What Does a Cello Luthier Do?

The cello is a western instrument and is an indispensable tenor or bass stringed instrument in an orchestra. The cello has a rich, full-bodied tone, has a cheerful personality, is good at playing lyrical melodies, expresses deep and complex feelings, and also plays the bass part of the harmony with the double bass, known as "the lady of music".

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The history of the cello dates back to the end of the 16th century, and it first appeared around 1660. Is a type called "Bass Vio

The cello is about twice as long as the violin, and the total length is about 120 cm. The bow is slightly thicker and shorter, and the chord ratio is

The cello, like members of the violin or other stringed instrument family, has four strings with a range of about four octaves and a pitch lower than the viola (C-G-d-a).

There are two main types of cello, Cello and Double Bass.
1.Cello

The cello is

When buying a piano, pay attention to whether the piano has potential, that is, can there be room for improvement in the sound of playing it over time. New pianos with too thin panels will sound better than pianos with slightly thicker panels, but the vibration is not far enough. When buying, you should ask a professional to audition, you stand a little far away to listen. Pay attention to whether the timbre of the four strings is unified and harmonious (most strings will have a lang sound on the G or three strings). The pianos to be compared must have the same pitch. Otherwise, a certain piano may appear particularly soft due to its low tonality. For similar reasons, the strings you are evaluating should have the same or similar strings, otherwise you are comparing strings rather than strings. In fact, the sound quality is difficult to compare, mainly depending on personal preference. The better the cello, the richer the sound. What can be expressed is even more endless.

* Master Piano: A piano made or used by a master. Generally, they are antiques or masterpieces. Even auctions are expensive. There are also works by contemporary masters, which usually cost more than $ 50,000. Under normal circumstances, the master piano is completed by a famous piano maker, and in most cases, you need to pay for the schedule to get the piano after about one year.

* Where to buy: You can buy it at ordinary piano shops, but it is usually the cheapest popular violin. If you want to buy a professional violin, you can ask your professional teacher or buy it from a professional violin dealer or violinist. (Don't trust brands, brands, trust ears) ^[2]

A well-made violin can have a long life. Amazingly, some of the masterpieces of violin makers in Cremona, Italy, in the early 16th century, although relatively fragile in construction, are still used by professional musicians today. The service life and performance status of a musical instrument are of course closely related to the maintenance of the instrument by the owner of the instrument, and key factors such as changes in air and other various dangers (such as vibration and shock) continue to threaten the performance of the instrument.

The owner of the violin, viola or cello can protect the instrument with proper cleaning, crack observation and visual inspection of general adjustments. Proper installation of the chord can reduce the wear on the log, and the careful owner will regularly check the bridge, stringer, tailrest and fingerboard. However, perhaps the most important thing is to consult a highly skilled luthier. ^[3]

Cello air

Humidity and dryness have a huge impact on stringed instruments. In Egypt, archeological excavations have revealed that ancient wooden products more than 3,000 years ago still have a hygroscopic response, capable of absorbing and discharging water from the surrounding air. Wood likes moisture, and the amount of water in the nucleus of a wooden cell tends to constantly change to suit the surrounding air. When the air dries, the wood shrinks and may be damaged by internal tension. When the air is humid for a long time, it may cause mold and wood fiber rot. It is generally accepted that the ideal relative humidity level for wood products is 55%. At 30% relative humidity, the violin is likely to crack after a certain period of time. Of course, the ideal air environment for a violin is the environment in which the violin is made, but in reality, it is impossible to make it complete

Cello

Fully adapted to the new environment. Do not place the instrument too close to the radiator, or put it in a car exposed to the sun, so as to avoid causing great damage to the instrument.

