Basic info about a Cello

The cello is a bowed string instrument, which is also known as violoncello. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist or a violoncellist. In order to become a better cellist, here's some few tips

CLEANING YOUR CELLO

Your cello should be dusted off once a week, or just before a performance. Use a slightly damped cotton cloth. If you have rosin build up that won't come off with a damp cloth, use a very small amount of commercial violin polish. Do not spray your cello with silicone or wax.

STORING YOUR CELLO You should store your cello in a place where it's not likely to be knocked around. It is not necessary to put your cello in its case, unless you will be traveling with it. In fact, putting the cello in and out of its case more often than necessary will lead to unwanted scratches. If you will be away from your cello for several weeks or months, it may be wise to loosen the strings a little bit, but not all the way, lest the bridge fall off.

THE BRIDGE You should examine the bridge once a week to make sure that it is nearly perpendicular to the belly of the cello. If it slants too much it could snap in half, or be pulled over by the tension of the strings. You may adjust the bridge by loosening the strings slightly and grasping the bridge firmly with both hands, moving it into correct position.

THE ENDPIN When you place your cello down make sure the endpin is not sticking out where some careless person may kick it accidentally and send your cello flying. Some cellists sharpen the endpin to a fine point and stick it in the wood floor or carpet when they perform. This may be dangerous, and is bad for the floor. Instead I recommend an endpin holder with an adjustable strap, such as the Xeros Anchor

THE BOW Keep your bow in a safe place. Don't leave it where it may be sat upon or knocked to the floor. If you have a soft cello case, you should insert a pvc pipe into the bow holding pocket, just large enough for your bow, and this will protect your bow from a nasty knock when you are traveling. Do not engage in pretend sword fights with other cellists. Do not tap your bow on your music stand as a form of applause. You may very easily crack or break your bow. Loosen the tension on your bow when you are not using it. Never over-tighten your bow. Make it just tight enough that when you play the hair does not normally touch the bow stick.

PEGS There is no substitute for pegs that fit well. If they don't fit well, your pegs will either slip or stick. It doesn't help much to use chalk or peg slipping compound. Find a luthier to ream out the holes for your pegs, and make them work right. Gut or nylon strings may be fine tuned with the pegs alone, but steel strings require fine-tuners on the tail piece.

SCRATCHES Over the years some scratching is inevitable.If you have a very large nasty looking scratch, take your cello to a good luthier to be touched up. If your cello is a cheap student instrument, it doesn't really matter too much what you do to it. If it is an expensive antique, leave it for experts.

CRACKS It is not possible for the average cellist to fix a crack. Your cello may crack in the seams, or anywhere. Take it to a good luthier to be repaired.

CLIMATE

Do not store your cello in extreme hot or cold locations since your instrument is made of wood, it could crack, warp, or the varnish could melt. If you live in a dry climate, you may want to consider using a humidifier made for cellos .Weather, temperature and level of humidity affect every cello. Cracks may develop from either high or low humidity. A good expensive cello should not be used outdoors. Keep your cello at home in a room with a level temperature and humidity, if possible. Some cellist place humidifiers inside their cellos, through the f holes, but these are not really necessary or very effective. Get your cello a thick padded case that will help moderate temperature changes when you travel with it.

TRANSPORTATION Always be careful when you travel around. You can get a soft case if you don't travel around too much, you can get one with lots of thick padding to moderate temperature changes. Hard cases are heavier than bags, as long as it is hard on the outside, and grips your cello firmly on the inside.

How to varnish your Cello?

Varnish is like the living skin of an instrument and is an integral part of its structure and identity. It protects the wood from moisture, abrasion and dirt and so needs to be treated with care and respect. Handle your cello by the neck wherever possible to avoid touching the varnish. Every time you touch your varnish, a little varnish is removed and a little dirt is deposited. Get your varnish re-touched if it is wearing through. Certain areas of the cello are subjected to heavy wear, particularly the shoulder on the treble side and the edgework on the cello front where the cello rests on the floor. If your varnish is wearing thin in these places it is important to have it re-touched before the unprotected areas of wood are damaged or begin to wear away. Don’t worry about small scratches. Don’t be tempted to try to camouflage scratches yourself as this may compromise subsequent re-touching by a luthier. Small scratches will gradually become obscured by dirt which can easily be removed if you wish to have them re-touched. Benign neglect is better than polish. It is best to clean varnish with a soft dry duster and avoid using commercial polishes, most of which either remove original varnish or leave a permanent residue on the instrument which will build up over the years. If your cello is intolerably sticky or dirty, a skilled luthier will make a careful and informed job of cleaning it for you. If you can’t resist polishing your cello, we produce a safe, reversible polish which can easily be removed by a luthier and will not damage your varnish.

How much do you know about the Cello Bow?

The bow should always be straight. The bow should feel comfortable in your hand. Gradually your bow hair does wear out. The hank of selected hairs is then bound together and held into each end of the bow with wedges to form an even ribbon of hair. This is a very skilled job so a good re-hair is not particularly cheap, but the results are worth it. Bad re-hairs can damage your bow or come undone in the middle of a performance. Allow time for your re-hair to play in. Fresh bow hair won’t hold rosin properly at first and can sound very rough. Apply a balanced loading of rosin and prepare to spend an hour playing it in, though fifteen minutes of aggressive open string chords is usually enough to clear the worst of the roughness from a new re-hair. Make sure your bow is comfortable to hold. Many cellists prefer a short re-hair which leaves the hair only just slack when the adjuster is fully unwound. A short re-hair ensures that the frog stays close to the thumb grip when the bow is tightened and also means that the balance point of the stick stays close to the player’s hand, avoiding the bow feeling tip-heavy when playing. Another advantage of a short re-hair is that it allows for the tendency of hair on a cello bow to stretch in use. Some cellists get a leather flap fitted to the thumb grip to protect their thumb from the sharp edge of the frog. Others thread a pierced rubber thimble or section of rubber tubing over the stick to increase the size and comfort of the stick and to cushion the thumb. All such techniques prevent damage to the bow stick from the thumb nail. Clean your bow stick with a dry duster to remove rosin dust which will otherwise build up on your bow. The bow should be routinely cleaned when it is re-haired. Avoid touching the bow hair with your hands as grease from your fingers will attract dirt and stop the rosin from sticking to the bow hair.