(Part 2) Best products from r/Cello

Book wise, the two things I could not be without, both for initially learning technique and also revisiting as well are the Whitehouse Scale and Arpeggio Album (UK|US) and then also the Feuillard Daily Exercises (UK|US) (both Schott published).
Record yourself playing and watch it back, don't be afraid to use a metronome and a tuner.

Personally I'm looking in to learning to draw right now, but the approach is very similar for effective learning, focus on technical skills as they are the base to build off. Style is great to develop, but without the technique there to support it you could be building fundamentally poor habits. Things like bow control are honestly easier to understand when being observed, but Scales and Arpeggios will help you understand basic shapes you should form for each key helping you to not fear key signatures with more sharps and flats.

Feuillard is key to building all technical habits. The book is split in to 5 sections so you can focus on one part at a time, and once you've built up your skills can then mix and match exercises from each section to make sure you keep on top of everything. The book helps build a solid left hand, good transitions between hand positions, smoother bow control and for the bolder also working on thumb position technique.

It's imperative you have the cello tuned properly when you play, and from early on be relentless on ensuring you are in tune, so if necessary go very slowly and use a tuner to check each note is right before moving ahead. This will help train your ear to pick out when a note is not only out of tune, but better understand whether you are flat (under) or sharp (over). A good way to mix this would be using a tuner while you approach the first exercises in Feuillard as they focus on smaller shapes such as moving between two close notes. There are a great many free apps out there for smartphones that can help with tuning (personally use insTuner on iOS).

The other side to understand would be rhythm. Again, a good thing to revisit even if you have musical history elsewhere as it never hurts to check. Metronomes are an essential tool for learning in my opinion. When approaching a new piece of music it is best to ignore style initially to focus on accuracy. Once you know the music then you can play with how you want to present it, but until then, keeping a steady and consistent pace is a good habit to build. Again, many great free apps for this, (personally using Metronome by Soundbrenner on iOS). I'd personally recommend focusing on note accuracy before rhythm as a priority to ensure that what you're playing is correct before adding the pressure of time constraints through keeping tempo.

I started learning when I was 6, and for 10 years of learning through teachers my schools had there was a focus only on learning the music for each graded exam and barely any focus on the scales and arpeggios part and worse still no real focus on understanding technique beyond the music I would be examined with. It wasn't until 10 years later, well after finishing the graded system and getting a private teacher that I was completely pulled apart for my lack of technical understanding and foundation. From here I was told I had to get the two books I mentioned at the start and they formed the basis of not only my practice at home, but also each lesson I had with them. I noticed a rapid change in what I could do as a cellist though, seeing sight reading become incredibly more simple having the shapes and sounds already in my head. The movements and habits you build speed up your learning process everywhere else too, so technique always and first.

Lastly, even if you don't pursue a teacher right now, still get others opinions on how you are progressing, even if that means putting a recording of yourself and sharing it with other cellists to receive feedback. I've seen others do that here and until you build enough knowledge to be able to check yourself effectively, it's always good to get another's opinions on where you are at in case you subconsciously have been maybe avoiding improving on one skill or maybe even just need to return to another.

Hope that helps.

EDIT:
If you want a good selection of music to learn alongside technical development, baroque music in general is perfect for that given the way music and harmony was approached during that era of music, but I'd recommend the Bach Six Suites for Cello (Barenreiter BA 320 UK|US).

Hi, I'm here to help! It sounds like you have a lot of natural talent you just need a little push in the right direction.

Etude Books

Janos Starker's Organized Method of String Playing is really useful for squaring out your left hand, which will ultimately aid you in speed, vibrato and intonation. Make sure to go slowly with each exercise, but they have nifty blurbs about each exercises intention.

Any of the Popper etudes will do. They look really scary at first, and they don't go in order of difficulty. My suggestion is to start with 1, 6, 7, 11, 19 and then just pick ones that sound pretty or that you're interested in tackling. Joshua Roman has played every single one, so if you ever want to hear what it sounds like or just be awed by his virtuousity, I highly recommend. Each etude focuses on a different aspect of cello playing, so try to hone in on whatever the etude is trying to work on, and focus on it when playing.

