How to choose your first cello: size, arch and cover
The size of the cello will be tested sitting and with the pica adjusted. What to check with instrument and arch, how to move and how to rent rather than buy.
To choose your first cello, start with the size, and try them sitting on an appropriate high chair with an adjusted pic. If the Do stick remains close to the left ear, the knees touch the cello body and the left hand gets to the first place without stretching, it's the right size. Adults usually use 4 / 4; children, broken sizes that change with growth.
Then check the tuning (bridge, ropes and soul), the arch and how you're going to transport it. And if your child's growing up, think about renting or buying used before new.
To sum up
- The size is confirmed sitting: Do's clamp close to his left ear and knees in contact with his cello body.
- A flat chair with no arms and with the right height is a part of the team.
- He asked if the cello was adjusted by a luthier: bridge, soul and height of ropes defined if it could be touched.
- For children growing up, renting, borrowing or buying used, it's usually more sensible than buying new.
- padded cover if you move it straight and on foot; rigid case if you travel or share transport with other instruments.
Cello pits: a height guide
| Size | Approximate height | Approximate age |
|---|---|---|
| 1 / 10 and 1 / 8 | less than 1.05 m | 4 to 5 years |
| 1/4 | 1.05 to 1.20 m | 5 to 7 years |
| 1/2 | 1.20 to 1.35 m | 7-10 years |
| 3/4 | 1.35 to 1.50 m | 10 to 12 years |
| 4/4 | More than 1.50 m | From age 12 to 13 and adults |
Age serves little: two 9-year-old children may require different sizes. What they require is height, length of legs and arms, and size of their left hand. There are also 7 / 8, less common, for low-height adults or small hands.
The sitting test: chair, pica and posture
Before judging the cello, fix the chair with a chair too high or too low, any size looks wrong.
The chair
- A flat and firm seating with no back inclination and no arms.
- A height that leaves his thighs parallel to his ground or a little tipsy forward with his feet flat onto his ground.
- Sitting at the front half of the seat, without lying down.
- For children, a lower chair or a adjustable bench, never an adult chair with his feet hanging.
The cello in place
- Take out the pica till the upper edge of the cello's bottom leapt to his chest at his sternum.
- Do's clamp, that of the most serious string, should be put close to his left ear without touching it.
- The knees gently touch the lower edges of the body and hold them without tightening.
- The left hand arrives at first place with a comfortable arm, and the arch passes between the diapason and the bridge without framing with his right knee.
If even with an apes about to have been put up the mast remains above your shoulder, the cello is great. If you get out the whole apes and the instrument remains low, or your knees exceed your body, it's small.
You will also require a top or anchor for pica: prevents the floor from slipping and protecting from wood or tile.
What to review in the instrument: bridge, soul and more
| Parte | What should have | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Puente | Right, perpendicular to cover with well supported feet | Inclination to the diapason, combated or with his feet off |
| Reg height | Easy to press, without the ropes scattering the diapason | Exceeding high at the end of the diapason, or buzzes |
| Alma | Instead, close to the foot of the bridge at the end of the La | Something loose inside the cello as we move it |
| Nipples and microtuning machines | They turn soft and hold up tuning and four microtuning machines help the beginner | Wipes that are returned or microtuner that scattering the cover |
| Pica | He goes and goes soft, his screw blocks and his end's complete. | Stretch that scattering or scrolling screw |
| Cuerpo | Without cracks and with closed seams | Fears close to the effes or the pica button |
| Diapason | ebony or hard wood, smooth | Diapason with or with furrows |
The studio cheeses sometimes come from factory with an uncarved bridge or misplaced soul. He wants to know if they have a luthier setting and if they have to do so before first class.
The wolf note isn't a defect.
A note, often around the Fa or Fa held onto the Sun's string, that stammers or vibrates in an unusual way. It's called a wolf's note and doesn't mean that the instrument's damaged. A wolf's suppressor, a small piece that puts itself onto a string between the bridge and the string, usually controls it.
The cello arch
It's shorter, thicker and heavier than violin with a bigger nut. Check:
- A straight face as you look at her from the end with her natural curve to the bristles.
- Clean and matching dregs, with no pitted areas.
- Stretch and loosen and unjammed screw.
- For children, carbon fibre holds better blows and falls and Brazil's wood is a classic study choice.
He uses a pounding and pounding and his pounding and his pounding are too soft. A new arch needs several pounding and pounding after his sound. The way to get his pounding is explained in how to hold his bow.
Fold or case: how are you going to move it?
| padded cover | Rigid case | |
|---|---|---|
| Protection | A good fight with rayons and light blows | High: protects bridge and body from beating and crushing |
| Weight and volume | Liviana | Loading and burdensome |
| Transporte | Retirement strap and a practice to walk and get up to the car | Many have tires and best for long trips |
| To whom | Children attending class or school | Whoever travels or leaves his cello with other instruments |
Choose what you choose and check that you have an arch pocket that protects the tip. In Bogotá, to move with a cello by public transport is uncomfortable, so you plan to ride: by car you lie at the back chair with nothing above them. Never leave him in a car closed to the sun. More care how to care for a cello.
To rent, borrow or buy
A child that starts at 1 / 4 can go through two or three sizes before reaching 4 / 4. That's why it's worth thinking about different options to buy new:
- Rental: some luthiers and shops rent fractional sizes. He asked if rental allowed to change size and what happened in case of damage.
- Loan: Some school orchestras and training programs give tools to their students and ask them at the school.
- Used: buy used and resell or exchange while changing size is common among families of shelists. Do so first.
- New: makes more sense with 4 / 4, or 3 / 4 that the student will use for several years.
Frequently asked questions
At how old can you start playing cello?
There are very small cheeses for children from 4 to 5 and many start from 6 to 8. More than age matter co-ordination and gain. If you still doubt between instruments, check [violin or cello]](/blog/violin-o-violonchelo-cual-elegir).
What size cello an adult uses?
Almost all adults use 4 / 4. Some low-height people or small hands feel better with a 7 / 8, which exists though it's less common and more difficult to get.
Do you serve an electrical cello to learn?
Silent electrical celos are useful to practice without disturbing but the response of the arch and the sensation of the body change. To learn an acoustic suit, and the electrical remains as a complement.
How do I know my son already needs a bigger cello?
Check his posture every six months or so. If even with all his pits out his cello remains low, if his knees exceed his body or if his left hand felt tight, it's time to consult with his teacher.