Cello

Contents:

Important info:

The cello is the third instrument down from the violin and looks after the tenor range of the string section. The cello’s range spans through three different clefs, these are used purely to reduce the amount of ledger lines that would appear under the notes above the staves if left in bass clef.

Similar double-stops are available to the cello as are for the violin and viola. Yet again most safe double-stops are within the tone to octave range.

As the cello doesn’t sit under the shoulder like the violin and viola, the performer doesn’t have support the instrument with their thumb. This then makes playing octave double-stops relatively easy. There is a sign for specifying to a player to use their thumb, place this “ ” above the notes intended to be played using the thumb. Back to top

#3: Cello harmonic partials

It has already been explained on the ‘strings’ page how to achieve natural and artificial harmonics. Image #3 shows each partial for the four strings on the cello. Back to top