Cello Chronicles

I have kind of been weirdo-obsessed with string instruments since I was like, 11, but my school didn't have a string program. So I learned flute instead. Flute helped me get the music out of my system through high school, but after I graduated I was not good enough to go a professional route, and playing by myself got lonely, so I eventually stopped. Desolation ensued. I had been passively looking into learning the cello around late 2019, but then guess what world-changingly awful event began right around that time. I went and wrote a VN about how much I missed music instead. I think if I hadn't wrote it I might not have ever been brave enough to actually try learning an instrument again.

Anyway, I started learning cello in September 2023!!!!


Photo I took the night I got my rental

Stuff I'm Actively Focusing On (As of April 2025)

  • Tenor Clef
  • 5th Position and up
  • Vibrato
  • Double Stops

Tenor Clef

I've read the explanations for why cellos learn bass clef AND tenor clef AND treble clef. But tenor feels like a pointless middleground that's there just to make me more likely to get note names confused. (Whenever my teacher asks me what a note is I always have to choke back my first answer 'cuz treble clef is never the correct response. Adding tenor to the mix just kind of makes it worse.) That being said, I am learning this. Not going to stop me from being a bit of a hater though.

5th Position+

I'm fairly early into these so the struggle is real. Really have a lot of trouble keeping my fingers curled. There is a little voice in the back of my head going, "If I wanted to play in a register this high, I'd have played the violin." But then I listen to Yo-Yo Ma on the way home and he hits the high notes so beautifully and I remember how wonderful it is that the cello has so much range. Hanging in there.

Vibrato

My teacher has a bit of a complex about teaching vibrato, so I've kind of been fumbling around in the dark with this. Like a monkey trying to bang out Hamlet on a typewriter or something hahaha!! It just hasn't clicked for me yet.

Double Stops

I actually really like these. I feel like I was better at them for a while, but then at cello camp I got shown a slightly different posture to play in and I liked it and switched over to it, but my double stop game has been a little bit off ever since. X|;;;

Workbooks

  • Essential Elements for Strings Book 1 (September - October 2023)
  • Suzuki Cello 1 (October 2023 - January 2024)
  • Suzuki Cello 2 (January - June 2024)
  • Suzuki Cello 3 (July 2024 - )
  • Mooney's Position Pieces Book 1 (November 2023 - )
  • Harvey's Third Position for the Cello, Book 1 (Mid 2024?? idk - )
  • Harvey's Tenor Clef for the Cello (August 2024 - )
  • 98 Goofy Etudes (September 2024 - )

Essential Elements for Strings Book 1

I was about halfway through this book when my teacher said, "you're going to get bored with the rest of this" and had me go buy Suzuki instead. But internally I was like "nooooo my $12" and I used the rest of it as a practice warmup book for the next two months. This book...it reminded me of being in band in the 5th grade. Lots of "hot-cross-buns" varieties of songs. Kind of nostalgic, but also she was absolutely right I was bored by the time I got to the end of it hahahaha.

Suzuki Cello 1

My teacher kind of blew through this one really fast with me 'cuz it was the minimum requirement for getting into our local community orchestra, and she really wanted me in for the Spring season.

My only real grief was The Happy Farmer, which is apparently a pretty common problem song. I took this pic and posted it on cohost hoping that I'd be able to look back on it and laugh later (I did).


But also still like, fuck this song in particular a little bit

Suzuki Cello 2

I spent most of early 2024 getting used to community orchestra, so progress on this one was a lot slower, which my wallet was thankful for. (Suzuki books...they are like, over $1 per page...for songs mostly in the public domain......fine...........) I'm sure if I grabbed this book off my shelf and flipped to the back I'd be like "oh yeah, THIS song was hard," but I think I chipped through this one without issue for the most part.

Suzuki Cello 3

This book has been where I've really started feeling my body's inability to keep up with my brain for technique rghhhh. I need a better bow hold!!! Need a stronger hand!!!!!

When I first bought this I flipped to the back out of leftover muscle memory from the 2nd book, only to physically recoil at the sight of Humoresque LMAO.

...My teacher gave me a sticker for this song, but I definitely still have a long way to go...on 7th position....

Mooney's Position Pieces Book 1

Probably my favorite book out of this list. The little songs are all enjoyable to play (I occasionally get them stuck in my head). Really presented shifting in a logical and easy way to learn too. Also there is just a lot of fricking music in this book for the price. Thank you, Mr. Mooney!!!!

Orchestra

I joined my local community orchestra in January 2024. Gonna list out some of my favorite songs we've played with accompanying youtube videos, none of these videos are our recordings.

Winter/Spring Season 2024

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.5, Movement 4
This song, I fricking love this song. But also it is like high school or college level, and I had been playing the cello for about 3 months when it was first handed to me. Stressed me out!!!! I only knew 1st/2nd positions at the time, so I had to color code stuff so I knew it was like, "3 fingers on red tape" and shit like that for some sections of the song. I definitely was not doing vibrato, but I think...for the amount of time I'd been playing...I did really good... I'd love another chance at it someday.


I worked really hard.

Fall/Winter Season 2024

Orange Jam
I love guttural and gritty sounds on the cello. The first time I watched someone else perform this song and watched her do the glissandos, my eyes were like dinner plates. I wanted that to be ME. I really felt the limitations of my body while playing this one though. Everytime we rehearsed it all the way through, my bow hand would be trembling by the end. I never played it quite as well as I wanted to.

Winter/Spring Season 2025

America's Cup
I've noticed I have a tendency of latching onto the "hard song" of each season as my favorite. I will say though this was the song that made me hate the open A string. I'd been listening to people hate on it for a while and was just like, "...hm, don't get it" but now I Get It. That being said, nice fricking song. I don't think we were aiming to play this at full speed, but by the end we were almost there. (We made it to like, 112 out of 116. Very Close.) Had that SWASHBUCKLING INTENSITY.

Honorable mention to Alley Cats though, because it gave us an excuse to wear kitty cat ears on stage.