One of the best ways to practice technique is to practice scales while applying different aspects of cello playing. That way, you're essentially killing two birds with one stone. Playing scales can be tedious at times, but it is so worth the effort, I can't emphasis that enough. Mark Yampolsky has a fantastique book of just scales, and for each scale he goes through triads, thirds with doublestops, sixths with doublestops, broken thirds, and more. He also puts little footnote things at the bottom of most exercises so that you can make the most out of them.

I never used this book (my teacher probably made me buy it at one point and then forgot about making me buy it) but looking through it, it has a lot of the really good things I talked about with the other etude books. S. Lee's Method for Cello includes both scale work and etudes/studies for various kinds of techniques. It's pretty all inclusive so even without ever using it, I'd say it's pretty good, since it basically includes the best of the other etudes I mentioned.

Other books I've gone through in my early days, I'm not writing a review on them all, you can check them out.

Justus Johann's Dotzauer 113 Studies, Book 1

Position Pieces for Cello: Book 1 by Rick Mooney

Also by Rick Mooney, Thumb Position For Cello Book 1

Grant's Intermediate Etudes in the Positions for Violoncello



Extra

Alistair McRae has an excellent tumblr that he has since stopped updating, but he is very philosophical and knowledgeable about cello techniques, and he posts some fantastic videos/posts on vibrato, posture, and practice tips which are actually genius. He has his own ideas for technique books which I won't post here for redundancy's sake but they're there.


Last but not least, I have my own suggestions for practicing better. Practice with intention. I know you said that you started practicing the orchestra music for an hour a day, but I'm a little skeptical as to how meaningful this practice is. It must either be really difficult orchestra music, or you know it like the back of your hand and you are running it through during your practice sessions, because a solid hour a day for a week should be enough to know the music almost entirely. Instead of practicing an hour, practice when you feel ready to work, that is, spend a lot of time on small segments of music/scales/techniques, and stop practicing when you feel your attention slipping, because practicing bad habits is the worst thing you could possibly do. Spend 15 minutes practicing bad habits and waste an hour trying to correct them. Don't give up hope! I know I just threw a lot at you, and I'm going to stop now, but if you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, take a step back, relax, and breathe. You don't have to dive right into any of these etude books. If you're just coming out of a cellofunk, in which you were unmotivated to practice, trying to work on technique is probably the worst thing you could possibly do. It's tedious, it's hard, and progress is so slow that it almost feels like you're slipping backwards. My suggestion right now, is probably to find a pretty cello piece that you really really like listening to, and work on that, because then you'll be motivated to practice. Then, you can start incorporating the technique books, and not only working on them in etudes, but applying them to the piece you're working on. Buy a book of cello solos like this one and just go crazy. Hope this helped! Good luck :)

Most people aren't willing to part with so much money right away, that's fantastic that you're okay with it. It's a great idea. You'll get a far better instrument from Givens than Shar.

As for stand, case, and rosin I'll give you a couple of my favorites:

Solid stand (does not collapse) - Manhasset

Collapsible stand - K & M heavy duty

BAM Cases are awesome This one is a newer version of the case I've had for 10 years. It looks like this case has some improvements over the one I have (my locks rusted, but still work, and I don't have wheels, I've also needed to re-glue the inner padding once) but this case has an excellent "bang for your buck" value. I once fell on ice and landed squarely over my cello case (I'm about 200 pounds...so yeah, OUCH) and my cello was perfectly protected inside. No damage at all. There are stronger, less flexible, lighter cases out there but they'll cost over $1000 easily.

Rosin - If you're in a cold, dry area (especially in the winter) you may want to get a dark rosin, they're a bit stickier than light rosin. Generally speaking, light rosin is all-purpose. There's little or no difference between violin/viola rosin and cello rosin (stay away from Bass rosin, it's like glue on your bow and you won't be able to play well). I've used most of these and have never had a complaint. I currently have Jade rosin, but I'm finding it a little slippery and dusty for my playing style. I found Pirastro Goldflex to be a good starting point for me and I still buy a cake every now and again. You'll need a new cake every 6 months to a year because it'll dry out and crack, so you'll get plenty of opportunities to try different brands.


