Violin or cello? How to choose between them
One of them plays as his foot and shines at his sharp and his other plays as his sitting and singing at his grave. We compare posture, sound, transport, repertoire and age.
It depends especially on how you feel about the sound that moves you and how you feel about your posture. If you're attracted to the brilliant melody, you want an easy to wear instrument and you figure you play up and up, choose the violin. If you get moved by a serious and warm sound that many have with the human voice and you prefer to play sitting, select the cello.
Neither is easier: both require an unscathed tuning and an arch-built sound from the ground up. What changes is how the body relates to the instrument, and that's felt from the first class.
To sum up
- The violin holds up between his shoulder and his jaw and his cello gets his face sitting between his knees and his foot.
- The violin reads in a sun code and sounds sharp and bright and the cello reads especially in a fa code and sounds serious and warm.
- At the violin, the distances between notes are very small and at the cello they are bigger and his hand is more open.
- The violin's been put up with a bus without a problem, and the cello needs more space and transport weighs on decision.
- Both have child sizes: violin can be started from age 4 and cello from age 5 or 6.
Violin and cello, side by side
| Aspecto | Violin | Violonchelo |
|---|---|---|
| Postura | Standing or sitting, the instrument lies between the clavicle and his jaw with his left arm elevated. | The instrument goes between his knees and his foot with his pica. |
| Sonido | Acute, brilliant, leading. | Grave and warm with a sharp and expressive. |
| Retirement of the ropes | Sol, Ree, La, Mi. | Do, Sol, Ree, La, in a far more serious record. |
| Lectura | Sunset. | Fa key, and do or sun key at sharp passages. |
| Left hand | Small distances: tuning is adjusted by millimeters. | Longer distances and the hand will open with extensions. |
| Arco | Longer and lighter, with an inclination, close to his face. | Shorter and heavier, with an almost horizontal passing with an arm weight. |
| Children's pits | From 1 / 16 to 4 / 4. | From 1 / 10 to 4 / 4. |
| Transporte | That's a small case. He's loaded to his back. | A big case and a bus at high hour challenges them. |
| relative cost | More accessible as well as strings and accessories. | Major: instrument, case and string costs more. |
| Age of Orientation Initiation | From age 4 with a play focus. | Since I was 5 or 6. |
Posture: The difference that felt most
At the violin, the challenge is to hold the instrument without tightening. The head barely rests on the miner, his shoulder does not rise and his left arm turns inward so that his fingers get to the diapason. Many beginners accumulate tension at his neck and shoulder, and his teacher dedicated his first classes to finding the right height of his pad and his miner.
The body is more open at the cello: sitting at the edge of his chair with his feet well supported and his instrument bowed onto his chest. The arms work at a more natural height. Typical mistakes are a pica maltidado, that leaves his instrument very high or very low, and a left thumb that tightens behind his mast.
If you have prior neck or shoulder problems, tell your teacher before deciding: the sitting posture of the cello looks more comfortable to some people, but with good technique both instruments are touched without pain.
Sound and Repertoire: What will you play
The violin is the sharp voice of the orchestra, spread between first and second violins. It has one of the largest soloist repertories that exist, from Baroque concerts to Romantics, and an enormous life outside of the classic: tango, camera music, folklor from many countries and, in Colombia, traditions such as that of the Caucasian violins.
The cello holds the serious of the orchestra and the string quartet but also sings long melodies in the midterm register. The cello's only suites are a classic that accompanied the student for years, and the instrument appears more and more in sound bands, versions of pop songs and contemporary music.
A trick to decide: listen to the same play played by a violinist and a shelist and check out which of the two sounds you want to hear every day at your place.
Do you have a violin if... or choose cello if...
Choose the violin if...
- Can you imagine with the melody, an orchestra or as a solo player.
- You move by public transport and you need a light instrument.
- That's for a 4 or 5 year old that's gonna start playing with his family with his and her.
- You are attracted to folklor, tango or camera music with a great deal of prominence.
I chose cello if...
- That's how bad your sound moves and you like the idea of keeping up with harmony.
- You'd rather play sitting with your arms at a more natural height.
- You can solve car transport or have class at home.
- You have a corner with a firm chair and space for an instrument.
Can you see what's been worked on [violin class]](/clases/violin) and [cello cello classes]](/clases/violoncello)With home or virtual classes, cello doesn't have to leave his place for his class, and that's how much of his transport problem's been solved in Bogotá.
For children: age and size
Both instruments are made in fractional sizes that grow with the child. In the violin, the teacher measures his arm spread and in the cello, height and sitting position. A tool that's too big is the most common cause of tension and frustration, so it's wrong to buy "a bigger one to last."
With the smaller ones, the violin has the advantage that you can start a little earlier and that it's easy to get him to class. The cello wants some more mature to hold his posture sitting and an adult to help move him. To choose the measure, check how to choose your first cello or guide to choose your first violin and its size.
If you'll have to change later
To shift from violin to cello or otherwise, it's more common than it looks. They get their ears transferred to tuning without cuts, rhythmic reading, the idea of building sound with the arch and the discipline of practice. What we have to learn again is posture, how to hold the arch, the distances from the left and, from violin to the cello, reading in code of fa.
If you love violin but you want a darker sound without changing posture, there's an intermediate point: Viola. We tell you his differences in [Violín or Viola]](/blog/violin-o-viola-diferencias).
Frequently asked questions
What's more difficult, violin or cello?
They have different difficulties. At violin, tuning is more thin because the distances are small and posture requires to release their necks and shoulder. At cello, the left hand will open more and the instrument will be bigger to manage. To most, motivation weighs more than difficulty.
What sounds best when you're starting?
The two sound at first. At the violin the sound remains very close to the ear, so the first few months are felt more stressful and the cello, by its serious record, usually looks more gentle to the family.
Can you start cello as an adult?
Yes. Many adults start cello attracted by their sound and their sitting posture is comfortable with them. with constant practice they play simple and beautiful repertoire in a few months.
That cello's the same as that pounding?
No. The bottom is bigger and more serious, it's his foot and his high bench and his place and his place and his place. The cello's his place and his place.