Have just begun learning Cello halfway through my sixth decade. Learnt a lot already [and know I have a lot more!] Great teaching technique! Jonathan Humphries, you are a good man :)
Thank you for creating this video. Unbeknownst to you, it has provided answers to several important questions that have been lingering in the back of my mind-questions I was unable to answer as I am currently a student without a teacher. I am grateful for your clarification on my primary inquiry, as well as for inadvertently addressing some other related questions. Once again, thank you.
I just got back into playing after about 20 years and your videos have been such a huge help as I'm just playing around on my own while I try to find a teacher. Thanks for what you do, man.
I’ve always done this with my cello beginners. I called it a thumb block or home base for the thumb. For the beginners who ignored the “speed bump” for the thumb, they got a more pronounced temporary home base in the form of a small or large toe corn pad donut with the hole in the middle. Once they were reliably detecting the hole placement, we went back to the speed bump thumb block.
Thank you for your tips. Last Sunday lessons I trying everyday to reach my first finger to 3rd finger at A strings and it's almost impossible because I've small hands. After I watch this video and try it again.. yeah, I can do it. But probably I will change the size of my cello to 7/8 or 3/4. But I still consider with this two size. I can't do it with full size.
Hola. Muchas gracias por enseñar éste maravilloso arte. Y lo felicito por sus tutoriales de cello. Me sirven mucho para practicar los ejercicios. Ya que aún no tengo un profesor personal. Pero me encanta el cello. Dios te bendiga.
Thanks again I play the violin and a viola little bit but you're cello tape is fantastic I just had a question for you when you put the tape down can you do a whole new redub of the whole taping process so when I get my cello like you can get one of those measuring tool sort of like that thing you put on your head and measures the distance from the scroll box the next the peg box to each piece of tape has to put down exactly the exact measurement and other words from the scroll box to the first piece of tape weather lower something is say 6 in or 4 in whatever then the white tape is another quarter inch and then the last two pieces of the little skinny tape is maybe four or five inches apart and then an inch apart from there the exact measurements in other words like a measuring tool or you know a ruler or something or one of those yellow rulers that plays the cat Ben's you could just lay flat on there and put the exact measurements of the length of the fingerboard as opposed to the fingerboard on top of the Scrolls by the peg box says you can say this is exactly where you place the tape because when you're doing it on the video it's very good and I do it's a very good video on your very good teacher but if you can show the exact measurements of the distance in the space in between them from the top to the bottom for all four pieces of tape that would be a great help with this way if I want to put my own tape on I knew exactly where it was I can't just like gas words that I have to know exactly where to place of that thank you very much Robert h a l l e or Southern New Jersey Jersey Shore thank you very much I play the violin for 10 years and one year in a viola and I'm just starting with the cello I'm going to order a cello in 2019 thank you very much by the way merry Christmas happy New Year happy holidays and your videos of fantastic I loved him I loved him thank you very much you're really good teacher good guy
Hi. As a complete beginner (starting at age 37) I really find your videos helpful. When I play I feel like a have really wide fingers. So I would love to see a video from you, where in closeup, you show how the fingers are correctly arches. Like, when I, in first position, play the G on the D- string and are going over to the A-string and then quick back to the G, my "G-finger" often touches the A-string making that horrible sqreech noise. So I feel that I am placing my fingertips wrong and arching my fingers wrong. Would love to see a video where you show the correct arch 😊 Thank you so much for your videos
I have very small hands, and I am only 4' 11" with a quite chubby mama tummy (7 c-sections=eternal pregnant belly) When I played cello 20 years ago, I used a 3/4 size. Is that a reasonable choice or would you suggest trying to adjust to a full size cello? Oh, and since I found you I feel like a person who has found a cool spring with the best water. I don't even have a cello yet, but I am watching these videos and feeling both inspired and hopeful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Man...im new and my fingers just don't want to sit on my tapes! I have medium large to large hands, longer thin fingers. It just looks like your tapes are so much closer together than mine and I have the tapes set using a tuner app pretty accurately. If I lift my fingers once set to hammer down, my middle two are not even close! And I have to skew my fingers up a lot to even get my fingers on the tapes. Will my hand adjust? Just such and awkward position for my hand. Good videos...thanks!
Good question and you are not alone. The space between the 2nd and 3rd finger is most challenging for 1st year cellists. The challenge is the thumb on the neck, while you "Hammer Down". Try to Hammer individual fingers, then combine 2. It may be best to work only on the inner fingers, so 2 and 3 hammer exercises. If you like Star Trek and can manage a good Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" hand sign, then this is not much different. You arm is actuating different ligaments, something you need to become acquainted with.
