All tutors at International Music School Cardiff are hand-picked, highly trained professional musicians with an enthusiasm for teaching their instrument. Lessons take place in our city-centre venue, and it is our vision to create a place where music tuition of the highest quality is delivered alongside regular professional concerts and public performance opportunities for our students.
What should you expect from cello lessons?
Learning the cello is an exciting journey! Discovering the many possibilities the instrument has to offer and learning how to play it requires patience, diligence and a sensitive and skilled teacher. Similar to violin and viola, a sensitive ear for tuning and intonation has to be developed early on. Posture is key in order to create a strong and pleasant sound.
Learning the cello will make you listen out for the architecture of music. Since you will mostly be providing the bass parts when playing chamber music you will develop a strong sense of supporting others around you.
A little bit about the instrument
The cello (short for violoncello) is the second-biggest member of the string family, bigger than violin and viola but smaller than its big brother the double bass. It has a soft, mellow tone, one octave below the viola. Like the other members of the violin family, the cello is played with a bow.
Similar to the violin and viola, the cello is a very social instrument and is needed in most ensemble and group settings. Statistically speaking, the cello is unfortunately less popular among beginners than, for instance, the violin. The good news is that being a good young cellist means you’ll be always very sought-after for music groups!
The cello is a wonderful solo instrument many fantastic soulful pieces written for it by composers including Elgar, Shostakovich, Brahms and Saint-Saëns. The cello is also in demand for rock and pop songs and is used a lot in the pop music industry, including Damien Rice on his album “O”, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, or “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera.
