Shopping for a cello can be a difficult and costly decision. This guide will give you some pointers on what to look for and how to avoid wasting money on the wrong instrument for your needs. If you are buying a cello for your child, you may want to consider renting until they have learned to play the instrument. Children often lose interest in hobbies quickly, so you do not want to make a major financial commitment until you are sure they will stick with it. Although, there is an active resale market for used musical instruments, so you will probably be able to recover some of the money spent on your cello if this does happen.

Avoid cellos made of plywood or other cheap materials.

The ideal wood is spruce for the front of the instrument and maple for the rear. A proper cello body is arched in the middle, with minor indentations at the edges. The best cellos are made of wood that has been aged slightly, so a used instrument may sound better than a new one. If you are buying a used cello, check the body for any cracks or worn edges. Make sure the instrument still has some overlapping edging around the lower ribs. A cello with cracks may still sound fine if the cracks have been repaired properly with glue.

Cellos and other musical instruments are difficult to shop for online because you are not able to hear the instrument.

Visit a local music store and test out several models of cello before you buy anything. Ask your child's school or a local musician if you need a recommendation to a store. They usually have certain dealers they work with and can assure you that the dealer will be reputable. Get the right size for you. Cellos for small children are available in a ¼ size. They are also available in half, three quarter and 4/4 sizes (the last, for adults.)

Once at the music store, pluck each string to listen to the sound.

You want a cello that resonates clearly and carries across the room. Have the dealer pluck the strings for you while you stand far away to test the carry of the notes. A good test of a cello's sound is to play ascending scales, listening for the change in tone with each change of the string. After you have listened to one cello, try the same notes on a different model to compare the sound. Subtle differences in tone are often more obvious when compared to another instrument.

You should also test out different bows as this will change the sound of your cello.

As with the instruments, play the same scales with a variety of bows to compare the tone. You want the bow to be the proper weight for you and your instrument so you can easily maneuver it along the strings. A bow that is too heavy will deaden the sound of your cello, while a bow that is too light will make it sound thin. A proper balance between the two is key for the best tone.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-11-26 05:26:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Brief History of the Mandolin A mandolin is a musical instrument that belongs to the lute family meaning that it can either be plucked or strummed. It is a direct descendant of a instrument called the Mandore, which is a soprano member of the same family. The mandolin instrument has a body that possesses a......
• Buying Acoustic Musical Instruments Online Acoustic instruments have been providing such wonders of sounds and melodies since before the Renaissance period. These instruments provide a quality of music that cannot be replicated by their electrical counterparts. Pianos, violins, guitars, learning to play an acoustic instrument is something that can only bring growth to a person.......
• Which Acoustic Instrument is Best for Beginners? Have you decided to take up an acoustic musical instrument, but you are not sure which acoustic instrument is best for beginners? When deciding to purchase an acoustic musical instrument, there are a number of different factors that will put influence on your buying decision, including which are easy and......
• A Look at the Lyre The lyre is a type of stringed musical instrument that is well known for having been used widely in classical antiquity as well as later on. The recitations made by the Ancient Greeks were often accompanied by playing the Lyre. The Lyre known of in classical Antiquity was typically played......
• Learning to Play the Violin Although the violin can be played simply by plucking the strings with your fingers, the best way to learn how to play the guitar is by using the bow. When you first begin playing the violin, this can appear difficult, and even a bit awkward, but if you are patient......

Related Websites

• Grand Piano Dealers -> Musical Instruments -> Keyboard The first pianos to be called “grand” were manufactured in 1777, and soon became status symbols that the wealthy and affluent all wanted to own. A grand piano can command a room. Usually, it's the largest piece of “furniture” in a room, and......
• Accordion Dealers -> Musical Instruments -> Keyboards An accordion is a fascinating and unusual musical instrument that requires bellows, buttons or keys and reeds to make music. Though it looks like a fairly sturdy instrument, it’s actually pretty fragile on the inside and should be handled with care. When one part......
• Musical Instruments: The Drum, the Heart Beat of Music Many individuals enjoy drums as an instrument that is fun to play and exciting to get to heart but many music lovers truly believe that drums are the heart of music due to the way that they keep time and rhythm for the rest of the instruments or for other......
• Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide is a paperback tennis guide by Tom Sadzeck. This book easily follows the formula which has been successfully used in "Golf Skills", "Hoop Drills" and "Soccer Skills", and Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide is doing an excellent job of providing an in depth look at......
• How to Get Started with Collecting Paper Money Often, there are two different kinds of collectors. There are those that collect paper money as well as those that collect coins. There are a few that collect both, but these are rare. The most common currency collector collects coins. This is because there are far more coins to collect......

Online Stores

• Diamond Shape Buttons Straps Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Gracie Stands & Hangers Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Fender Vintage Acoustic Guitar Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Roland Digital Portable Grand, Baby Grand Piano Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Dean 12 Bridge Pin Size Acoustic Guitar Strings Acoustic Musical Instruments

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Acoustic Musical Instruments, Buyer's Guide, Cellos

Tags:

adults, cello, cheap materials, costly decision, cracks, edging, financial commitment, glue, hobbies, local music store, models, money spent on, musical instruments, musician, plywood, pointers, resale market, ribs, three quarter, wasting money