My daughter and I are learning the cello. Her teacher put adhesive tape on the fingerboard to mark finger positions.
For my cello, I would rather use fine wires instead of tape so I can find the right place by feel instead of looking at the fingerboard. (I also don’t want my dependence on a prop to be too obvious.) Is there a glue that can hold a wire to the ebony fingerboard, then be removed later without damaging the finish?
Janet
Replies
Possibly a type of hot glue may work.
good luck dusty
Try dots of hot glue, they'll be easier to apply than a bead. If the tip of the glue gun is too coarse, you can pick up drops of the hot glue and apply them with a toothpick.
John W.
I don't know of a glue which would do that, so I'm thinking of other ways to do what you want. The teacher's tape is probably something the cellist needs to look at -- as contrasted to finding it by feel. If you're willing to look at the neck of the cello, could you get by with marks along the near side of the neck? You could put little dots of tape there, or in an office-supply place you can get packs of little paper dots which are self adhesive. Those are available in various colors, if that would help you.
try hot glue to hold the wires, then use denatured alcohol to release the hot glue.
Thank you for the suggestions. I haven't been able to try them yet because the cello wasn't ready on schedule, although it may be here by next week. Since I have a hot glue gun, that's what I'll try first. And I'll be sure to buy insurance for the cello in case it doesn't go well.
Janet
Hi Janet,
I, too, resorted to tape when I first started playing (double bass) and, as I recall, I didn't need it for more than a few weeks. Wires don't sound like a great idea to me because (1) they will be difficult to secure without some buzzing, (3) may cause discomfort, and (3) will interfere with your intonation.
If you're concerned about your tape being too conspicuous, take heart: all string players start out as beginners, but the initial learning phase only lasts a short while! In addition to providing visual and tactile references on your fingerboard, you can write on the tape when you're first starting, which can be helpful in a number of ways, note names, intervals, and finger positions among them.
I started with a good method book and practiced scales, triads, and other intervals until I developed muscle memory that would enable me to play, in tune, in the first 4 or 5 positions and then removed tha tape. When it was time to play higher on the finger board, I didn't need to use tape at all because my ears had been "schooled" enough for me to hear if I was playing off-pitch.
Above all, have fun and don't worry about what others think!
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Jazzdogg,
I don't see how anybody learns accurate finger placement on a stringed instrument! A piano is easier because all you have to do is hit some part--any part--of the key and you get the correct pitch. But with a cello your finger has to be right on target, else it isn't quite in tune.
Hmm...If you get close to the correct pitch you could pass it off as vibrato.
Janet
Hi Janet,
Yeah, but it's a PITA to haul a piano to a gig! Yes, there have been times, hauling a bass, amp, stool, and music stand, that I'd wished I'd taken up the flute as a child. Glad I can haul my gear in a car, and not have to take the subway to gigs like musicians in New York.
If it's any consolation, Yo Yo Ma was once a rank beginner, too! Truth be told, I am now in the process of re-learning the bass after injuring two fingers on my left hand in a woodworking acident five months ago. It's never easy, but always worthwhile!
Here's something my music teacher told me when I was a kid that I've never forgotten:
If you miss ONE day of practice, you will know it;If you miss TWO days of practice, your teacher will know it;If you miss THREE days of pratice, the audience will know it!
I hope you and your daughter enjoy a lifetime playing beautiful duets together,-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
I started as a trombone player taught by a violinist. Neither has fretts which is what would be created with the wire. training the ear for intonation and pitch is critical but why not use black tape - it wil be invisible a few meters away but quite apparent to the player.
This learning with the kids is absolutely the best - and probably a good antidote to a north american winter.
I was (am?) a trombone player also, and it didn't take much time at all to learn the "stops." One could even go on to say that learning the stops without assistance might train one's ear to listen a little more acutely.
Also, just a thougt--might not changes in temperature and humidity make a difference in the true location of the stops on any given day? Being able to hear a note and make small adjustments on the fly might be a good technique to learn.
You might stop buy a drafting store and get a roll of drafting tape. They come in many colors and various widths. Widths as little as 1/32nd inch and up to 1/2". They are adhesive and you could get a color that blends in with your fingerboard. It would not damage the finish.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
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