Procuring a cello

[JimNasium]

My daughter has decided that the cello is her instrument of choice in fifth grade orchestra. I, of course have zero clue about the cello and so I beseech the collective genious (sic) of the Planet for answers. I'm assuming that the best route to go is a rental until we decide if she's going to stick with it. I've been quoted $35/month for rental with one years rent allowed to accumulate into equity on a purchase. Is this a good/standard deal? Any other input would be helpful.

[Brock]

Go down to Lowe's and get some plywood. My dad's got a killer set of tools.

[seclark]

just get a great big fiddle.
sec

[FAX]

For what it's worth and as far as I'm concerned, a rental is the very best way to go for a beginner, Mr. JimNasium.

Depending on the size, $35 bucks a month seems a little high to me, though. I would think that $25 would be market for something like that if she requires a 1/4 to 1/2 size or so.

FAX

[Frosty]

Prepare to pay through the nose for any band instrument.

I don't know anything about cellos (other than they sound cool), but am going through the same thing with my son playing sax. The one thing that is probably similar is to beware of the cheap instruments coming out of China and other Asian countries (except Japan) if you decide to buy.

Renting is a good idea to make sure they will stick with it. However, it should be a quality instrument as nothing derails a kid's interest like the frustration of dealing with a piece of crap instrument.

[JimNasium]

For what it's worth and as far as I'm concerned, a rental is the very best way to go for a beginner, Mr. JimNasium.

Depending on the size, $35 bucks a month seems a little high to me, though. I would think that $25 would be market for something like that if she requires a 1/4 to 1/2 size or so.

FAX
The long hair at the music store recommended a 1/2 size last night. I think I'll shop around.

[Redrum_69]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cello

[StcChief]

Rent or find a parent of the HS student that gave it up. Could get a decent deal.

[JimNasium]

Prepare to pay through the nose for any band instrument.

I don't know anything about cellos (other than they sound cool), but am going through the same thing with my son playing sax. The one thing that is probably similar is to beware of the cheap instruments coming out of China and other Asian countries (except Japan) if you decide to buy.

Renting is a good idea to make sure they will stick with it. However, it should be a quality instrument as nothing derails a kid's interest like the frustration of dealing with a piece of crap instrument.
Such is my dilemma. I'm easily sucked into this argument and it resulted in me buying her a $300 Alvarez guitar which she will hardly pick up. I think I'll err on the side of cheap this time.

[Phobia]

Cello's are investments. They appreciate. You should pump $250k into one. When she gives it up next year, it will be worth $275k.

[Jilly]

That seems just a tad high for rental, maybe you could make deal if you're going to buy your child lessons as well....they could package it a different way?

[RealSNR]

As a music educator, yes, start her with a rental. If she shows promise or really ends up liking it after about two years, then I would go purchase her an instrument.

String instruments are weird things though. She may end up sounding better on one instrument versus another. If you live near a big city you should be able to find a string shop that will sell you a finer cello for the same price as something from a generic music shop. Be sure to have her try lots of different cellos before deciding on one.

But that's for the future, if things go that far. In the meantime, yes, get the rental instrument, buy a good set of earplugs, and see what happens in a couple years.

[FAX]

I suppose another idea would be to take a couple of strings off the Alvarez, put a kick stand on it, and "voila!!" - Instant Cello!

FAX

[Donger]

Cello's are investments. They appreciate. You should pump $250k into one. When she gives it up next year, it will be worth $275k.

Stradivarius.

[RealSNR]

I suppose another idea would be to take a couple of strings off the Alvarez, put a kick stand on it, and "viola!!" - Instant Cello!

FAXI took the liberty of altering your post by two characters, Mr. FAX. This way you end up creating a clever pun. I hope you don't mind.

[Jilly]

I took the liberty of altering your post by two characters, Mr. FAX. This way you end up creating a clever pun. I hope you don't mind.

:rolleyes: Musicians!

[penguinz]

I took the liberty of altering your post by two characters, Mr. FAX. This way you end up creating a clever pun. I hope you don't mind.Viola?

http://image.bayimg.com/iagigaabl.jpg

[Vegas_Dave]

My daughter has decided that the cello is her instrument of choice in fifth grade orchestra. I, of course have zero clue about the cello and so I beseech the collective genious (sic) of the Planet for answers. I'm assuming that the best route to go is a rental until we decide if she's going to stick with it. I've been quoted $35/month for rental with one years rent allowed to accumulate into equity on a purchase. Is this a good/standard deal? Any other input would be helpful.

I own 3 music stores in Las Vegas (www.kesslermusic.com (http://www.kesslermusic.com)).

The price you are being quoted is a pretty standard deal and is actually cheaper then the national average for Cellos.

When I rent a cello, I do them at $25 per month, with the first 2 months rent Free. I also allow 100% of the rent to go towards purchase.

Dave

[tiptap]

My son has been playing cello for 12 years. He started with a half size. It happened to be his aunts who kept it along with her regular size.

And it makes a great deal of difference which instrument you get. To get the real benefit you should look for a private teacher. Ask the rental store to let you take a couple of different ones over several lessons and let the teacher see which one is easiest in getting a good sound. Otherwise take the instructor with you with the bonus of a nice dinner to try them out. (Many times it is just an adjustment to the sound peg that can make a big difference.)

A cello can be an investment. (I have 100,000 invested in three violins, two cellos and a bass and the Steinway.) But ALL of the instruments have increased in value.

As an example what a good instrument provides, my daughter's violin teacher asked her to play way up on the neck to see how bad the sound could be as he did so on his own violin. After playing the professor turned to my wife and said, "You gave her too good a violin."

