How to Rent Your Cello (specifically for adult learners)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
- The most common pain point stopping people from pursuing the cello: How to get ahold of a cello! I always recommend renting your first cello, but I know that can be intimidating for a lot of people (it was for me!).
So today we're going on a field trip to Benning Violins in Los Angeles, California where I will talk with owner Eric Benning about all the fine points of renting your first cello. I made this video with the hope that after watching it you will feel ready to pull the trigger and get started on your cello journey!
Benning Violins: www.benningviolins.com
Cello in 30 Days: The Ultimate Beginner Course
www.adultcello.com/courses
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
00:00 Field trip
00:58 Rental process & what to bring
1:28 Will I be judged?
2:31 What comes in a rental outfit?
3:38 7/8 cello rental
4:35 Okay, rent to start...then what?
6:34 Red flags with rental cellos
9:40 Renting vs. Buying a $200 cello online
10:51 I'm new to this, do I have to play in front of anyone at the shop?
Great work thanks guys. I often suggest that smaller adults get a hold of a 7/8 as well, this ain't the Tchaikovsky competition, nobody will be disqualifying anyone here. From the teacher's side of it, it's a crack up that nearly ALL adults beginners feel like they are wasting our time or something and at the shop as well it looks like. The reality of it is, adults are often very welcome as Eric says because it feels good to work with people who are by definition self-motivated, plus we need the business. We don't just sit around at the top of a mountain waiting for the next prodigy to appear before us holding a bucket of water in each hand!
Woah this is almost telepathy! This very Saturday I'm going to a music store to rent my first cello and this video is goig to be incredibly helpful! Thanks Billy for sharing your experience!
Thanks so much and congrats on getting started on your cello journey!
Hi Billy, thanks for sharing this video, learned a lot. I am a beginner cello learner and I was way older than you when I started learning the cello. I owned my cello when one of my best friends was switching cello and she sold her old one to me 15 years ago (and in my city, rent an instrument is not popular, to purchase one is so what easier than to rent). However I could only pick up and learn to play cello when I was 51 after my parents passed away 3 years ago (I used to be a carer of them and have no time to start playing) .
I love the sound of the cello, it sounds like a baritone sings when playing. I am also a vocalist, a bel canto singer however I am not able to sing after my parents passed away BUT I've found the sound of the cello can relief my grief although I still play sucks. Your videos inspire and encourage me to keep playing even though my tone and intonation still sounded horrible, I still keep practicing. I know I don't need to play like Mr. Yo-yo Ma but I enjoy the playing and learning process that keeps me feeling young.
Can you share any experience in a video of how to purchase a cello and bow, new or 2nd handed? Any tips of buying one since we are not always having a "honest" instrument shop nearby and I have heard so much about how instrument shop sold "over valued" instruments to beginners. I think that buying a string instrument nowadays is not cheap anywhere in the world and this is an issue to adult learners consideration whether they really want to start learning since the instrument is no longer "paid by parents" and is paid by our own pockets, ha ha. And yes, to try a cello at the shop is scary especially my playing is still at the kindergarten level and at my age... ... Thank you.
HI Lisa! Thank you so much for your comment and I'm happy to hear that you are finding enjoyment and healing through the cello. That is a great topic for a video and I will definitely plan to make it in the near future. I totally understand where you are coming from and you are right to be wary of just going into any violin shop and always expecting a fair deal. I really appreciate you sharing your story and I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying you cello journey!
Super helpful, thank you!
Excellent video! I wish I had this when I started renting three and a half years ago! I remember going through 3 cellos in a month with a general music store before I found my local string shop. I dealt with everything from popped strings to bent/warped bridges. Most of the employees were guitar guys who had no idea what to do with them. For anyone who reads this, I'd say definitely take advantage of your shop's rental credit deal if they have one. Some like mine can be very generous. (100% of the first year and 20% subsequently) I'm planning on buying my first cello this summer and I'm very excited about it!
I know I've felt sheepish while testing instruments in the past. Once, I even had a professional cellist in the next room playing Elgar to test out cellos, while I sat there playing a Minuet from Suzuki book 1 haha. I myself have found that if I come in with scales and a couple of short pieces that I know well, I feel better because it's less about playing a song and more about finding your voice as he said so eloquently. I've found that despite the prestige of my shop, the people who work there are very nice and treat everyone equally. They realize that we all start somewhere and like Eric said, they often think it's cool that an adult is pursuing an instrument later in life. It shows dedication and good work ethic. Keep up the great work Billy! Your videos are amazing!
Thanks so much for your message, that's so exciting that you'll be buying your first cello soon! I'm so glad to hear your story, and thank you again for the kind words! :)
I rented to buy a cello I saw over a long period and bought it.
I recently rented a cello recently when I was away and had not brought my instrument along with me.
Great video! I like the part that goes, "Look! Yo-Yo Ma, couldn't play this cello!" Very informative.
Thanks so much! Yeah, Eric Benning is fantastic!
Very nice video. It would be nice to see more about the instrument side of playing the cello. For example: What should I do about my endpin that doesn’t fit properly? Is it a serious problem. And how much can I fiddle with my cello? And such …
There weren’t any music stores with many options in my city. First I found the teacher, the music “school” she was working at was selling various kinds of instruments. Mostly guitars, ukuleles... There were only 2 cellos. At that time, I knew nothing about cellos. I picked the color I liked.😂 It was about 350 dollars. Now I’m constantly thinking whether my cello is good enough or not.
I totally understand how you're feeling! Maybe you could find an online shop that will ship cellos to you to allow you to try them. I think the best way to know if your cello is a good fit is probably to compare it to some others in person.
@@adultcello Thank you for the video and the answer!
@@aysenurb3083 My pleasure!
Thanks that was informative, I still have a questions is there a website that has recommendations for setup standards , mainly for string height off the edge of the finger board for each string C,G,D,A , scale length , bridge placement , measurement of proper neck bow ECT. The places where I live seem to want you to rent very substandard instruments to later pay for decent but over inflated instruments . I've been playing and setting up electric basses and guitars for a long time but a website or book with standards for viol instruments could be very useful.
Hi! I don't know of a website myself, and also I think there is some expertise involved that goes along with the measurements themselves. since there can be so much variation from cello to cello. There's a series of books by Henry Strobel that you might look into, although I should mention that I haven't read them nor know if they have a good reputation or not. Hope that helps!
Thanks I'll see if I can find them online or library. I used to have a Book "The physics of music " I might have to find that too
I don’t have any shops near me that offer cello rental or for purchase.I’m looking for recommendations for online cello rental websites. If any of you guys have any suggestions that would be great
Does a person have to be a student to rent an instrument or could they just want to play? I've never played an instrument before, but I have been wanting to play either a violin or a cello. Eventually I would use it for my church once I learned how to play.
After watching this again , any instrument bought or rented at a store should be setup , it's really not that difficult.