To avoid sudden changes in humidity and temperature, the instrument should be stored in a room with a relative humidity between 45-55%. In winter, when the central heating system completely dries the air inside the building and occasionally severe cold freezes the air moisture, the wood begins to shrink. If the belly and back plate of the violin instrument are glued too tightly and cannot be separated at the joint with the side plate, cracks will occur. You know, repairing a cracked joint is much simpler than re-gluing a crack. In the summer, when the moisture is too heavy, the wood begins to swell due to the absorption of moisture, which weakens the structure of the material and reduces the already very fragile center part-the relatively thin belly of the taut string creates a huge Resistance. The combination of these stresses acting on the belly of the piano and the ever-changing resistance of the wood will cause the piano to increase in height and lower fingerboards in the summer, and the opposite in winter.

Another hazard of moisture in summer is the distortion of the neck. In wet environments, ebony fingerboards and maple necks of different densities also produce different swellings, which begin to distort. In addition, it is easier to add moisture to the instrument in winter than to remove it in summer. The role of the bridge is to support the strings and transmit vibrations. Depending on the cutting and shaping of the bridge and its material, various flexibility / hardness can be adjusted, which greatly affects the timbre of the sound and the resistance to the bow. Therefore, the expertise of an experienced luthier is to make precise adjustments to the piano. ^[4]

Cello making

When making the shape of the bridge, make sure that the side facing the stringer is absolutely straight, and the side facing the fingerboard is arched. In fact, the flat surface of the bridge should be perpendicular to the belly of the bridge, which is why the bridge seems to be tilted towards the side of the string, as shown in the figure. This has structural and functional significance, as the horse's deflections tend to move towards the fingerboard as the strings are constantly adjusted. Moreover, the strings must not be embedded too deep into the top of the horse, as this will suppress the sound of the strings, so it is good practice to place a piece of parchment paper under the e-string, and it will not weaken the string's pronunciation.

Cello cleaner

It is important to protect the surface of stringed instruments from rosin, dirt and dust. Rosin is slightly acidic, and long-term residue on the surface will affect and corrode the topcoat. In extreme cases, when rosin and dirt accumulate to a certain degree, it will inhibit the freedom of vibration of the belly, and it will also affect the vibration of the string. The performer only needs to wipe off the rosin and sweat from the instrument daily, and the difficult cleaning should be done by an experienced luthier. Please do not use commercial "detergents" to clean the instrument. They often contain solvents and abrasives that may damage the instrument. For the most part, the best example of a classic topcoat is that it is not often sanded, which is really for preservation reasons.

Cello cracking

Cello playing

There are two main ways of cracking wood: cracks or cracks parallel to the wood grain, and cracks perpendicular to the wood grain. These nicks or cracks may be caused by vibrations and shocks, or they may be caused by wood shrinkage due to lack of moisture in the air. Of the two, vertical cracking is rare and often occurs during the air-drying process before the instrument is made. This is because when the board begins to shrink, its change is along the direction of the wood grain ring. Cracking is even more common. When cracks form or crack, remember not to touch them, because even if there are grease and sweat on clean fingers, they can easily enter the cracks, and they cannot form strong adhesion when glue is applied. Moreover, after repair, these The cracks will be more noticeable.

As soon as the crack seriously affects the structure of the instrument (for example, the crack is close to the sound column, bass beam or ff hole), the strings should be loosened immediately. New cracks (such as small cracks near the ff hole) can be repaired on the outside. In most cases, the instrument must be disassembled and the cracks repaired from the inside. Crack repair can be used: 1. Nails or small wooden blocks are glued on the inner surface along the crack; 2. Patches are embedded in the original board; 3. Various fabrics and parchment patches. Be very careful when using parchment paper and other cortical patches to avoid deforming the board, as the skin shrinks sharply when dry. According to centuries of experience, such a repair does not adversely affect the sound quality of the instrument.

