Larrivee & Cello

[Silence Dogood]

We have an aspiring cellist in the house!  Thought this was a pretty cool shot of my matte-finished guitar up against this shiny and pretty thing.  I changed the strings on the cello (the ones that came on it were pretty bad) and tuned it up, but I can't make heads or tails of it musically.  Very foreign territory!

Anyone else here play cello or know a cellist?

[William2]

That is a beautiful musical still life portrait.

[Queequeg]

That is a beautiful musical still life portrait.

Definitely!
I love the cello. To listen and even just to look at it.
I can't play the cello so I play my baritone guitar.

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott have a new recording just out. "Merci".
Recommended 👍🏿

[Myopic Squirrel]

A guy I used to work with son played the cello. Never realized how much a bargain guitars are!   

[Silence Dogood]

Never realized how much a bargain guitars are!   

No joke there!  I got a pretty good deal on this one but the money would have bought a lot more guitar.

[fantex]

Back in late 2008 or early 2009 I was playing electric bass in a band. For something different I bought an NS Design Omni Bass. They may have called it something different back then, I can't remember. It was a upright, electric, fretless bass crossover. It had a standard electric bass guitar scale length. I used a bow on it some but never gave it enough time. I sold it in less than a year.

This might help.

https://www.adultcello.com/

Have fun!

[Myopic Squirrel]

When my co-worker told me how much for his son's cello, I asked him was that in lira or dollars?

[B0WIE]

Lovely pic! I've wanted to learn cello for the longest! I just have too many projects going. After I finish building my wife's violin I may build myself a cello.

[mike in lytle]

Anyone else here play cello or know a cellist?

When I was young, I saw the fat strings on the guitar, EADG, were the same as the mandolin and violin, except upside-down, GDAE. That opened up understanding of violin, mandolin, and later, the octave mandolin, bouzouki, and the mandocello and cello (CGDA).
You are "this close" to getting the cello. You can probably already play it, even just playing notes with fingers, not even bowing.
Mike

[Silence Dogood]

Lovely pic! I've wanted to learn cello for the longest! I just have too many projects going. After I finish building my wife's violin I may build myself a cello.

This is my wife's cello.  But I want to hear more about this violin build!  Pics too!

[B0WIE]

This is my wife's cello.  But I want to hear more about this violin build!  Pics too!

He he. I guess I'll have to make a thread when it's done then. Won't be until the spring as I have a crazy number of projects I'm working through. It started with a simple StewMac kit but then I decided to learn about tap tuning, violin finishes, etc and 4 years later I'm still coming out of that rabbit hole. If anyone thinks guitar making can get complicated with hide glue, bracing, etc, violin building concepts make guitar building seem like a paint-by-number. They get into extensive chemical analysis and xrays in searching for the secrets of the masters. Some insist that the presence of silica indicates that one should use horse tail reeds for sanding instead of sandpaper. Certain egg formulations for sealing, etc. It's pretty wild. But, a fun journey.

[Silence Dogood]

He he. I guess I'll have to make a thread when it's done then. Won't be until the spring as I have a crazy number of projects I'm working through. It started with a simple StewMac kit but then I decided to learn about tap tuning, violin finishes, etc and 4 years later I'm still coming out of that rabbit hole. If anyone thinks guitar making can get complicated with hide glue, bracing, etc, violin building concepts make guitar building seem like a paint-by-number. They get into extensive chemical analysis and xrays in searching for the secrets of the masters. Some insist that the presence of silica indicates that one should use horse tail reeds for sanding instead of sandpaper. Certain egg formulations for sealing, etc. It's pretty wild. But, a fun journey.

Wow, that's all very fascinating!  I admire your sense of adventure.  Does your wife already play violin and you are building her an additional instrument, or does she intend to learn on the one you are making?  My wife dabbles in violin and has always wanted a cello.  I'm not sure it will ever take off, but she wanted one so I got it for her.   She's actually a brilliant pianist and a very good singer. 

I have watched lots of documentaries on violin makers over the years.  It really is a completely fascinating world inside a world. I always think how great of a job that would be, to be holed up in one's workshop all day making instruments.  That's one of the jobs I would definitely consider learning if I could go back in time and talk to my younger self. 

