Bow Hold

The right hand holds the stick of the bow between the thumb and the other four fingers. The tip of the thumb sits in the corner of the frog and the stick. Opposite it—but a little more to the right—is the middle finger, with its tip lightly touching the hair on the ferrule. The ring finger and little finger lie naturally on the frog next to the middle finger. The index finger touches the stick of the bow at the crease of the upper joint, slightly away from the middle finger. Tone production depends on the index finger exerting pressure on the stick. Therefore, the position of the finger changes. It comes to rest on the stick up to the crease of the second joint, and accordingly moves away from the middle finger.

Tuning the Cello

The cello has four strings, which are tuned in ascending fifths from low C.

The lower pitches are notated in bass clef, the higher pitches in the tenor or treble clef. Tuning the strings accurately has its difficulties for the beginner, therefore it is advisable to leave it to the teacher.