A traditional violoncello (or cello) normally has a spruce top, with maple for the back, sides, and neck. Other woods, such as poplar or willow, are sometimes used for the back and sides. The top and back are traditionally hand-carved. The sides, or ribs, are made by heating the wood and bending it around forms.

What is the best wood for a cello?

Body Materials

• Spruce. For the top of a cello, only straight-grained spruce is used. ...
• Maple. For enhanced beauty and stability, maple is used on the sides, back and neck.
• Ebony. For the finger, pegs, endpin and tailpiece, ebony is the preferred choice. ...
• Other woods.

Why are cellos so expensive?

However, cellos are among the most expensive of all orchestral instruments. ... Cellos have some pretty special parts made of relatively rare materials. The pegs, nut, fingerboard, and tailpiece are all made of ebony, an incredibly hard and dense wood that is also quite rare.

What wood are violas made of?

Viola fingerboards are mostly made of ebony, a very hard black wood. Other hardwoods are sometimes used on lower quality instruments and are artificially blackened to look like ebony.

Why do cellos sound so good?

The cello produces the best sound

Not as whiney as the violin, not too low like the bass, but deeply layered and rich. ... The reason behind this is because the cello's range is quite similar to a person's vocal range. Its wide range means it can really sing.

The Cello Maker: Robin Aitchison

36 related questions found

Why do cello players shake their heads?

A common habit of cellists is to pull the head forward and down to look at the fingers, or back and down into the spine to look heavenward for inspiration. Both gestures act as a brake on the energy flow from the spine to the fingers.

What type of wood are Stradivarius violins made from?

The woods used included spruce for the top, willow for the internal blocks and linings, and maple for the back, ribs, and neck. There has been conjecture that the wood used may have been treated with several types of minerals, both before and after construction of a violin.

Is spruce a hardwood?

Hardwood comes from trees, which lose their leaves in the winter. Trees such as Ash, Beech and Oak etc. ... Softwood trees include Pine, Larch, Spruce etc..

What is a maple violin?

Maple Violins was founded in 2020 by our director Tom Palmer as a platform for buying and selling fine stringed instruments of the violin family securely online at a time when travel was severely restricted. Tom has over a decade of experience, working daily with some of the greatest historic instruments in this field.

Are cellos hard to play?

Leaning to play the cello is hard, and it can be challenging to create sounds during the first few months of training. Remember that every cellist went through the same struggles. You can do it as long as you keep at it. “Do” learn how to tune your cello.

Are cellos more expensive than violins?

The violin is (on average) significantly less expensive than the cello. It's also smaller and more portable. In addition, many people appreciate the violin's range and tone, which is similar to that of the human voice.

How do I know if my cello is solid wood?

Look for a solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides. Try to avoid cellos that use laminated woods. Laminated means plywood. A good rule is that if it does not specifically say "SOLID WOOD" it is likely laminated.

What is the timbre of a cello?

The cello is described as having various sounds ranging from sweet to dark. Other words used to describe its timbre were; metallic, warm, rich, and harsh. Playing with your fingertips closer to the fingerboard gives the cello a more mellow tone. ...

How do you tell if a cello is laminated?

You can tell if your cello is made of plywood by looking through the sound holes on either side of the bridge. If you see layers instead of an unbroken piece of wood, you better believe it's made of a laminate.

Is Cherry a hardwood?

Cherry is a hardwood with a fine, straight grain that ranges from reddish brown to blond.

Is Eucalyptus a hardwood?

Eucalyptus is durable, strong and sustainable. It is classified as a hardwood and can be used as structural support beams for buildings and many other outdoor structures. Eucalyptus timber is a long-lasting choice for an outdoor structure; especially, if you want to protect the environment.

Is Ash a hardwood?

With a Janka hardness rating of 1320, Ash is a very durable species of hardwood that can easily be installed in high-traffic areas. But with a hardness rating of 1820, Hickory is among the strongest hardwoods commonly used for flooring.

Who owns the Messiah violin?

Today, the Messiah Stradivarius was under the guardianship of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. The violin is very close to the original condition when it left Stradivari's workshop in 1737. Though the Messiah Stradivarius has not been auctioned publicly, it was worth an estimated US$20 million.

Are fake Stradivarius violins worth anything?

And, unfortunately, most of these "fake Stradivarius" are not very valuable. You'll find them all over eBay, Craigslist, other used instruments sites, and tucked away in attics, basements, closets, and barns, for anywhere from free to a few hundred dollars.

How much is a 1667 Stradivarius violin worth?

They've estimated it to sell for more than $45 million—about three times the auction record for an instrument, currently held by a Stradivarius violin that sold for about $15.6 million in 2011.

What's the hardest instrument to play?

Top 10 Hardest Instruments to Play

• French Horn – Hardest Brass Instrument to Play.
• Violin – Hardest String Instrument to Play.
• Bassoon – Hardest Woodwind Instrument to Play.
• Organ – Hardest Instrument to Learn.
• Oboe – Hardest Instrument to Play in a Marching Band.
• Bagpipes.
• Harp.
• Accordion.

What instrument is the loudest?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the loudest (and largest) instrument in the world is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ. This pipe organ was built by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company, and is housed in the Main Auditorium of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

What is the most beautiful instrument?

Called the "Theremin," this unique musical instrument is another of the world's most beautiful sounding and, frankly, strangest.