[tiptap]

If you are looking to buy and that should be after seeing if your child will want to continue, I suggest the Tulsa Violin Shop on Central in Tulsa OK of course. The owner is a cellist and travels to Europe looking for instruments.

[bringbackmarty]

Where do you live? 35 is okay, renting is good, setup is very important for string instruments. You need to make sure that the string height is not too high for her, and you don't want her to have too expensive a bow in the beginning because she will drop it when learning how to play a few times. If you are in kansas city, there are a couple of places I could reccomend, and I would be happy to meet you there to help you select an appropriate instrument for your child, as well as give you some tips on what to look out for in terms of poor setup, bad pricing, and the like. The size and setup are the most important because with the string family it is very easy for your kid to hurt themselves by working too hard. Tendonitis, carpal tunnel, back and neck problems are common.

[seclark]

(I have 100,000 invested in three violins, two cellos and a bass and the Steinway.)
wow...
sec

[Zebedee DuBois]

Got a vehicle with a big enough storage area to haul that thing around?


There's always room for cello.

[Mr. Laz]

Rent or find a parent of the HS student that gave it up. Could get a decent deal.
yep ... gotta be kids who start the cello and then dump it around somewhere.


USED,USED,USED

[Saulbadguy]

YO YO MA!

Did you just say Yo Yo Ma?

[Mr. Laz]

http://search.ebay.com/Cello_W0QQcatrefZC6QQfromZR10QQfrtsZ350QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZQ2d1QQsaob fmtsZinsifQQsbrsrtZl



http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_m/102-1786811-8015352?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=cello&Go.x=11&Go.y=14&Go=Go

[Zebedee DuBois]

Q: What is the difference between a violin and a viola?

A: The viola burns longer.

[Ecto-I]

I took the liberty of altering your post by two characters, Mr. FAX. This way you end up creating a clever pun. I hope you don't mind.
LMAO

[JimNasium]

Where do you live? 35 is okay, renting is good, setup is very important for string instruments. You need to make sure that the string height is not too high for her, and you don't want her to have too expensive a bow in the beginning because she will drop it when learning how to play a few times. If you are in kansas city, there are a couple of places I could reccomend, and I would be happy to meet you there to help you select an appropriate instrument for your child, as well as give you some tips on what to look out for in terms of poor setup, bad pricing, and the like. The size and setup are the most important because with the string family it is very easy for your kid to hurt themselves by working too hard. Tendonitis, carpal tunnel, back and neck problems are common.
Thanks for the offer but I'm down in Springpatch and won't be up that way anytime soon.

[JimNasium]

yep ... gotta be kids who start the cello and then dump it around somewhere.


USED,USED,USED
Craigslist here I come.

[Demonpenz]

I hope i have all boys. I would hate to worry about protecting my daughters chello all the time

[Phobia]

If your ex-wife has a large purse maybe you really could procure one....

[FAX]

I took the liberty of altering your post by two characters, Mr. FAX. This way you end up creating a clever pun. I hope you don't mind.

Not at all, Mr. SNR. Feel free. Although, I did think my pun was sufficient since Mr. JimNasium's daughter is a child and Bill Cosby has frequently noted that kids love Instant Cello.

I was thinking, however, that if Mr. JimNasium's daughter is, for some reason, insincere about this new avocation and doesn't practice, he could decorate a small room with Italian Renaissance prints, put iron bars on the door and, as punishment, put her in the homemade cell-o.

FAX

[Jenson71]

The cello sounds really cool.

[big nasty kcnut]

hey jim give me that guitar.

[Skip Towne]

hey jim give me that guitar.
Yeah Jim, give Nut that guitar.

[RealSNR]

My son has been playing cello for 12 years. He started with a half size. It happened to be his aunts who kept it along with her regular size.

And it makes a great deal of difference which instrument you get. To get the real benefit you should look for a private teacher. Ask the rental store to let you take a couple of different ones over several lessons and let the teacher see which one is easiest in getting a good sound. Otherwise take the instructor with you with the bonus of a nice dinner to try them out. (Many times it is just an adjustment to the sound peg that can make a big difference.)

A cello can be an investment. (I have 100,000 invested in three violins, two cellos and a bass and the Steinway.) But ALL of the instruments have increased in value.

As an example what a good instrument provides, my daughter's violin teacher asked her to play way up on the neck to see how bad the sound could be as he did so on his own violin. After playing the professor turned to my wife and said, "You gave her too good a violin."Yep. A friend of mine is an eye surgeon. Makes great money. He's also a former music major in college and is principal violist in the local symphony orchestra.

He's living his dream right now. He's a musician with buttloads of money to spend on his music. Get this: he owns roughly $500,000 worth of violin and viola BOWS. The instruments he owns total out at around $1.5 million.

What's great about this is when the aspiring students make it through the long years of school orchestras, he helps them out a lot. He's let students borrow his best bows/instruments for all performance occasions, and a few times he's "borrowed" them to students and said, "feel free to return it to me when you're done using it." In other words, these instruments worth tens of thousands are being handed out.

He's really got it made. He calls his eye surgeon job his "day job that pays for his real career."

[Rain Man]

Buy a violin and water it heavily.

[trndobrd]

A common problem parents have with children starting an instrument is the inattentiveness of children. Children often forget their instruments or leave them unattended. Perhaps you should do the right thing and help teach one of those kids a lesson.

[Valiant]

Check pawn shops.. I am sure there are at least a few where parents bought them for their kids and they quit using them after a few months..

[Rain Man]

Check pawn shops.. I am sure there are at least a few where parents bought them for their kids and they quit using them after a few months..


There have to be a few drug addicts who pawn their cellos for crack money, too.

[ChiefaRoo]

This thread makes me feel like I took two tylenol PM's