Listen to the cello
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the cello makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the cello belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
Range of the cello
The typical range of the cello runs from C2 (65.4 Hz) to A5 (880 Hz) – about 3.8 octaves. Harmonics extend its sound far higher.
From Wikipedia
The violoncello, commonly abbreviated as cello ( CHEL-oh), is a medium-low pitched bowed string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 and A3. The viola's four strings are each an octave higher. Music for the cello is generally written in the bass clef; the tenor clef and treble clef are used for higher-range passages.
Other lutes
Questions people ask
Real questions from the Stack Exchange community – follow a link to read the discussion.
- Why are violin bows longer than viola bows, than cello bows, than double-bass bows ? · Music SE
- What does this symbol mean in cello music? · Music SE
- Colon next to a flat in cello score · Music SE
- What are some qualities to consider when purchasing a cello? · Music SE
- What's special about cello strings? · Music SE
Frequently asked questions
What does a cello sound like?
Listen to 5 recordings on this page. As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the cello?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-71).
Sources & credits
- JOHN MICHEL CELLO-J S BACH CELLO SUITE 1 in G Prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - London Symphony Orchestra - Landon Ronald - Pau Casals, Cello - Cello Concerto… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - London Symphony Orchestra - Landon Ronald - Pau Casals, Cello - Cello Concerto… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - London Symphony Orchestra - Landon Ronald - Pau Casals, Cello - Cello Concerto… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- PDP-CH - London Symphony Orchestra - Landon Ronald - Pau Casals, Cello - Cello Concerto… – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q8371 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Cello – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Georg Feitscher – CC BY 3.0