hell do I overcome that?
My cello bounces up and down when I do a vibrato. Why is that and how can I stop it?
Is it resting against your chest? Also, are you holding it with your knees?
I'll try that thanks! I also think I'm pressing down too hard during the forward rotation and kind of shoving the cello. Can you do a video on vibrato in 4th position?
I've been playing 3 days without an actual instructor - why can't I do this?! *Sarcasm*
it's difficult XD
When do you think a beginner should start to learn vibrato?
+Relientdolls I'm trying to remember what my teacher did for me. I think we may have waited a little under a year, but I was very very young. That may have contributed to the wait.
I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM I NEED TO LEARN VIBRATO TODAY....
i
did anyone notice that she has a tumblr account linked
i already have a cello
Quietly Smart Whats that got to do with this...
you should play in a professional orchestra!
+nicole candy I already did that for several years, and chose to explore other options. :)
Lucky cellos its not that easy on viola
Jermaine Herrera Just saying that it is actually pretty hard for the cello, as I am sure it is for the viola. I bet pretty much anybody that doesn't play a stringed instrument would say that it 'looks easy, so it must be'. But in EVERYBODY'S defence vibrato is a relatively difficult skill to perfect in general.
I'm not blurry, I'm just tøp trash I play both cello and viola, it is a bit easier on cello than it is on viola, and I imagine, on the violin as well. you dont have to carry the weight of the instrument so your hands are able to move more freely, but yes, vibrato is a skill that takes time to learn
Well it depends on the person... But for me personally, I agree lol