You also might want to think about a humidifier to put in your case in the winter, and some peg compound to help smooth sticky tuning pegs.

Hope this helps!

Not sure what your price range is or what your bf has but here are some ideas (I'll try to go from cheapest to most expensive) :

A nice dark rosin. http://www.amazon.com/Original-Hill-Dark-Rosin-Violin/dp/B000F3FQP6


Chair strap. http://www.amazon.com/Xeros-Anchor-Endpin-Rest-Cello/dp/B000FCJUV8/ (This is the kind I have. There is no substitute, if he doesn't have a strap like this then he really needs one. If you are buying one note that you get one with a circular holder for the end pin and not a V-shaped one. The V-shaped ones are for basses and don't work nearly as well)


Sheet music. I am a fan of the Music Minus One (MMO) series. However a nice anniversary gift might be duet music. I can help think of some good duet music if you want but would like to know a little more about your playing level.


Bow rack. I bought my rack at Home Depot and it looks like this. (actual pic, sorry no link) http://i.imgur.com/Ytww0.jpg They're just hooks, but I really like mine


Cello CDs. There's a lot of good recordings out there but that's for you to find, I can give some suggestions if you want.


Music stand. http://www.amazon.com/Manhasset-Model-Sheet-Music-Stand/dp/B0002FOBJY/ If all your bf has is a wire stand then this is a great gift. There's also stuff like pencil holders, lights, and other stuff that would make good gifts as well.


Cello stand. There are lots of stands out there, I highly recommend a stand that supports the neck of the cello like this. http://www.amazon.com/Stagg-Foldable-Stand-for-Cello/dp/B003ZUEQLG/ref=sr_1_6?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1343515413&sr=1-6&keywords=cello+stand




There are some other cool stuff you could get, but may come off as offensive.


A practice mute. I would suggest an ebony comb style mute kind.http://www.amazon.com/JSI-Ebony-Cello-Mute/dp/B000F3HK5U/ over a "tourte style"

A tuner and or metronome. I use http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-MR500-Metronome/dp/B0002F6ZJI/

A wolf tone eliminator. http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Cello-Wolftone-Eliminatr-Brass/dp/B003KWGW9I

For scales, arpeggios, thirds, sixths, octaves, etc. I like Yampolsky's Violoncello Technique. For re-learning I would start here to get yourself reacquainted with the instrument. The book gives many fingerings and bowings to work through, and is presented in a very clear manner.

I can only estimate your level of playing, but check out http://imslp.org/wiki/113_Etudes_for_Cello_(Dotzauer,_Friedrich) Not only are they good books, but you can print them off for free on IMSLP (sorry for the weird link)

Popper's High School of Cello Playing is an awesome book, but probably one you'll want to put off until the basics are more secure.

I would encourage you to have at least one lesson with someone to make sure you have the correct posture and playing position, as that can cause major problems down the road.

Good luck!

She is so adorable! She seems to have a good ear and a good sense of time, but you really should not let her play on a folding chair unless it is the only chair she can sit in where her feet touch the floor. Folding chair seats lean down towards the back, which forces your your body weight backwards. This is really bad for your cello posture and position. A flat seat like one of the chairs behind her in this video are much better. She will learn faster the better her sitting position is, because it will not restrain her motion as much as an optimal position. Tell her she is awesome!

You might consider http://www.amazon.com/JSI-Adjustable-Portable-Piano-Cello-Musician-Stool-Seat/dp/B009OXUN56/ref=sr_1_14?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458837058&sr=1-14&keywords=musician+chair


or better (and more expensive) http://www.amazon.com/ADJUSTRITE-Musicians-Chair-Vivo-USA/dp/B0016OIIX0/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458837058&sr=1-2&keywords=musician+chair

I had some ideas but they use a bit of either third or fourth position, too- sorry! You could look at the pieces from the ABRSM grade 2 syllabus, but I like the above suggestion from UseThisOne2.

