Help learning cello

[giannalinda]

Hey guys...
I got a cello yesterday and i really wanna learn to play it. Can anybody teach my the basics and maybe why i cant seem to get much of a sound out of it even if i press really hard? I put on a bunch of rosin. so please help.
Abbey

[ggraeme]

By way of b/g I've been playing the piano and cello for decades and am a reasonably strong player.

It's certainly possible to learn the cello(!) but there really is no substitute for a good teacher at the outset - doesn't need to be tons of lessons, nor even highly frequent, but perhaps taking two or three sessions with perhaps a week in between to start off would be good.  That way you can hope to stave off the worst bad habits (it took me 3 years to relearn after the first enthusiastic 6 months).

As for making a big sound, it's not so much about pushing hard on the strings, nor about using tons of rosin, but more about 'drawing' the bow across/through the strings.  This is done with arm weight, and hence requires lots of relaxation (otherwise you end up holding the arm up with your muscles!), with the impetus being thought as coming from the back and the shoulders (not that different really from the piano, save for the direction of motion).  Indeed, if you push down hard on the string you'll be killing the sound by dampening the string's tendency to vibrate.

Find a good teacher in your area -- it's perfectly kosher to ask for a trial lesson (not free, but makes it easier to not continue with that person if the first interactions aren't ideal), remembering that there's no one teacher who's great for every student.

It's a great instrument to play -- lots of opportunities for continuo stuff, and a wide repertoire (portability on double decker buses isn't as great as for a violin, but it's a far easier string instrument to learn in the earlier years).  One amusing but valuable image for the left hand that Tortelier used to promote is to think of it playing the piano, and then to rotate the fingerboard up to it's normal playing position and keep the same relaxed fluidity in the arm and finger motion.

Bon chance.

[keys60]

OR.....what kind of cello is it and how well is it set up? I see too many people buying the 200 ebay special which is basically a cello shaped object. No offense, just an inquiry. If you can, take the cello to a luthier or violin shop and have it checked out. Celli need to be professionally set up or they can cause plenty of frustration and heartache.