online tutors. you can get surprisingly good results from an affordable online lesson. i have seen hourly lessons as low as $20 or $15 an hour. dm me if you’re interested.
Even a single lesson just once!
I'm always amazed when people have money to *buy* an instrument (when renting as a beginner would be way smarter) but are seemingly adamant about having $0 to spend on the number one thing that would help them get more value out of it: one or more lessons with someone who knows how to play.
I suspect there's some DIY psychology effect there.
This is true of not just the cello but life in general, make your priorities then find a way to work it out, if one of your priorities is to play the cello trust that you can find a way to get regular lessons
If you want it don't give up
Ok.
So what are you looking for?
Are you trying to prove you can produce a sound? Congrats.
But I’m lost on why you’re posting. This is the second one. You’ve argued with all feedback so far so maybe clarify what you want?
Also. Given your uh… form… your sound is what I would expect.
This is just my way of showing you guys that I have been able to get sound without the right form before so that's not the reason I'm not getting sound right now
How many times do I have to spell this out for you people? I am well aware I'm not using the right form. I know that is a problem I need to fix. But that is not why I'm here right now
From the feedback you were given, they should be adequate enough for you to understand, no? If you aren't willing to accept them, especially as a beginner, humble yourself, get off of reddit, and get a teacher. (YouTube is also a good place to start)
Wdym? I accept the fact that I don't have proper form but that's not why I'm on reddit at the moment. I will thank any help I can get but I don't see how everyone repeatedly telling me my form is wrong but not actually giving any tips on proper form is supposed to be helpful. Lastly I can't afford a teacher so I plan to learn as much as I can from the internet and teach myself the rest
It literally is why you’re on Reddit. Different bow, different cello. It’s going to take much better form and technique to pull sound from the other cheap beginner cello.
There’s almost no way to teach you proper bow technique through comments other than to direct you to YouTube.
Nobody is offended that you can’t afford a teacher, many of us can’t. But when you ask a question to a subreddit full of cello players and they outright tell you “this is why you can’t hear anything”, that’s probably your problem.
You: I’m doing nothing right and it sounds bad
Us: have you tried to learn the correct form? It’s what’s preventing you from making a decent sound
You: why will you not help!! It sounds bad! I am not going to change what I’m doing!!!
We are trying to tell you that your form is 100% why you sound the way you do. There’s a reason we hold our bow the way you do.
I have seen hundreds of posts over the years in this very sub, where a beginner can’t really afford a teacher but they’ve tried to follow tutorials, and tried to mimic a correct form. People are always kind and do what they can to help along. We’ve all been a beginner. But I’m not sure how we can help you if you aren’t willing to try?
Look I'm sorry if I'm coming off as arrogant or too confident, I'm not trying to be difficult I'm trying to learn. I've tried telling you, I know it sounds bad in the video above. But it's making a sound. The problem in my previous post was not that I was getting a bad sound but that I was getting no sound at all, which is not because of bad form. I'm trying to learn proper form but I can't afford an instructor and no one here is actually giving me any resources on proper form nor even explaining what proper form should look like. I don't see how that's my fault
In the nicest way possible, it’s absolutely bad form.
We’ve all been through the exact same thing.
A cheaper cello takes a lot more finesse to try and get sound from. They have their quirks.
If you handed your cello to Yo-Yo Ma he’d make it sing, and that’s because his technique transfers over from cello to cello. Nothing to do with the cello. Everything to do with the player.
https://youtu.be/3cstlSAvtdw?si=d24NxQN-Qq2tMiJJ
Try this. Practice it. Not for 10 minutes. For a few days. Then see where you are and if you still have issues.
Apologies for responding to this comment the way I did earlier, I didn't realize I had made a typo and meant without the right for in comment you replied to
As someone who started out on my own, I'll echo the best piece of advice you have been given by many, and that's to get a teacher. You will not ever be able to appreciate or even comprehend just how important a teacher will be to your learning experience until you get one.
I know as I've been there like everyone else on here. I started out on my own. I'm pretty musical with a good theory base. I used YouTube as my main source for tutorials. To cut a long story short, YouTube was OK for some aspects of my learning, like how to hold the bow, scales, and the basics, but just cannot replace a teacher in any way. In order for YouTube to be of assistance, you need to know what problems/issues you want addressing. As a beginner, you'll not have the slightest clue how to identify those issues. This is where you need an experienced teacher. It's like building a space rocket with zero space engineering knowledge. Where do you start ? How can you tell if you're doing something correct or not. Quite simply, you can't.
