INTRO

The cello has been delighting music lovers for hundreds of years now, thanks to its lively and vibrant sounds and warm tones that are similar to human voice qualities.

 The cello comes from the violin family and is often referred to as the violoncello. It is a bowed string instrument with four strings separated by an interval of a fifth.

The cello has become an indispensable part of Western music not all of a sudden but over time for the needs of the musicians.

Cellists always get to sit down!  The cello is held between your knees.   

A painting from the first half of the 19th century depicting a cellist playing with the instrument held between his knees

The cello is the second largest bowed string instrument, second to the String Bass, and the second lowest pitched bowed string instrument.

Cellos are used in jazz, ethnic and pop/rock music, but most closely associated with European style classical music

Apocalyptica at the 2009 Ilosaarirock festival.

One of the most famous classical cellists is YoYo Ma.

 The cello is less common in popular music than in classical music. Several bands feature a cello in their standard line-up, including Hoppy Jones of the Ink Spots and Joe Kwon of the Avett Brothers. The more common use in pop and rock is to bring the instrument in for a particular song. In the 1960s, artists such as the Beatles and Cher used the cello in popular music, in songs such as The Beatles' "Yesterday", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Strawberry Fields Forever"