Cello Lessons for Beginners: Tuning, Sizes and First Notes

How is a cello tuned?

A cello is tuned C2, G2, D3, A3 from the lowest (thickest) string to the highest, each a perfect fifth apart. Tune the A string to 220 Hz, an octave below the orchestra’s A 440, then tune each lower string a fifth below.

Use the fine tuners for small changes. The pegs on a cello are big and stiff: turn them gently while pushing in, and ask a teacher to help the first few times.

What size cello do I need?

Most adults and teenagers from about 15 play a full-size (4/4) cello. Younger children play 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 sizes, chosen by height and arm and leg length rather than age. A teacher or string shop should fit the size.

If you are between sizes, the smaller one is usually easier.

How do you start cello lessons?

Find a teacher, rent a cello of the right size, and learn to sit, hold the bow and play the open strings before adding fingers. Many US schools start cello in grade 4 or 5 through the school orchestra program; private teachers take beginners of any age.

1. Get a cello, bow, rosin and an endpin stop (a non-slip pad or strap for the floor).
2. Sit on the front edge of a chair, feet flat, knees bent at about a right angle.
3. Pull out the endpin so the top of the cello rests against your chest and the C-string peg is near your left ear.
4. Learn the bow hold: curved thumb under the stick, fingers draped over the top, relaxed wrist.
5. Play long, even bows on each open string: A, D, G, C.
6. Add fingers 1, 3 and 4 on the D and A strings, then 2 (see the chart below).
7. Learn the bass clef notes and play simple tunes with your teacher.

Is cello hard to learn for beginners?

The cello is a friendly first string instrument: you sit comfortably, and the low notes are easy to hear in tune. As with violin and viola, the first months are about posture, a good bow hold and finger placement.

Little and often works best: 15–20 minutes a day beats an hour once a week. Record a few open strings each week and listen to how the sound improves.

Which clef does cello music use?

Cello music is written mainly in the bass clef. For high passages it uses the tenor clef and sometimes the treble clef, which more advanced cellists learn to read.

The open strings in the bass clef: C2 two ledger lines below the staff, G2 on the bottom line, D3 on the middle line, and A3 on the top line. Learn them with Classfern’s bass clef notes unit.

Cello notes chart (first position)

The string and finger for each note in first position. “Back 1” is a backward extension: the first finger reaches back a half step towards the scroll.

Classfern’s free music guides on lessonplanner.info run in your browser. Bass clef reading, theory tests and the metronome all work for cellists too: try the metronome and backing tracks.