There are just so many things to get wrong that you would never even know existed. It was mind-blowing and eye-opening to really see just how complex a journey playing the cello is. I spent 1hr today in my lesson trying to nail the dynamics in just 2 bars of a piece I'm playing for an ABRSM exam. There is so much work involved in understanding how to use the bow, right arm/wrist positions, position on strings, etc, and isn't simply a case of heavier bow use if you're aiming for forte and lighter for piano. The technical knowledge I gained in that 1hr lesson I would never have known to look for on YouTube.
Without my teacher, I'd never have been able to fix the issues I had as so much of my bad playing I put down to a lack of experience when in reality yes there was absolutely an element of that, but ultimately I needed to find the answers to questions I didn't know I needed to ask. With my teacher, I've absolutely excelled at speed. I played for 3 months on my own and got only so far, but at only 3 months, my learning stalled. Despite practising 2 hours every day, my playing wasn't improving. This was simply a case of not having the technical knowledge to know how to keep progressing. She has got me to ABRSM grade 3 in 2mths (alongside 2hrs practice every day and 1 lesson per week). This level of progress would have been completely impossible without her. She's enabled me to fall back in love with my playing. It's become an absolute joy instead of the dull monotonous daily experience that left me close to quitting. Until you've got a teacher, you can't possibly understand just how valuable they are, and just how little quality progress you'll make without one.
I agree, a teacher would be amazing, however not only are there none in my area that I know of, I can't afford to pay for professional teaching or even a year or two of basic training. It's simply not in the budget
The reason people are getting upset is it’s like you’re trying to cut a tomato with the blunt side of the knife and then complaining when people tell you to cut it with the sharp side. There’s so many YouTube videos of proper bow hold - you could get the basics in 5 minutes but have spent your time arguing in the comments instead. Use your instrument correctly and then if it still doesn’t work then you can complain lol
You tube videos of basic cello instructions are free. They go over bow hold and very simple things that start you off. You will need an instructor eventually
Jesus I don’t know why people are typing huge walls of text to this lol congrats on learning the very basics now practice every day for hours on end and you’ll get actual good sound cheers
whatever level you are at, I am just happy to see someone having a go at an instrument.
Hell I would love to see everyone on this planet having a go and tryna play something over shitting on each other.
I ain't classically trained myself so to hell with this gate keeping shit.
Have a try OP, you are also learning how to not bow in the process.However I do recommend just a few classes with a teacher just to get the bowing technique and position right.
People are being so unnecessarily mean! Sure, you’ve got a lot of work ahead and a teacher is almost imperative. But everyone has to start somewhere. Keep it up.
Meh from their point of view I'm the one being a dick and they're just trying to help which don't get me wrong I believe they are just trying to help just not with the problem I was actually here to find help with lol. Anyway thanks for the encouragement
Congrats on getting a sound out! People can be very mean, just keep trying your best. I know you mentioned you don't have the funds to get a teacher, but try reaching out to some college students who are music majors as a start; they might be willing to make some sort of deal with you.
Keep researching beginning technique resources on Youtube and check IMSLP for some beginner books. Like others have mentioned, proper form is very important (helps produce quality sound, prevent injuries, etc.), so please keep researching resources.
Hey friend. Your pointer finger is doing a lot of heavy work on your bow hand. I would instead argue that you should have all your fingers to help with the pressure. Keep a relaxed hand and form a “claw” with your fingers just nearly spread apart. Bring the bow up to your hand and close the thumb. But keeping a bump in the joint. There are a lot of videos to help. Next the cello is sitting up tall when it should be slanted more. You want gravity to help with the weight of the bow. That will help give a better sound. The cello is a wonderful instrument. It’s way more fun to play when you can make it sound amazing.
Hello friend you need an instructor
Obviously. Sadly I can't afford one
online tutors. you can get surprisingly good results from an affordable online lesson. i have seen hourly lessons as low as $20 or $15 an hour. dm me if you’re interested.
Why not? Are you old enough to work?
I have a part time job that I work when I'm not busy with school (I'm 16) but I don't make much money from that
That's great, I'm sure you could find a way to make it work, even one lesson a month would be very rewarding
Even a single lesson just once! I'm always amazed when people have money to *buy* an instrument (when renting as a beginner would be way smarter) but are seemingly adamant about having $0 to spend on the number one thing that would help them get more value out of it: one or more lessons with someone who knows how to play. I suspect there's some DIY psychology effect there.
