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Guide To The Orchestra
cello title image The cello looks like a violin – but bigger. You couldn’t hold this under your chin! Instead, it rests on a spike which sticks into the floor and is held between the players legs and played with a bow. Because its body is bigger and its strings longer than the other instruments, the sound it makes is much deeper.
cello Listen to the Cello
listen to Instrument Range Listen to the cello play its lowest and highest note listen to Special Effects tremolo / glissandi / listen to Hear it in action Hear the cello in Rossini's William Tell Overture
listen to
Gill Copp Meet the Orchestra! Gilll Copp plays the Cello with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Read about her below. Gill Copp, Cello How old were you when you first started playing? I was ten. Why did you choose this instrument? My mum wanted me to take up the violin but there were none left as school! So I took up the cello, but my mum wasn't very pleased. Do you play any other instruments? I also play the piano. What do you like most about playing in an orchestra? I love the 'big sound' of the orchestra especially when all the brass are playing at full tilt. I also love all the zippy fiddly bits! Do you play any other kind of music? I play in smaller groups with other members of the orchestra. Do you have any other hobbies? I play badminton and work in my 'wee garden'. I also play with Tan, my pet spaniel. What would you have been if you weren't a musician? I would have learned French and gone to live in France! All pictures are copyrighted - picture credits Woodwind Brass Flute Trumpet Oboe French Horn Clarinet Trombone Bassoon Tuba Strings Percussion Violin Tuned Viola Untuned Cello Timpani Double Bass Harp Keyboards Conductor LEARN AN INSTRUMENT Which instrument, which age, finding teachers, buying guide and the perils of practice Get help Get help Listening About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy Explore the BBC
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