Thursday, December 22, 2005

Buying Guide for Cellos

The Cello is the second largest member of the String family and along with violins, violas and basses, an integral part of the Symphony Orchestra. It has four strings producing tones an octave lower than the viola and its voice closely corresponds with the human bass voice on the low end. The instrument is commonly associated with classical music, and is primarily found in orchestras and string quartets.

The cello is made in full and fractional sizes. While determining the appropriate instrument size for violin or viola can be fairly simple, (being basically a function of arm length) proper sizing of a cello is more complex, being a function of arm, leg and body length.

Proper cello sizing is accomplished by considering the interrelationship of all the body’s dimensions.



Student
These cellos are designed for beginning students and are often produced by machine. Maple is sometimes used for high friction parts (pegs, fingerboard) and dyed to resemble the more expensive Ebony, which is found on most instruments. These cellos are excellent for the early stages of development and are priced to easily fit into most budgets.


Intermediate
These instruments represent better quality wood and workmanship, most (if not all) of which is done by hand. The result is an instrument that sounds better and will accommodate a player to more advanced levels of play. Pegs and fingerboard are usually made of Ebony. Extensive hand graduation of the top and back of the cello results in a more refined sound. If the wood is good and the maker has paid attention to the necessary details, some intermediate cellos may even approach the professional level of performance.


Professional
These are cellos made from only the finest woods and built with a near fanatical devotion to every detail of construction and appearance. Because of the relatively low number of craftsman skilled at this level, the number of hours required to produce an instrument of this caliber and the cost of select, premium wood, the price of these instruments is considerably higher.


Chris B's Music Cello Department

Monday, December 12, 2005

Music 123 Deals


Saturday, December 03, 2005

Summy-Birchard Thumb Position for Cello

Summy-Birchard Thumb Position for Cello

"By Rick Mooney. Features easy classical music as well as folk songs, fiddle tunes and Mooney originals composed to address specific technical points. Two volumes - book 2 titled 'Thumbs of Steel'."

Summy-Birchard Solos for Young Violinists Volume 1

Summy-Birchard Solos for Young Violinists Volume 1

"Compiled by Barbara Barber. A graded series that contains works ranging from elementary to advanced levels representing an exciting variety of styles and techniques for violinists - a valuable listening resource for teachers and students of all ages. The piano tracks give the violinist the opportunity to practice with accompaniment."

Summy-Birchard Adventures in Music Reading for Violin


Summy-Birchard Adventures in Music Reading for Violin
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"William Starr's books introduce the basic skills of scales, keys, pitch and rhythm in a presentation written for adults to explain to children. Volumes 1-3."

Summy-Birchard Suzuki String Quartets for Beginning Ensemble


Summy-Birchard Suzuki String Quartets for Beginning Ensemble
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"These publications are comprised of works from volumes 1,2 and 3 of the Suzuki Violin School which have been arranged for string quartet."

Summy-Birchard Suzuki Easy Baroque Duets for Violin


Summy-Birchard Suzuki Easy Baroque Duets for Violin
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"This collection of 26 duets for two violins has been arranged from works of the keyboard masters of the Baroque Period. The pieces are of varying difficulty, for players of intermediate to advanced ability."

Summy-Birchard Suzuki Bass School Piano Accompaniments


Summy-Birchard Suzuki Bass School Piano Accompaniments
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"Piano accompaniments for Suzuki Bass School, volumes 1-3."

Summy-Birchard Suzuki Bass School


Summy-Birchard Suzuki Bass School
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"Suzuki Bass School, volumes 1-3. Bass part only."

Summy-Birchard Suzuki Violin School Compact Discs


Summy-Birchard Suzuki Violin School Compact Discs
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"Compact disc recordings of Suzuki Violin School volumes 1-8. Volumes 1-4 are available performed by either David Nadien or David Cerone. Volumes 5-8 are performed by Koji Toyoda. Volumes 1-3 now available performed by Shinichi Suzuki himself."