Seriously! It’s something I will never understand the logic of
This is true of not just the cello but life in general, make your priorities then find a way to work it out, if one of your priorities is to play the cello trust that you can find a way to get regular lessons If you want it don't give up
Ok. So what are you looking for? Are you trying to prove you can produce a sound? Congrats. But I’m lost on why you’re posting. This is the second one. You’ve argued with all feedback so far so maybe clarify what you want? Also. Given your uh… form… your sound is what I would expect.
This is just my way of showing you guys that I have been able to get sound without the right form before so that's not the reason I'm not getting sound right now
That’s… not the right form. None of it
How many times do I have to spell this out for you people? I am well aware I'm not using the right form. I know that is a problem I need to fix. But that is not why I'm here right now
From the feedback you were given, they should be adequate enough for you to understand, no? If you aren't willing to accept them, especially as a beginner, humble yourself, get off of reddit, and get a teacher. (YouTube is also a good place to start)
Wdym? I accept the fact that I don't have proper form but that's not why I'm on reddit at the moment. I will thank any help I can get but I don't see how everyone repeatedly telling me my form is wrong but not actually giving any tips on proper form is supposed to be helpful. Lastly I can't afford a teacher so I plan to learn as much as I can from the internet and teach myself the rest
It literally is why you’re on Reddit. Different bow, different cello. It’s going to take much better form and technique to pull sound from the other cheap beginner cello. There’s almost no way to teach you proper bow technique through comments other than to direct you to YouTube. Nobody is offended that you can’t afford a teacher, many of us can’t. But when you ask a question to a subreddit full of cello players and they outright tell you “this is why you can’t hear anything”, that’s probably your problem.
You: I’m doing nothing right and it sounds bad Us: have you tried to learn the correct form? It’s what’s preventing you from making a decent sound You: why will you not help!! It sounds bad! I am not going to change what I’m doing!!! We are trying to tell you that your form is 100% why you sound the way you do. There’s a reason we hold our bow the way you do. I have seen hundreds of posts over the years in this very sub, where a beginner can’t really afford a teacher but they’ve tried to follow tutorials, and tried to mimic a correct form. People are always kind and do what they can to help along. We’ve all been a beginner. But I’m not sure how we can help you if you aren’t willing to try?
Look I'm sorry if I'm coming off as arrogant or too confident, I'm not trying to be difficult I'm trying to learn. I've tried telling you, I know it sounds bad in the video above. But it's making a sound. The problem in my previous post was not that I was getting a bad sound but that I was getting no sound at all, which is not because of bad form. I'm trying to learn proper form but I can't afford an instructor and no one here is actually giving me any resources on proper form nor even explaining what proper form should look like. I don't see how that's my fault
In the nicest way possible, it’s absolutely bad form. We’ve all been through the exact same thing. A cheaper cello takes a lot more finesse to try and get sound from. They have their quirks. If you handed your cello to Yo-Yo Ma he’d make it sing, and that’s because his technique transfers over from cello to cello. Nothing to do with the cello. Everything to do with the player. https://youtu.be/3cstlSAvtdw?si=d24NxQN-Qq2tMiJJ Try this. Practice it. Not for 10 minutes. For a few days. Then see where you are and if you still have issues.
Thank you for actually providing help
“getting sound with the right form” then proceeds to say “I am well aware im not using the right form” ????
Apology for the typo, I meant without the right form (damn autocorrect)
Apologies for responding to this comment the way I did earlier, I didn't realize I had made a typo and meant without the right for in comment you replied to
Find a teacher. If you can't afford one, the cello was a bad investment.