Hey:) thank you for your advice! I have been playing the cello for about four months and I am not really sure about my position of the first finger of the left hand. I don't really play with the tip of it. I usually press the string with the side of the fingertip down. Is that right? Or do you really have to use the middle of the tip to press the string down? I hope you can understand it. Sorry for my English, it's not my mother language;)
With the help of a tape, you can train the thumb to be aligned with your 2nd. When not with cello, use your middle and thumb to pick things up, to help re-train the brain. Good question, one that a video will explain in further detail.
Would you recommend a more "slanted" position for a person with rather long fingers? To give you a rough idea, I can easily play a 1-tone extension between my 3rd and 4rd fingers or a 1 tone and a half extension between my 2nd and 3rd fingers, so they are LONG. I wish I could use a "square" position like yours, but that would cause my 3rd and 4th fingers to be slanted "the wrong way" (downwards, rather than upwards).
Dion, you are the one who knows your anatomy the best. If slanting downwards feels better, than do so! It sounds like your 3rd and 4th finger naturally curve inward when you make a hand position?
Good afternoon. I´ve been playing cello and Right know, i´ve realize that my left hand position has been bad. I´ve been playing with collapsed wrist. Right know I´m trying to correct the position but because I was use to the bad position, the correct one makes me feel pain. Could you please give me an advice... Thanks
@@CelloCoach, I´m not a native english speaker, so I will try my best. My thumb over comes out of the neck of the cello, it is not aligned with the second finger and my wrist tends to come very close to the neck. I´ve been playing like that almost teo years
hi i have a question please: when playing with my index finger on C string, i am unable to make it with the tip, it is always done with the side of my finger or under the tip(my finger is not curved) any tips about that?? thanks
without seeing your physical hand on a cello C-string, I will surmise you may need to adjust you thumb on the back of the neck to allow your palm to remain more aloft the strings. It can also be your finger ligaments are not robust enough when playing the thicker strings, which calls for your own unique approach to applying pressure on our lowest cord.
This is fun, but there is so much “basic” stuff to learn, and you have provided plenty of material. Finding it is my problem. Is there a sequence to the videos? Where does one start?
Beginner cellist here. I have a weird habit to straighten my finger when I lift them to change to another note. I do curve my fingers when I press down. Do you think this is problematic?
That is a good exercise, but my biggest problem is getting the 4th finger G in place while playing E with the first finger on D string for example.-Cannot stretch!
As of this year, I have one student who previously learned with not attention to the details of the left hand alignment. She is usually out of tune when she shifts. The thing about the 2nd and thumb alignment is, when mastered, you can nearly guarantee good intonation BEFORE ever touching the fingerboard. Being aware of relative spacing between the fingers throughout half to upper third, all you need to do is move the thumb to the memorized place (that is done my remembering the position of the elbow and compression of the bicep/forearm) and with the 2nd aligned, just drop all the rest into place. I cannot tell you how many cellists' intonation and confidence this simple technique has helped over the last two decades. What I will admit is any teacher who does not stress this technique is either not teaching absolute beginners or selling their students' short. Experience matters, and I can not keep track of the students with "ok intonation", cellists who have learned without considering the 2nd & thumb alignment, whom have joined my studio and left me emotional attestations because their technique finally brings them joy. All that matters, in the end, is how much the cellist enjoys their playing. You seem to enjoy cello very much, from watching your uploads, and I hope you continue to play for years to come, Jervi.
I went back to this squared position when my very recent cello teacher told me to find my balance by joining my thumb with the second finger and he told me that my balance is between the first and second. (The hard part was adjusting because when you change teachers, it is most likely change your technique depending on his or her tradition) I was used to the German and French tradition and a bit of Starker but when I moved to my recent teacher back home, he completely changed my technique and almost destroyed my playing. Now Im reviewing my Suzuki books (Im a Suzuki kid) and I love it!
I watched your Lalo and Prelude Ste. 3 and if that was your technique prior to the change, then I would like to see a new upload of the Prelude with your new way. You are already far beyond what this video is about with your fundamental technique. I too was a Suzuki kid (shout out to Sinichi) though left the books after Book 4. Hmm, could I do something and call you out? Download my CelloCoach app, and try the two different approaches to the 2nd finger alignment. If you can score lower consistently on all scales with your new technique, I'll yield, but without a control, a baseline of comparison, we are just pissing in the wind. Our app will show you exactly how your intonation is, precisely per finger and key. You game?