From another post:
>You might like Cello Time Joggers and then Cello Time Runners. You can kind of preview people playing pieces from them on Youtube, and the publisher has a PDF preview on their site as well:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cello-time-joggers--cd-9780193220874?lang=en&cc=gb

It's a book for learning from, not pieces for performance though. The piano part is sold separately. You might like the books that the ABRSM syllabus refers to for performance: More Time Pieces Volume 2 might be good, but it covers up to grade 4 so only some of the pieces might be at the correct level.

Sure! Admittedly the equipment I'm using is all cheap quality, but I figure I can replace components over time as I get better at playing cello. Right now I'd just like to know the cause of the hissing or how I can easily filter it out.

I'm using this Chinese brand cello ("kinglos")

I can't find any information on the built-in pre-amp, but this is it

It leads into this Neewer noise gate

Into this Kustom KXB1 6 inch 10-Watt amp

Then my recording is done with this Nady SP-4C Dynamic Neodymium Microphone

Plugged into this IRig 2 interface

Which leads to my Google Pixel XL Android phone

All of it is connected with these cables

the setup looks kind of like this

And here's a quick audio sample (please excuse the horrible playing, I haven't been at this very long)

Amazon has some cheap electric cellos for around $300-400.
Something like this:
Cecilio Electric
I bought one, replaced the strings (another $80) and it plays fine. Perfect for a starter. If that won't work, maybe have a talk with a elementary/Junior/High school director and try to work something out?

this is like asking if a good set of wheels will improve a cheap car. a good set of strings will probably make it sound a little better, but no matter how much you polish a turd, it's still shit at the end of the day.

but like what many other posters have said, it really depends. i've had good experiences with the Helicore strings in the past and they are relatively cheap compared to many other popular string combinations.

I have this set. They sound pretty good for 120$

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EENKMC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_qceHDbQQG1RXZ

I have several colleagues who are very happy with this:
https://www.amazon.com/ADJUSTRITE-Musicians-Chair-Vivo-USA/dp/B0016OIIX0
I remember trying it out in-store and not liking it enough to justify a purchase - my recollection also is that it doesn't go super low. Worth a try though if you can find one to try out locally.

For the past five years, I've been using this:
http://jansenpianobench.co/jansen-wood-top-piano-stool.html
at pretty much any venue that doesn't have Wenger cello chairs or comparable. The piano stools are pricey ($300) but for me it has been an absolutely worthwhile investment. And they can be adjusted extremely low (just under 16" at the lowest setting.) They're also quite heavy but again, I've found mine useful enough that I'm still lugging it most everywhere I go.

Bow hand: Other guys have said it, closer to the bridge, even contact point. I would add that you want to apply pressure through your pointer finger because the shorter the string gets (the further up the fingerboard you go) the harder it will be to produce a loud and strong sound, so you will have to compensate.

Left hand: Learn all of the thumb position patterns. This is the book I used, it covers all of the basics with the thumb resting on the first harmonic. A problem I always had learning thumb position at first was my brain was used to the same spacing for whole and half steps, but as you get higher on the fingerboard, the spacing changes, so it will take a little bit of time to develop the muscle memory. Once you get it, you get it, there's not much too it after that.

I've found this one https://www.amazon.com/Rosin-Violin-Viola-Cello-Light/dp/B010CG2XHE in my city.. dude told me that is superior, what do you think?

You could go for something like this:
(http://www.amazon.com/Cecilio-CECO-4BK-Metallic-Electric-Fittings/dp/B0051HNHES)
Per the Questions and Answers on that page, the 'arms' fold in to make it more compact.

Pretty standard strings. Must be the angle or something.

Cossman and Yampolsky are both pretty standard for building good technique. They both have scales and arpeggios and shit. I'm making the undergrads do segments of Cossman this semester for their scale classes and they are PISSED.