The cello has been and IS a major component of my life and identity. Seeing as this blog is a space in which I share what inspires me, I wanted to also share my love of music. My love for the cello started at a young age and through the works of God, I was actually given the opportunity to learn to play it (You can read my story and testimony on what the cello has done for me HERE.)
There are so many people who learn that I play the cello and a statement that immediately follows goes something like this, “That is so cool, I wish I could play the cello!”
Well, I’m a strong believer in the saying that “nothing is impossible” and “you’re never too late.” I truly think that this life is a blessing and a gift and you should never tell yourself “no” especially if it’s something that you want to try! If you think that the cello is cool and you want to learn to play it, I would strongly encourage you to try to take it up!! There are many avenues for renting the instrument as well thousands of resources online for teaching you the basics!
Now, you came to this post because you were curious about the cello, so let me tell you a little about it!
The cello has four strings: A, D, G, C. These strings are tuned by the corks located at the top of the cello and fine tuned by the screws located towards the bottom of the cello. Personally, tuning the cello is the only part I dislike about playing it, I always fear that the strings will pop right in my face!
You can play the cello in different ways (especially when you start getting into new-agey and experimental techniques, thanks governor’s school) but the majority of cello playing is done by plucking the strings or by playing on the strings with a bow. The cello bow is made of horsehair.
To get your cello to play beautiful notes, you have to coat your bow hairs with rosin. Rosin is a hardened version of pine sap that creates a stickiness between the bow hair and the strings of the cello to produce vibrations that will create the beautiful sounds!
I came from a background of having learned how to play the piano so I do believe I had a bit of an advantage when I finally learned to play the cello. This was because I had the ability to sight-read and knew the progression of the notes and could follow along on the cello as I would a piano.
The hardest skill I had to learn with playing the cello was vibrato. This is when you manipulate your fingers while you’re playing to produce a wavy tone that is absolutely beautiful when played correctly. I had to practice this skill for over a year before I finally got it down!
Playing the cello (and really playing any instrument) will teach amazing skills such as patience, perseverance, diligence, etc. You have to be very dedicated and passionate about learning how to play the cello to succeed, but once you do get past the hard parts, it is an absolutely amazing and exhilarating experience to play the cello!
I really hope you were able to learn something about the cello from this post!!! It was definitely very different from what I usually write about but I loved letting y’all get a glimpse of this part of my life :)
13 comments
I tried (and failed) the violin when I was in school, so I think it really is cool that you play the cello!
ReplyDeleteI grew up taking piano and guitar lessons, but music was never my calling (I didn't have the heart for it). You have an incredible story with the cello though!! I didn't know any of these facts about it! :) So cool to learn more about this!
ReplyDeletexoxo A
www.southernbelleintraining.com
This is beautiful. I was in concert band growing up and drumline in high school. I just miss it so much some days. I would love to learn a string instrument someday!
ReplyDeletexoxo, Paige
www.midwesterncharmbblog.com
What a cool thing! Violin is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love the way the cello sounds! I almost chose that over the violin lol- and I agree about the vibrato it took me a good while to master it.
ReplyDeleteLove the cello! I didn't like playing the violin in school because it hurt my neck; the cello is way more comfortable.
ReplyDelete-Emily
http://norepeatsorhesitations.com
It is seriously so cool that you play the cello! I used to play the french horn back in school, and loved the cello and decided to give it a try once. It def did not work out for me, but I have so much respect for those that can play string instruments!
ReplyDeletethe cello is so beautiful, I love music its the best!!! You are so lucky you can play instruments.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so awesome! I’m not very good at things related to music. But I always thought the cello was super cool!
ReplyDeleteGood advice for anyone who "wishes they could play the cello." Also side note, LOVE your cello dress!!
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat that you play the cello! I used to play the violin, and loved learning about the cello.
ReplyDeleteI find the cello to be such a beautiful instrument. Wish I could play it!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved the cello. I think it's such a beautiful instrument!
ReplyDelete