We all live in Public. So, are you subbed to his channel? I manually review non-subs for, well, you know, it is still youtube! Really like your engagement and would like to know why YT is flagging accounts like yours. So, the app is free on GooglePlay. To really test your level, no open strings on any 2 octave scale, and three back-to-back runs. Savvy?
@@CelloCoach i have few of your videos. They are awesome. I play violin, flute, keyboard and saxophone. My cello will come in a week Do you have any video series to teach cello? Or do you teach to beginners? If no then can you suggest a teacher or some app or something software kind of to guide me? 5hanks in advamce
I teach cello, and love watching these videos because it helps me have a different/better way of explaining things to my students.
That's great! Thank you Joy
Have just begun learning Cello halfway through my sixth decade. Learnt a lot already [and know I have a lot more!] Great teaching technique! Jonathan Humphries, you are a good man :)
I don't have a cello but I have an electric guitar and I found this helpful. Thank you so much.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for creating this video.
Unbeknownst to you, it has provided answers to several important questions that have been lingering in the back of my mind-questions I was unable to answer as I am currently a student without a teacher.
I am grateful for your clarification on my primary inquiry, as well as for inadvertently addressing some other related questions.
Once again, thank you.
Much obliged Roderick
I just got back into playing after about 20 years and your videos have been such a huge help as I'm just playing around on my own while I try to find a teacher. Thanks for what you do, man.
No instructor ever told me these tips. Thanks !
You're welcome!
I’ve always done this with my cello beginners. I called it a thumb block or home base for the thumb. For the beginners who ignored the “speed bump” for the thumb, they got a more pronounced temporary home base in the form of a small or large toe corn pad donut with the hole in the middle. Once they were reliably detecting the hole placement, we went back to the speed bump thumb block.
A speed bump, ok!
Thank you for your tips. Last Sunday lessons I trying everyday to reach my first finger to 3rd finger at A strings and it's almost impossible because I've small hands. After I watch this video and try it again.. yeah, I can do it. But probably I will change the size of my cello to 7/8 or 3/4. But I still consider with this two size. I can't do it with full size.
Thank Jonathan, this made such a difference to the placement I originally tried.
I am trying to learn the cello before i get my cello. ooof
It will happen, and when it does, enjoy the journey!
Me to im sow happy
you are the best so far in the internet
thank you
super sir is there any distance measurements for the first position for all the strings ?
Great example. Thank you !!
You're welcome!
Once again, your lesson is so right on. Thanks!
You are a life saver !
Thanks again for your help and support and encouragement Robert Haller and family
You're welcome, Robert and Family!
Excellent instructions. Wonderful tips.
Thank you a lot excellent class
So good
thank you
Good stuff!!!
Hola. Muchas gracias por enseñar éste maravilloso arte. Y lo felicito por sus tutoriales de cello. Me sirven mucho para practicar los ejercicios. Ya que aún no tengo un profesor personal. Pero me encanta el cello. Dios te bendiga.
Muchas gracias!
"Awesome Kickass Class " Class ! Rock On Johnny Boy :)
Thank you, john gilchrist
Thanks alot Humphries. Really helpful
You are welcome, ekow ;-)
Thanks again I play the violin and a viola little bit but you're cello tape is fantastic I just had a question for you when you put the tape down can you do a whole new redub of the whole taping process so when I get my cello like you can get one of those measuring tool sort of like that thing you put on your head and measures the distance from the scroll box the next the peg box to each piece of tape has to put down exactly the exact measurement and other words from the scroll box to the first piece of tape weather lower something is say 6 in or 4 in whatever then the white tape is another quarter inch and then the last two pieces of the little skinny tape is maybe four or five inches apart and then an inch apart from there the exact measurements in other words like a measuring tool or you know a ruler or something or one of those yellow rulers that plays the cat Ben's you could just lay flat on there and put the exact measurements of the length of the fingerboard as opposed to the fingerboard on top of the Scrolls by the peg box says you can say this is exactly where you place the tape because when you're doing it on the video it's very good and I do it's a very good video on your very good teacher but if you can show the exact measurements of the distance in the space in between them from the top to the bottom for all four pieces of tape that would be a great help with this way if I want to put my own tape on I knew exactly where it was I can't just like gas words that I have to know exactly where to place of that thank you very much Robert h a l l e or Southern New Jersey Jersey Shore thank you very much I play the violin for 10 years and one year in a viola and I'm just starting with the cello I'm going to order a cello in 2019 thank you very much by the way merry Christmas happy New Year happy holidays and your videos of fantastic I loved him I loved him thank you very much you're really good teacher good guy
You need to upload some cello videos, Bob.