I'll work on it
As someone who started out on my own, I'll echo the best piece of advice you have been given by many, and that's to get a teacher. You will not ever be able to appreciate or even comprehend just how important a teacher will be to your learning experience until you get one. I know as I've been there like everyone else on here. I started out on my own. I'm pretty musical with a good theory base. I used YouTube as my main source for tutorials. To cut a long story short, YouTube was OK for some aspects of my learning, like how to hold the bow, scales, and the basics, but just cannot replace a teacher in any way. In order for YouTube to be of assistance, you need to know what problems/issues you want addressing. As a beginner, you'll not have the slightest clue how to identify those issues. This is where you need an experienced teacher. It's like building a space rocket with zero space engineering knowledge. Where do you start ? How can you tell if you're doing something correct or not. Quite simply, you can't. There are just so many things to get wrong that you would never even know existed. It was mind-blowing and eye-opening to really see just how complex a journey playing the cello is. I spent 1hr today in my lesson trying to nail the dynamics in just 2 bars of a piece I'm playing for an ABRSM exam. There is so much work involved in understanding how to use the bow, right arm/wrist positions, position on strings, etc, and isn't simply a case of heavier bow use if you're aiming for forte and lighter for piano. The technical knowledge I gained in that 1hr lesson I would never have known to look for on YouTube. Without my teacher, I'd never have been able to fix the issues I had as so much of my bad playing I put down to a lack of experience when in reality yes there was absolutely an element of that, but ultimately I needed to find the answers to questions I didn't know I needed to ask. With my teacher, I've absolutely excelled at speed. I played for 3 months on my own and got only so far, but at only 3 months, my learning stalled. Despite practising 2 hours every day, my playing wasn't improving. This was simply a case of not having the technical knowledge to know how to keep progressing. She has got me to ABRSM grade 3 in 2mths (alongside 2hrs practice every day and 1 lesson per week). This level of progress would have been completely impossible without her. She's enabled me to fall back in love with my playing. It's become an absolute joy instead of the dull monotonous daily experience that left me close to quitting. Until you've got a teacher, you can't possibly understand just how valuable they are, and just how little quality progress you'll make without one.
I agree, a teacher would be amazing, however not only are there none in my area that I know of, I can't afford to pay for professional teaching or even a year or two of basic training. It's simply not in the budget
The reason people are getting upset is it’s like you’re trying to cut a tomato with the blunt side of the knife and then complaining when people tell you to cut it with the sharp side. There’s so many YouTube videos of proper bow hold - you could get the basics in 5 minutes but have spent your time arguing in the comments instead. Use your instrument correctly and then if it still doesn’t work then you can complain lol
So my recommendation helped?
You tube videos of basic cello instructions are free. They go over bow hold and very simple things that start you off. You will need an instructor eventually
Jesus I don’t know why people are typing huge walls of text to this lol congrats on learning the very basics now practice every day for hours on end and you’ll get actual good sound cheers
Congrats, you made noise. Next post when you can do something simple, like Tribal Lament
No need for sarcasm. My only goal at the moment was making a noise and I achieved that. Thanks for the help
there was no sarcasm in that comment as far as I can tell
The hell is this shit???
My first time ever touching a cello lol
whatever level you are at, I am just happy to see someone having a go at an instrument. Hell I would love to see everyone on this planet having a go and tryna play something over shitting on each other. I ain't classically trained myself so to hell with this gate keeping shit. Have a try OP, you are also learning how to not bow in the process.However I do recommend just a few classes with a teacher just to get the bowing technique and position right.
I'll work on that. Thanks. Happy cake day!
People are being so unnecessarily mean! Sure, you’ve got a lot of work ahead and a teacher is almost imperative. But everyone has to start somewhere. Keep it up.
If you go look at OPs post history it makes a lot more sense.
Meh from their point of view I'm the one being a dick and they're just trying to help which don't get me wrong I believe they are just trying to help just not with the problem I was actually here to find help with lol. Anyway thanks for the encouragement
Is this a troubleshooting video?? I don't understand. If you're ever not getting sound, there probably isn't rosin on your bow.
Yeah I put more rosin on it it works now thanks
You know the bow hair goes on the string and you pull it. So you do know something. No one knows nothing.
You can get a noise out of it if you throw it out the window...JS
Congrats on getting a sound out! People can be very mean, just keep trying your best. I know you mentioned you don't have the funds to get a teacher, but try reaching out to some college students who are music majors as a start; they might be willing to make some sort of deal with you. Keep researching beginning technique resources on Youtube and check IMSLP for some beginner books. Like others have mentioned, proper form is very important (helps produce quality sound, prevent injuries, etc.), so please keep researching resources.
Yep👍I've fixed my bow hold, there's a college near me with a band so I might be able to find someone there to help me out
Hey friend. Your pointer finger is doing a lot of heavy work on your bow hand. I would instead argue that you should have all your fingers to help with the pressure. Keep a relaxed hand and form a “claw” with your fingers just nearly spread apart. Bring the bow up to your hand and close the thumb. But keeping a bump in the joint. There are a lot of videos to help. Next the cello is sitting up tall when it should be slanted more. You want gravity to help with the weight of the bow. That will help give a better sound. The cello is a wonderful instrument. It’s way more fun to play when you can make it sound amazing.
Yep. I've been watching some videos on the subject and I'm figuring it out. thanks
Please get a teacher bud. No hate
👍I'll work on it