[Silence Dogood]

Definitely!
I love the cello. To listen and even just to look at it.
I can't play the cello so I play my baritone guitar.

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott have a new recording just out. "Merci".
Recommended 👍🏿

I like baritone guitars a lot but have never owned one. I've seen one made by Alvarez that's not too expensive. What kind do you have? 

Also, are you familiar with the mandocello?  They are pretty rare but are such a beautiful instrument!

[Tuba Mike]

Don't know if this link will work.  I've had the pleasure to play along side cellist Mike Karoub on a number of occasions.  He would join my friend, Rollie Tussing and I as our soloist.  Rollie on guitar and me on tuba.  This video link is not us but rather the Royal Garden Trio.  A group that Mike has been in for a number of years.  I include so those not used to hearing jazz cello can get a taste of Mike's amazing talent.

https://youtu.be/YAzZKbqsP8c?si=E6oAmW8Xh7H3RCzX

[Queequeg]

Don't know if this link will work.  I've had the pleasure to play along side cellist Mike Karoub on a number of occasions.  He would join my friend, Rollie Tussing and I as our soloist.  Rollie on guitar and me on tuba.  This video link is not us but rather the Royal Garden Trio.  A group that Mike has been in for a number of years.  I include so those not used to hearing jazz cello can get a taste of Mike's amazing talent.

https://youtu.be/YAzZKbqsP8c?si=E6oAmW8Xh7H3RCzX

Thanks for posting this video. Great band. 

[William2]

I really liked this performance. I seem to be hearing the arch top more than the acoustic. It would have been interesting to have a guitar solo in the performance as well with maybe the cello playing a bass line behind the guitar solo. When I was a guitar student, my teacher would give concerts with a couple of faculty string players usually violin, viola, and guitar. Occasionally there would be a cello. The ensemble seemed to work for me from an audience perspective. My teacher said the cello put something on it, so the sound wasn't overbearing and drown out the guitar. In these pieces when the guitar had a solo the strings would drop out and the guitar was featured. When everyone was playing, the guitar usually played arpeggio patterns on chords. Once when I got to do something with a cellist, I felt the cello was really overbearing and felt I maybe wasn't being heard so I never really got interested in this repertoire. After I had an opportunity to hear an early music ensemble that used lute, flute and strings, I was amazed at the balance in the group and my ability to hear the virtuosos passage work of the lute while the strings were playing. I preferred this repertoire much more than 19th century string ensemble music and gave up guitar and switched to playing lute. I believe the success of the early music ensemble balance is the different tonal characteristics of the instruments. The string sound of the viola da gamba is so much more open, light and less powerful, that all the instruments were able to be heard on their own terms. I like cello, but I'm not sure if cello and guitar at least unamplified guitar are an ideal combination. Jimmy Bruno did record an album of guitar and string bass that ism interesting.

[Queequeg]

I really liked this performance. I seem to be hearing the arch top more than the acoustic.

Generally speaking, archtops will be louder than flat top guitars, in my experience.
Archtops however, will decay quickly while a flat top has greater sustain.

[Silence Dogood]

Been over a year and no one in my house has learned to play a note on that cello. 
 

[William2]

Been over a year and no one in my house has learned to play a note on that cello. 
 

LOL! I would add that the viola da gamba is played with the hand holding the bow under handed which is the opposite of how a cello bow is held contributing to a lighter attack. And the 6 string intervals of the gamba are same as a guitar with the third stringed tuned down a half step like g to f#. And the gambas came in various sizes like the violin family.

[Silence Dogood]

He he. I guess I'll have to make a thread when it's done then. Won't be until the spring...

How'd the violin turn out?
 

On topic... I'm going to take this cello to a fellow at a local university soon and he's going to set it up properly.  I took it to a guy in Dallas a while back and he didn't do much for it.  Then it sat.  Again.  Playing this thing is a beast (keeping it in tune!) and I finally figured out it needs a good look from someone in-the-know.  My wife has messed around with it but hasn't gotten very far.  Hopefully she can after it's set up better.  We shall see.  It sure looks pretty in the corner though, no matter what.