Hi. As a complete beginner (starting at age 37) I really find your videos helpful. When I play I feel like a have really wide fingers. So I would love to see a video from you, where in closeup, you show how the fingers are correctly arches. Like, when I, in first position, play the G on the D- string and are going over to the A-string and then quick back to the G, my "G-finger" often touches the A-string making that horrible sqreech noise. So I feel that I am placing my fingertips wrong and arching my fingers wrong.
Would love to see a video where you show the correct arch 😊
Thank you so much for your videos
Already done three videos, here is part 2 - ua-cam.com/video/2t0sKoIyuqo/v-deo.html
@@CelloCoach Ah, I see. Thanks. I will study them closely 😊
Jonathan, please give advice for the person whose hands are small and fingers are short but wants to stick to learning to play.
Excellent.
Thanks
dude u helped me so much.
I have very small hands, and I am only 4' 11" with a quite chubby mama tummy (7 c-sections=eternal pregnant belly) When I played cello 20 years ago, I used a 3/4 size. Is that a reasonable choice or would you suggest trying to adjust to a full size cello? Oh, and since I found you I feel like a person who has found a cool spring with the best water. I don't even have a cello yet, but I am watching these videos and feeling both inspired and hopeful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Maybe a 7/8 cello can be considered? These have fingerboards that are slightly shorter in length.
excited for getting into orchestra for 8th grade next year
Happy for you
Thanks very good class
Thank you so much!
u r awesome thank you very much
Thanks Nada! Anything I can do to help you learn, just ask ;-)
Man...im new and my fingers just don't want to sit on my tapes! I have medium large to large hands, longer thin fingers. It just looks like your tapes are so much closer together than mine and I have the tapes set using a tuner app pretty accurately. If I lift my fingers once set to hammer down, my middle two are not even close! And I have to skew my fingers up a lot to even get my fingers on the tapes. Will my hand adjust? Just such and awkward position for my hand. Good videos...thanks!
Good question and you are not alone. The space between the 2nd and 3rd finger is most challenging for 1st year cellists. The challenge is the thumb on the neck, while you "Hammer Down". Try to Hammer individual fingers, then combine 2. It may be best to work only on the inner fingers, so 2 and 3 hammer exercises. If you like Star Trek and can manage a good Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" hand sign, then this is not much different. You arm is actuating different ligaments, something you need to become acquainted with.
Jonathan Humphries ok will try. Thanks!
Hey:) thank you for your advice!
I have been playing the cello for about four months and I am not really sure about my position of the first finger of the left hand. I don't really play with the tip of it. I usually press the string with the side of the fingertip down. Is that right? Or do you really have to use the middle of the tip to press the string down?
I hope you can understand it. Sorry for my English, it's not my mother language;)
I have the same problem :( i don't know it that is acceptable haha it's just awkward if i try to push the string with the tip of the fingers :'(
Please advise how to get the left thumb first position accurately ?
With the help of a tape, you can train the thumb to be aligned with your 2nd. When not with cello, use your middle and thumb to pick things up, to help re-train the brain. Good question, one that a video will explain in further detail.
Would you recommend a more "slanted" position for a person with rather long fingers? To give you a rough idea, I can easily play a 1-tone extension between my 3rd and 4rd fingers or a 1 tone and a half extension between my 2nd and 3rd fingers, so they are LONG. I wish I could use a "square" position like yours, but that would cause my 3rd and 4th fingers to be slanted "the wrong way" (downwards, rather than upwards).
Dion, you are the one who knows your anatomy the best. If slanting downwards feels better, than do so! It sounds like your 3rd and 4th finger naturally curve inward when you make a hand position?
Good afternoon. I´ve been playing cello and Right know, i´ve realize that my left hand position has been bad. I´ve been playing with collapsed wrist. Right know I´m trying to correct the position but because I was use to the bad position, the correct one makes me feel pain. Could you please give me an advice... Thanks
Could you describe you "collapsed wrist" with more detail? How long had you this habit?
@@CelloCoach, I´m not a native english speaker, so I will try my best. My thumb over comes out of the neck of the cello, it is not aligned with the second finger and my wrist tends to come very close to the neck. I´ve been playing like that almost teo years
ua-cam.com/video/8OETDas1jvo/v-deo.html in this video, the first problem is the one I have
hi i have a question please:
when playing with my index finger on C string, i am unable to make it with the tip, it is always done with the side of my finger or under the tip(my finger is not curved)
any tips about that??
thanks
without seeing your physical hand on a cello C-string, I will surmise you may need to adjust you thumb on the back of the neck to allow your palm to remain more aloft the strings. It can also be your finger ligaments are not robust enough when playing the thicker strings, which calls for your own unique approach to applying pressure on our lowest cord.
yes thats because i face some difficulties in pressing on thick strings, so do you have any suggestions?
