Damaged strings can cause unwanted noise and need to be replaced. Check the strings in the area of the bridge and look for damage to the string windings and replace any damaged strings. If your strings appear undamaged , the problem might be the wrong combination of string gauge and bow weight. Heavier gauge strings or a heavier bow can be ways to address this. In general you should change your cello strings once or twice a year.
However, that is subject to change based on many factors: chiefly, how often and how long you play. Further influences are the quality of strings you purchase, your environment, and your style of play. Unlike other stringed instruments, disposable income plays a much bigger factor with cello strings as cello strings are significantly more expensive. If you typically play your cello less than hours per week you can likely go a year without changing the strings.
When metal cello strings meet oxygen they start the process of corrosion and over time, it will affect their tone.
If you live in an arid climate, cello strings will also last longer than if you live in a humid coastal climate. The more humid the air, the quicker the process of corrosion sets in and begins degrading your cello strings.
Finally, cello strings can literally be more expensive than a cello. It would be akin to putting high performance racing tires on a stock Datsun B The tires would be a massive waste of money. Conversely, if you were to put tires from Tire Barn on a Bugatti, it would greatly decrease the performance of that car and the car would then be the massive waste of money. The moral of the story here is that the benefits of high performance cello strings are best realized on high performance cellos.
In some cases, a new sound post will need to be cut. When a peg slips or sticks, tuning and staying in tune can be difficult. If your pegs keep slipping or sticking, remove the peg and apply a specialized compound to the shiny parts of the removed peg. This compound, as long as its made especially for cello pegs, will provide the traction needed for slipping pegs or the lubricant needed for sticking pegs. Although this is a quick and easy fix, keep in mind that changes in humidity can have a significant impact on pegs.
Many cellists find themselves pushing the pegs in a bit more on days when the air is dry, and vice versa. If your peg no longer fits in the peg box, bring your cello to a luthier to find out if the peg needs replacing. This is recommended at least once a year more often if you play a great deal and is usually a same-day service. A repair technician who specializes in bow repair can fix this easily. If you think this is the issue, make an appointment with a bow repair professional. Some prefer to glue the chip back on themselves, while others opt to trust the task with the professionals.
I'm a beginning Cello player, and I'm usually able to get a clear and consistent tone on all the strings with 1st position fingerings. However today, I've suddenly had bad problems with squeaking. Details - Open A and D stings sound fine. A string is completely fine. It's impossible to get an acceptable sound. Things that have changed between yesterday and today I lost my old rosin which was 6 years old but worked fine and got a new, cheap one light, soft as a replacement.
I've practically never touched the bow hairs with my fingers, though I did wipe them gently with a clean, dry washcloth after the squeaking, trying to get some of the rosin off didn't work. I can't imagine the cheapness of the rosin being the culprit, because the seller is a reputable small business that I deal with a lot and they're trustworthy and wouldn't carry bogus products.
Maybe I shouldn't have combined the two types of rosin? Did I use too much? I'm really antsy because I'm afraid I might have ruined the instrument or the bow. What am I doing wrong?
For example, I was using a hypoallergenic rosin that turned to powder and failed to grab the strings when the air temperature dropped into the 60s Fahrenheit. It made a mess of the strings and the violin.
A different, very dark rosin grabbed so well it took much less bow pressure but caused rapid buildup on the strings as well as inflicting a rash on my neck. You can find an endless number of threads on rosin. Better yet, just buy a variety of reasonably priced rosins and give them each a try until you find one that performs well for you.
Having said that - of course I don't know if the rosin is really your problem even though it looks like that - can't you consult your teacher or somebody else experienced who can watch you playing, and tell you if it's really the rosin? I am sure I will get yelled at for suggesting this, but I am a noob cello player also 6 months now and here is what I do every month or so.
Do not get any on your cello. Use something like a thick microfiber rag and put a little alcohol on it, not enough to drip, just enough to be damp. First vigorously wipe the strings with any dry cloth to remove the build of the resin. Then carefully to avoid any possibility of touching wood, wipe the strings with the alcohol rag. With the wet spot between two fingers hold the wet spot on the string and move it back and forth until the string is pristine. I have tried a dozen rosins, and I can definitely tell you the rosins are likely your problem.
The rosins are very sensitive to temperature, humidity, and bow - and probably your cello. I have 3 bows now and each likes a different rosin. The two rosins that work best for me are D'Addario very dark and Gustave Bernardel redish.
Jade is okay, but not as good for me. If you read reviews on Rosins you will find everyone has different experiences - so you need to find YOUR rosin. I have about 10 different ones now. My luthier gave me like 5 or 6 different ones until I found Jade worked "ok". With my CodaBow Diamond a mix of D'Addargio and Gustave Bernardel works best - best being good warm smooth tone, little to no squeaking or scratching - easy bow changes and string changes.
With the Jade on my Diamond I get a lot of squeaks and scratches on bow and string changes. Very hard to get the string vibrating cleanly, especially the C. Tone quality varies widely also based on the rosin, each seems to have it's own sound. How much rosin is another area that everyone seems to have their own opinion. Lastly, make sure that the chinrest is only contacting the instrument where there is cork or padding. If the metal clamp is close to the ribs, or if the underside of the chinrest is too close to the top plate, you may get occasional buzzing.
Inspect the shoulder rest. Some shoulder rests have screws or parts that can rattle if loose. Try playing without the shoulder rest. If the noise stops, make sure to tighten or replace loose parts on the shoulder rest. See if there is excessive tailgut under the tailpiece. The tailgut or tailpiece adjuster is the cord that connects the tailpiece to the endpin button, and holds mostly all of the tension from the strings. Some tailguts are tied, and others are threaded with small brass nuts holding them to the tailpiece.
Excess tailgut after the nuts or the knots can rattle against the tailpiece. These can rarely be trimmed without removing the tailpiece, but a piece of tape might hold them still until the instrument can be brought to a luthier. Check Fine Tuners string adjusters. If a fine tuner tuned down as far as it goes, the screw can rattle around. Also, most fine tuners are held onto the tailpiece by a small nut, which if loose, can also rattle.
These are usually noticeable by a high-pitched rattle, especially on one string. Does the buzz only happen on open strings?
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