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Cello Geography A Systematic Approach

The document provides an overview of the three areas of the cello fingerboard and the distinct fingering principles that govern each area. It defines the three fingerboard areas, their locations on the cello, active playing fingers, and characteristic left hand finger patterns. Examples of left hand blocks for each area are given. Understanding the positions and blocks is key to cello technique and intonation.

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Inkeri Petrozzi
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2K views8 pages

Cello Geography A Systematic Approach

The document provides an overview of the three areas of the cello fingerboard and the distinct fingering principles that govern each area. It defines the three fingerboard areas, their locations on the cello, active playing fingers, and characteristic left hand finger patterns. Examples of left hand blocks for each area are given. Understanding the positions and blocks is key to cello technique and intonation.

Uploaded by

Inkeri Petrozzi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cello Geography

A Systematic Approach to Mapping the Three Areas of the Fingerboard &


Understanding their Distinct Fingering Principles

By Hanno Strydom
Hanno Strydom 2014

Knowing Where You Are


Essential Element #1: Always know what position you are in and what note
lies under your lowest playing finger.
Developing a Clear Mental Picture of the Fingerboard
With no visual markers or frets to guide the player, playing the cello well depends on having a clear mental picture of
how the fingerboard is organized.
The diagram below helps us to picture the half-stepsthe smallest musical distance or intervalgradually becoming
smaller as we travel up the cello fingerboard. Each of the half-steps, numbered 034 in the illustration below, marks the
start of a new position on the cello. We might imagine them as frets, like those on a guitar.

This diagram Byron S. Kuzara is available as a large-size download at http://kuzara.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/VioloncelloReferenceChart.pdf

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

Cello Positions Chart


The table below maps all of the positions on the cello.

The numbers along the top of the table correspond to the numbers in the illustration on page 1.
The second row shows the traditional names of the positions.
The lower section of the table maps the notes that lie on each fret on each string, also shown in the illustration on page 1.
The three colors represent the three areas of the fingerboard:
o Green = Fingerboard Area #1Four-Finger Neck Positions
o Blue = Fingerboard Area #2Three-Finger Transitional Positions
o Pink = Fingerboard Area #3Mandatory Thumb Positions

*When half-step #12 is played as a thumb position, with the thumb on the mid-string harmonic, this position is traditionally called 8th position.

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

Knowing Your Left Hand Blocks


Essential Element #2: Always know the distance between your fingers.
Once we understand where we are on the cello, we must address the second essential element of good cello playing: the
spacing between the fingers.

Left Hand Blocks


There are only a handful of left hand finger spacing arrangements or left hand blocks on the cello. By finger spacing we
mean the musical distancethe intervalthat lies between each pair of active playing fingers. Active playing fingers
refers to the fingers that are used to press the string down in a given fingerboard area. With few exceptions, adjacent
pairs of active playing fingers are only ever separated by half-steps or whole-steps.*
These left hand blocks are the basic building blocks for everything we play on the cello. Of course, in music, the order of
the notes is rearranged and combined with a rhythmic element, but all music played on the cello can be analyzed and
understood in terms of positions on the fingerboard and left hand blocks. Failing to understand this is one of the
primary causes of intonation and execution problems for cellists.

The Three Fingerboard Areas (FBAs)


The cello fingerboard divides neatly into three distinct areas, represented by the green, blue and pink color-coding in the
table on page 2. Each fingerboard area (FBA) is governed by a unique set of fingering principles:

*These exceptions only occur in thumb positions in advanced virtuoso repertoire so they need not concern the beginning and intermediate cellist. They
are dealt with on page 6 under Virtuoso FBA #3 Left-Hand Blocks.

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

Fingerboard Area #1Four-Finger Neck Positions


Definition of FBA #1
Location: Half-steps #17, traditionally called 1/24th position.
Active playing fingers: Four active playing fingers1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th.
Role of the thumb: The thumb remains behind the neck of the cello in these positions and maintains its position
relative to the 2nd finger.

FBA #1 Left Hand Blocks


H-H-H (closed)
W-H-H (extended)

Lower 5th as a Four-Finger Position


5th

Extended Technique: The Double Extension

While lower
position is not traditionally considered a
four-finger position, it is entirely practical to play this
position as a closed four finger position (H-H-H block).
However, a forward extension (W-H-H block) is not practical
in lower 5th position.

It is very useful for the cellist to also be able to reach a halfstep further than a standard extension (m3-H-H block). This
enables the playing of perfect 4ths on one string, octaves
from one string to the next ascending, and whole steps from
one string to the next descending, without the need to shift.

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

Fingerboard Area #2Three-Finger Transitional Positions


Definition of FBA #2
Location: Half-steps #812, traditionally called lower 5th7th position.*
Active playing fingers: Three active playing fingers1st, 2nd & 3rd.
Role of the thumb: The thumb stays back in these positions but the fingers play above the neck of the cello.

FBA #2 Left Hand Blocks


H-H
H-W
W-H
W-W

*See note at the bottom of page 2.

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

Fingerboard Area #3Mandatory Thumb Positions


Definition of FBA #3
Location: Half-steps #13-34.
Active playing fingers: Most often four active playing fingersthumb, 1st, 2nd & 3rdbut 4th finger can be used too.
Role of the thumb: The thumb must come up in these positions, hence mandatory thumb positions. All of the
other positions on the cello can also be played as thumb positions.

FBA #3 Left Hand Blocks


= Octave

FBA #3 Left Hand Blocks


> Octave

W-W-H

W-W-W

FBA #3 Left Hand Blocks


< Octave
W-H-H

W-H-W

H-W-H

H-W-W

H-H-W
H-H-H

Virtuoso FBA #3 Left Hand Blocks


m3, M3 & P4 between thumb & 1st finger, followed by H-H, H-W, W-H
or W-W
Inclusion of the 4th finger as an active playing finger

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

Putting the System into Practice


Now that we have a clear system for understanding both where we are on the cello and which left hand blocks are
available to us in each of the three fingerboard areas, we can begin to put what we have learned into practice.
Whether you are playing scales, etudes, repertoire, or ensemble parts, begin by identifying all of the positions and left
hand blocks involved. Remember that everything you play works according to these rules!
All of the combinations of left hand blocks and positions on the fingerboard should also be practiced as exercises in their
own right.

Cello Geography; A Systematic Approach Hanno Strydom 2014

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