Comments on: Improving the sound of your cello

By: chezza

chezza — Mon, 10 May 2004 07:01:10 +0000

i had a wolf note, a pretty bad one, on my E on the G string, it was awful and i didnt know what it was for ages. i just thought i was doing something stupid with the bow, or not pressing my finger down enough, but turns out it only happened when i was perfectly in tune! so i got a thingo called a ‘wolf tone eliminator’ and now it’s gone. i’d really like to know how it works, all the web sites i went to were to complicated. can anyone help me?

By: mig

mig — Fri, 16 Apr 2004 11:48:25 +0000

There is a device called a “wolf killer” (at least, that’s a literal translation of the German phrase I heard – Wolftoeter). It is a small doodad placed on the inside or outside surface of your cello, in exactly the right spot necessary to dampen the vibrations causing the wolf. I used to have a terrible wolf on my F notes, which was improved significantly by the wolf killer.

By: chattin chick

chattin chick — Fri, 16 Apr 2004 04:56:15 +0000

i just got a new cello bout a month ago and every time i played it it just sounded purely like crap (even though im a descent cello player and have been playin fo 2 yrs) i didnt no wut wuz up wit it… i found this website and it talked about wolf notes where ne time you play a note no0 mater wut string u on it sounds bad… i had alot of those but when i really concintrated on hittin the right place it dont sound as loud (the wolf notes i mean) thanx for the tip

By: duane

duane — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 18:08:02 +0000

Wonderful harmonic work on fretless bass can be downloaded at:http://www.q-tuner.com

By: mig

mig — Fri, 02 Apr 2004 10:30:13 +0000

I’m too much of a luddite to figure out how to make digital recordings, man. I’d like to learn, someday, but right now i’m still trying to figure out my mobile phone.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 14:02:07 +0000

My trouble is just hearing in general. Let’s just say, I don’t quite have perfect pitch!

“Can’t sing, can’t dance, can handle a sword a little…”

By: mig

mig — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 13:31:59 +0000

By: mig

mig — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 13:31:30 +0000

I liked the bass a lot, although I was never any good at it. I had a Fender Precision. But then the amp started giving me shocks when I turned it on (very punk) and I started traveling, and sold it. I’d like to get another one, along with an electric cello, and a normal cello, but you can’t have everything.

Those low notes are hard to hear, aren’t the.

By: peggy

peggy — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 12:54:59 +0000

The sound of a fretless bass sends me, but I am too chicken and having enough trouble (and fun) with learning a regular one. My ear doesn’t hear the lowest tones so well, even when I’m hitting them correctly. I guess that part of the sound ocean is too deep for me to hear.
I guess that’s why God made octaves.

By: mig

mig — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 12:36:00 +0000

I thought intonation would be the hardest part of playing the cello, since there are no frets (one reason I thought about viola gamba instead, since they seem to have a few frets, but eh). It turns out bowing is my biggest problem, with intonation coming in only second place; although exact intonation is, as I’ve said, still eluding me. But it’s surprising how much you can learn to hear the notes, and how much “visualizing” (hearing?) them before you put your left hand in place can help.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 12:31:19 +0000

One of the reasons I no longer call myself a violinist (‘cept I’m Irish, so maybe that’d be ‘fiddler’ anyway), and now concentrate on fretted instruments. On a guitar, intonation is sorted out with a set of tiny little Allen keys :-)