Cello Fingerboard

Traditionally, fingerboards were made of ebony. In the Baroque period, softer wood glue was used to ebony. Due to ecological changes, it is not surprising if this approach is re-adopted after a few years. Ebony has excellent abrasion resistance and has a very shiny surface without polishing. Although its primary function is to provide a surface that can hold the strings, due to its weight and shape, it also greatly affects the vibration of the entire instrument. The fingerboard that protrudes into the body can also vibrate strongly due to its own resonance, which greatly affects the resonance of the instrument body. When installing a new fingerboard, if you particularly want to keep the sound constant, it is a good practice to watch the tone of the fingerboard as it vibrates. The lateral curve of the fingerboard more or less follows the curvature of the bridge (the curve of the bridge is often slightly modified), while the longitudinal cut into a concave shape can prevent the string from buzzing because a vibrating string , Especially the thicker strings, its shape is shown in the figure on the left. If the fingerboard is loose, even if it does not fall off, you should immediately relax the tension of the string to avoid distortion and deformation of the neck, because the neck without fingerboard is very fragile.

Cello Pole

The pegs are used to tighten the strings to achieve the correct pitch, and they can be adjusted by their cone shape. The peg mounting hole can be precisely drilled with a special reamer, and the peg can be trimmed with a peg scraper. It is troublesome that the pegs are not installed properly and must be adjusted by professional personnel. Continuous use will cause the peg and / or peg hole to wear out. Such continuous wear and tear will also make the peg hole gradually larger. There are three ways to readjust: 1) Gently re-drill the peg hole and then install a larger peg; 2) When the peg hole is not worn seriously, slightly reshape the peg handle OK; 3) Install a new wooden bushing for the peg hole. If there is not enough peg handle (10-12 mm for violin) between the peg head and the peg box, installing a new peg and / or wooden bushing may be the best solution. Take care to avoid the use of composite materials and other materials, such as abrasive chalk, which can shorten the service life of the peg and peg hole due to premature wear. It is also dangerous to wind too many strings around the peg. Sometimes, too many strings will be wedged into the base of the peg box under the peg, causing cracks on the back of the peg box.

Cello Tail Pillow

The tail pillow can prevent the string from entering the soft wood cross section of the belly, but its height above the belly can change the angle of the string to the bridge. Sometimes the tailrest only reaches half of the thickness of the piano's web, sometimes it is flush with the wood at the end, and sometimes it fits into the lower side panel. This is just a characteristic of different production styles, not a result of real considerations. The tailrest should not be too tight in its notch. The belly will slowly shrink over time, and the tail pillow will easily tighten, because the tail pillow does not shrink, which will cause an unpleasant crack in the belly perpendicular to the end of the tail pillow. Once the tailrest is too tight, the luthier must remove it and shorten it.

Cello String Pillow

The shape of the strings should be such that the distance between the strings is appropriate, and the strings are raised a suitable height above the fingerboard. The string pillows should be made round and without annoying protrusions, so that they will be very comfortable and feel better when playing musical instruments. In addition, it is also important that the grooves are made so that the strings can easily slide on the pillows, so that the strings do not hum. Graphite is the lubricant of choice for string pillow grooves because it is black and seems to be a good fit for ebony. ^[5]

Cello Tuning

To make a musical instrument show its sound quality most effectively, the adjustment of the instrument is very important. The term "adjustment" means a variety of changes, including: the height, or the distance from the surface of the panel to the flattened surface of the fingerboard. This height determines the angle between the string and the horse, which in turn affects how the string is applied. Force on the instrument panel. There is also the distance from the string to the fingerboard, which affects the performance and resistance of the string. Other adjustments include the shape and height of the tail and string pillows, the distance between the strings, and the choice of strings. The adjustment aspects that have a direct and significant impact on the sound and performance of the instrument are: cutting of the horse, fastening and installation of the post, the height of the strings above the fingerboard, and the choice and / or status of the strings.

Cello String Board

The only function of the string board is to tie the string at a distance from the bridge, but it also has a natural inherent vibration (you can hear it clearly when you hit the string board and hold the string). The distance from the string board to the bridge, the quality of the string board, and the length of the string of the string will affect and adjust the frequency of the vibration, thereby changing the degree of energy absorbed by the string board from a certain vibration mode of the violin body. The string tail rope was once made of sheep intestines. Because the humidity of sheep intestines often changes, it is inconvenient, so synthetic materials are used instead. This can generally make the instrument's tone consistent.