Playing the cello is the dream of many people, however, it is not precisely one of the simplest things in the world, since we are dealing with a very complex instrument that must be learned to play in a very correct way in order to be good at it.
The cello is from the same family as the violins, being identical to it in appearance, but much larger. This instrument is the second largest instrument in the violin family, just behind the double bass. In this way, playing the cello will be difficult due to its size.
The cello is very large and therefore it stands up next to you and is played. It is not like the violin that you can put it on top of, but it is an instrument that is too heavy and too big to put it on your shoulders.
The good thing about this instrument is how good it sounds and how many uses it has in music. In this way, we can see it in orchestras, we can see it at festivals and, in short, we can see it almost anywhere without any doubt. For example, it is used to compose soundtracks as one of the main instruments and it is also used to achieve a deeper melody than violin or viola.
The cello or cello is not easy to play, but if you learn to play, you will not only be able to be a musical artist and have a great time, but among other things, the doors of the world of work will open for you.
This instrument is always in demand in orchestras and conservatories, so it could ensure an artistic career in the musical world. In this way, if you learn to play the cello in the correct way, you will be able to be a person with many skills for this task.
If you have a good teacher, you pay attention to all the advice and above all, if you have perseverance and love for what you do, you will be able to learn to play this instrument in a relatively short time, even if you haven’t played an instrument in your life right now.
If you want to learn how to play this fantastic instrument once and for all, don’t move from here, because you are in the right place. Pay close attention from now on, as we are going to see step by step how to play this instrument and how to do it in the easiest way possible.
Instructions for playing the cello
- The score: The first thing we should know when playing an instrument like this is obviously how the score works. The score is like the book that we have to see to play the song, which will allow you to play the song not only with the cello, but with almost any instrument. The score has, let’s say, its own language that only musicians understand, in which the notes are developed on a staff, which is like a kind of score with five lines and four spaces. The bad thing about this is that you have to understand many things, such as the staff, the keys, the rests and the sharps, in order to know how to do everything correctly. Here we will see part by part, so that in this way, you can learn to play this instrument in the correct way.
- Pentagram: The first part of all is the pentagram, which is divided into five lines and four spaces. In each line and space, put a note, which will go on the scale of the seven notes, but with its treble and bass included. Now we have to look at the clef of the staff, which will tell us where the notes go. The best known is the treble clef and the one we have learned at school. We also have to see the sharps, in which we will see that the notes are a little longer than normal and these are shown with pads. The staff is always filled and divided into several pages, which we must have open at all times.
- Notes: The notes are the different tones of the song that we must play. Not only do we have to know which note is which (something we know by placing them on the staff with respect to the clef), but we also have to know the duration of the note. A whole note is the largest note and it is a kind of circle, the white one is half round and it is a whole note with a stick, the black one is half white and it is the same as the white one but white and so on with the eighth and sixteenth notes .
- Time signature: The time signature is the length and rhythm of the song. A measure can be one to four beats, and the measure is indicated by a fraction next to the clef. The notes are marking the compass, since a round is 1 in the measure and the others as you go down are half, for example a white is half a measure and a black a quarter.
- Learn to play the instrument: Now you know how to interpret a score, which will allow you to read the musical notes in a simple way with any instrument. However, this is far from all, since to learn to play the cello correctly, you will have to learn something else. This instrument has a string system and is played with a bow, but you must know things like the placement of the bow and how to play it, as well as the location of the notes. The way to do this is by following a few steps, which will gradually teach you how to play all of this.
- Find a teacher: Playing the cello isn’t like playing a recorder, so you can’t just teach it to anyone. What you should do is look for a teacher who understands the subject, who can advise you on how to play better and on how to improve on this instrument. For example, you can sign up for a conservatory or look for a person who knows how to do this, something that will help you to play this instrument better. Once you are signed up, pay close attention to what the teacher tells you and follow the letter, since in this way, you will learn to play the cello in the most correct way possible.
- Polish details: Now that you have a teacher to teach you the placement and location of the notes, it’s time to go polish details when playing. Try to get a good grip on the instrument and practice a lot, so as not to go out of tune. Playing the cello is not the same as being an expert, so you are going to have to refine the details little by little until you get a master’s degree.
- Practice a lot: Finally, we must bear in mind that practice makes perfect and that we must practice a lot if we want to achieve great mastery. Without a doubt, the path of the cello is a complicated path, but without a doubt an interesting one, since if you learn to play it correctly, you can even fill auditoriums if you have talent, so who knows.