This is fun, but there is so much “basic” stuff to learn, and you have provided plenty of material. Finding it is my problem. Is there a sequence to the videos? Where does one start?
Basics of Cello, then Essential Skills, then pick a song, then Level Up. I will be reorganizing the Basics of Cello this Dec 2018 ;-)
What cello at what age of a child would you recomend ?
As young as the child wants. I have taught as young as 5yo.
Beginner cellist here. I have a weird habit to straighten my finger when I lift them to change to another note. I do curve my fingers when I press down. Do you think this is problematic?
Curving the fingers not in use is the goal, yes and thus a good habit you will have to train the hand to repeat without thinking.
Jonathan Humphries thank you for the reply
That is a good exercise, but my biggest problem is getting the 4th finger G in place while playing E with the first finger on D string for example.-Cannot stretch!
No rock n roll hand signs till your cello sports at least one humbucker at the bridge. Capish?
I wouldnt say that this is universal...it depends on who is your teacher really. I place mine in between the first and second finger
As of this year, I have one student who previously learned with not attention to the details of the left hand alignment. She is usually out of tune when she shifts. The thing about the 2nd and thumb alignment is, when mastered, you can nearly guarantee good intonation BEFORE ever touching the fingerboard. Being aware of relative spacing between the fingers throughout half to upper third, all you need to do is move the thumb to the memorized place (that is done my remembering the position of the elbow and compression of the bicep/forearm) and with the 2nd aligned, just drop all the rest into place. I cannot tell you how many cellists' intonation and confidence this simple technique has helped over the last two decades. What I will admit is any teacher who does not stress this technique is either not teaching absolute beginners or selling their students' short. Experience matters, and I can not keep track of the students with "ok intonation", cellists who have learned without considering the 2nd & thumb alignment, whom have joined my studio and left me emotional attestations because their technique finally brings them joy. All that matters, in the end, is how much the cellist enjoys their playing. You seem to enjoy cello very much, from watching your uploads, and I hope you continue to play for years to come, Jervi.
I went back to this squared position when my very recent cello teacher told me to find my balance by joining my thumb with the second finger and he told me that my balance is between the first and second. (The hard part was adjusting because when you change teachers, it is most likely change your technique depending on his or her tradition) I was used to the German and French tradition and a bit of Starker but when I moved to my recent teacher back home, he completely changed my technique and almost destroyed my playing. Now Im reviewing my Suzuki books (Im a Suzuki kid) and I love it!
I watched your Lalo and Prelude Ste. 3 and if that was your technique prior to the change, then I would like to see a new upload of the Prelude with your new way. You are already far beyond what this video is about with your fundamental technique. I too was a Suzuki kid (shout out to Sinichi) though left the books after Book 4. Hmm, could I do something and call you out? Download my CelloCoach app, and try the two different approaches to the 2nd finger alignment. If you can score lower consistently on all scales with your new technique, I'll yield, but without a control, a baseline of comparison, we are just pissing in the wind. Our app will show you exactly how your intonation is, precisely per finger and key. You game?
Jonathan Humphries I'll give it a go. Hahaha I didnt realize that the settings of my videos were not for friends only! Im so embarrased!! Haha.
We all live in Public. So, are you subbed to his channel? I manually review non-subs for, well, you know, it is still youtube! Really like your engagement and would like to know why YT is flagging accounts like yours. So, the app is free on GooglePlay. To really test your level, no open strings on any 2 octave scale, and three back-to-back runs. Savvy?
I have short fingers and am struggling with my pinky being able to stretch far enough to play the correct note on the string.
We stretch is between the 1st and 2nd finger.
Thank you sir
You are Welcome
謝謝你！
😅
Hello Sir
I want to learn cello.
I don't have teacher in my city in India
Please guide.
I had conversation with you 1 year back.
Thanks in advance
How can I help you?
@@CelloCoach i have few of your videos. They are awesome. I play violin, flute, keyboard and saxophone. My cello will come in a week
Do you have any video series to teach cello? Or do you teach to beginners? If no then can you suggest a teacher or some app or something software kind of to guide me?
5hanks in advamce
Follow the playlists - Basics of Cello, Essential Skills, Level-Up, Online Cello Lessons and all Cello Coach Talks
@@CelloCoach Thank you very much for valuable input. Do I need teacher online? Shall I start with Suzuki books?
Question answered
Nice
13 thump downs...? Must be accordion players...LOL
Ham there are people who don't like me I guess