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The Purple Guide to Learning the Cello in 10 Days
A 10-Day Starter Plan to Pick Up the Cello, Play Your First Notes, and Decide If This Instrument Is Worth Pursuing
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: First Day
First Day
Today you are going to sit down with a cello for the first time, and I want you to know what that is actually going to be like, because it is not what most people imagine. You probably picture yourself holding the instrument elegantly, gliding the bow across the strings, and producing a deep, warm note like the ones you hear in movie soundtracks. That will happen eventually, but it is not what today is about. Today is about getting comfortable with the object itself - the weight of it, the feel of the wood against your chest, the way your fingers find their place on the fingerboard. If you walk away from this first session having made any sound that did not make you laugh out loud, you have done it right.
Before you even touch the instrument, let me introduce you to its anatomy, because you are going to hear these words over and over again and it helps to know what people are talking about. The cello is basically a large wooden box with a long neck sticking out of the top. The body is the big hollow part that rests between your knees. The neck is the long piece that extends upward, and at the top of the neck is the scroll, which is decorative and serves no musical purpose - it's just tradition. The fingerboard is the dark strip of wood on the neck where you press your