The best way to learn the Cello
The ‘Beginner’s Guide To Learning The Cello’ selection was created to provide the absolute best possible start with your brand-new musical instrument. This article helps you figure out the best learning methods for you and your cello.
In this series...
Summary
Cello Facts
How to choose a Cello
Cello Learning Methods
How To Play The Cello
Improve Your Cello Technique
How To Read Sheet Music
Cello Practice
What Choices Are Fantastic For Mastering The Cello
All individuals learn in different ways. Many people can recall phone numbers easily, while others may not even be able to read. We’re all special and unique. It’s for that reason that I can confidently state that there isn’t one perfect way of learning a musical instrument.
The four vital learning strategies available are:
- Traditional, face-to-face, one-to-one learning
- Traditional, face-to-face, group lessons
- Video Tutorials
- Apps
Whatever your personal situation, one of these four choices are going to be well suited for you. We just need to discover which one…
Traditional, face-to-face, one-to-one lessons
If you think of cello lessons, the initial image may well be similar to this…
Having personal, one-to-one training is often an extraordinary experience if you find the right teacher. There truly is no replacement for absorbing all the knowledge of your teacher.
Our Founder, Robert Emery, was in fact coached by Ruth Nye at the Royal College of Music. She really was among the finest instructors in the world, and the fact that Robert could absorb her expertise in 4 years was a precious gift.
You will discover a problem though:
Not every teacher possesses the knowledge of Ruth Nye.
In reality, the distressing element is the fact that to be a music teacher, you don’t need any accreditation at all. Nothing. Zip. As a total newbie, you could be getting income from individuals and pass yourself off as being a professional. And this, dear visitor, is definitely the greatest disadvantage to a traditional instructor:
Quality control.
You must find a really knowledgeable coach whom you connect with. Who understands you and your needs. Who will make you laugh? Who you anticipate going to see weekly. Whenever you can locate this person, you have then attained something most people are unsuccessful at. Simply being inspired because of your coach is definitely the miraculous dust which will help keep you learning for many years.
Out of all the alternatives in this posting, this can be the costliest. But as always with things in daily life, you often get what you pay for…
PROS
- Personalised feedback
- Lessons Adapted To Your Style Of Learning
- The Most Efficient Way Of Learning
- Can Be The Most Inspiring Option
CONS
- Expensive
- Difficult Scheduling
- Finding Right Teacher Is Difficult
- Requires You To Travel
Traditional, face-to-face, Group lessons
Group lessons are common for beginners and particularly for children. Whilst you are of course limited to learning at the same rate as everyone else, being part of a group can provide an element of positive competition whilst also being a safe space to practise performing and develop ensemble skills.
However, as the cello is not a particularly popular instrument amongst children, due to its size, it can sometimes be difficult to find enough other students in your local area, so you may be limited to individual lessons.
PROS
- Personalised feedback
- Can Be Fun Learning In A Group
- Cheaper Than One-2-One Lessons
CONS
- Difficult Scheduling
- Limited Choice Of Teacher
- You'll Learn At The Speed Of The Group
- Sharing The Teacher With Others
- Requires You To Travel
Video Tutorials
Free Courses
YouTube is definitely the greatest source of video clips on the globe. There is absolutely no greater place than YouTube to uncover instructional material for the cello. As a result of the sheer volume of alternatives on the platform, it’s out of the question to review all of them.
Like many things in life, 95% of the material you’ll discover is rather awful, with the other 5% being absolutely wonderful. The secret is to locate 5%, and that could be easier said than done.
As with any internet resource, you must be careful to ensure that you are receiving instruction from a credible source. Anybody can set up a YouTube account and upload videos claiming to be an expert, so it is best to do some research about the person before taking their word as gold.
If you don’t want to shell out any money, and therefore are happy to devote enough time in searching for top quality material that inspires you, then there is no better place.
Paid Courses
With countless paid programs on the net, it’s totally impossible to analyze all of them. Therefore we thought we would simply offer the most widely used alternatives:
Udemy is popular the world over for online learning in thousands of different disciplines. It can provide beginner, intermediate and advanced bassoon tuition, with an average cost of approximately £49.99 for a course of lessons.
It is worth getting to know the wider Cello Community – locally, nationally and even internationally. You’ll benefit from courses, masterclasses and events, which will bring cellists together from far and wide to share in the joy of this unique and wonderful instrument!
These events are a great way to inspire and educate. You’ll make contacts, hear pieces and players you’ve never heard before, try new instruments and get immediate guidance from the experts.
Some well-established cello communities with regular masterclasses, seminars and events include:
PROS
- Low Cost or Free
- Huge Amount of Content
- Learn Whenever You Want
- No Travelling To Lessons
- Great For Popular Material
CONS
- So Much Choice It's Difficult To Find Great Content
- Quality of Content Is Questionable
- Not Great For Classical Playing
About the Author
Ellen Porter is a cellist based in North Yorkshire, UK. She is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music where she studied with Eduardo Vassallo and Jennifer Langridge. Later, she completed postgraduate training with Johan Stern in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she specialised in orchestral performance. Ellenhas performedthroughout the UK and Europe as a member of several orchestras includingthe Swedish National Orchestra Academy, Berlin Opera Academy, Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra and Baroque in the North.She has also performed in masterclasses with cellists Hannah Roberts, Guy Johnston, Gillian Thoday, Emma Ferrand, Miklos Perenyi and Peter Somodari; and previously studied with David Smith
Ellen has always been passionate about communicating and sharing her passion for music with others. She currently works for North Yorkshire Music Education Hub as an Instrumental Teacher having previously worked as a supply music teacher in Sweden. In 2021, she completed the Ambassador Programme with the Benedetti Foundation, and completed articles for Ted's-List. She has also worked with Global Grooves as part of the LIME Music UK 2017 Festival, the National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain, RNCM Young Basses and the Halle Youth Ensembles team.
Ellen currently plays on a modern Italian style cello dated 2012 and a French bow in the style of Tubbs. She was supported in her further musical study by The Edna Newill Charitable Trust, to whom she is forever grateful.
Apart from music Ellen enjoys learning languages, travelling and going on long walks with her dog, Digby!
Other posts by this author
Zoom Lessons
If you’re looking for that one-to-one setup, but don’t want to trek around to a teachers house every week, then online lessons can work really well.
There are A LOT of companies out there that do lessons over Zoom, so you have to be ultra careful the quality is up to scratch. But the service we have found that has consistently great feedback is www.lessonwithyou.com. We like that they offer a half-hour lesson completely for free so you can try out the service and that they offer flexible scheduling with no contracts. They have teachers from Julliard, Berkeley, and Johns Hopkins – so the standard is high. Lastly, we LOVE that they don’t as for your credit card details for the trial lesson.
Cello Learning Methods - Summary
Whatever method you choose, be sure to practise your cello every day, even if it is only for 10 minutes. Small, regular bursts are more effective than extended lengths separated by several days.
If you are able to join a group such as an orchestra, string ensemble or another musical group – playing with others will undoubtedly increase your confidence and competence when performing. You will be able to learn from others as well as be inspired and encouraged in a friendly and supportive environment.
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Read the next post in this series:
HOW TO PLAY CELLO
