Learning the Cello - Learning to Sit with a Cello

Balance and Coordination 

Things to make or buy to help beginners

The Pelvis

Find a chair that is the correct height for you. Most people recommend that you sit on the front edge of the chair with your hips just slightly higher than your knees. The chair should have a firm cushion or no cushion.

• Think of your whole head as a skull with a precious brain inside. Drop the head forward ever so slightly then reverse so the back of your head dips back a little. Go back to neutral, where your skull feels it is resting on the Atlas bone (topmost bone of the spine). Now lift the whole head a tiny bit upward. You may notice that you feel a small amount of expansion in that moment, or you may feel a sense of lightness. You've just elongated your spine.

• Let your entire spine (visualize your torso) to lengthen and widen just a tiny bit. Breathe normally.  Don't force it.

•  While breathing out, allow the front and back of your shoulders to widen out of your back out to the sides, instead of compressing inward. 

•  Pay attention to the bones at the base of your buttocks, and feel the comfort of your whole upper body supported by both sitting bones equally. Experiment with the different ways your pelvis can move.

• Tilt your pelvis forward and backwards, then find the neutral center. Notice that you are gently engaging your abdominal muscles to support this posture.

• Notice the bottom of your feet and if they are helping you to balance. Relax your toes.

In a happy, calm manner, sit this way for 2 minutes, trying out these subtle movements and breathing. Now try the same thing for 2 minutes with the cello resting against you. The cello will rest on your chest on or near your sternum. It will also be supported by your left leg and the endpin supports most of the weight of the instrument. 

When playing the cello and focusing on posture, play something very short and simple. 

•  If you are slumping, elongate your spine by imagining a string pulling the top of your head upwards.  Experiment with tilting the pelvis forward and back so that you are arching  your back and then slump to tilt the pelvis backwards. Let your head react. Notice that when you slump, the head wants to drop forward and when you arch, the nose will go upwards and head feels up and tilted back. You can play the cello in both of these positions. No posture or position should be static. Movement between these is beneficial. 
• Notice if your abdominal muscles are engaged.
• Be aware of tension in any part of the body, especially your jaw and your feet. Is your tongue resting gently on the roof of your mouth? 
• Notice even the smallest muscles of your hand, thumb and fingers. 
• Practice just picking up your bow. Muscles in your back will engage just from picking up the bow though it may be difficult to notice this subtle change.
•  Notice the muscles in your neck as you put the bow to the string. Keep checking that your neck muscles are relaxed as you play. The head drooping forward from the neck is a common bad habit for cellists. Don't let it become a problem for you!