If you’re fairly early in your cello playing and you’re getting a lot of squeaks, you may be wondering what you’re doing wrong.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need a new cello, different strings, or some mysterious trick to make them disappear. There are five things you can change right now that can make you sound a whole lot better without a whole lot of effort.
The first three have to do primarily with your left hand. The last two involve your bow hand.
(And if you are someone who prefers to watch the video I created on this topic, you’ll find it below!)
1. Press Your Fingers Firmly Into the Fingerboard
One of the things I see newer cellists do quite often is not sinking the left hand into the fingerboard firmly enough. You may have heard that you should use a “light touch” with your left hand. But if your goal is a clean, clear sound, your fingers need to be firmly stopping the strings. When I put a finger down, I want to feel that finger sinking firmly into the fingerboard. When I do that, I get a clean sound.
Here’s what’s actually happening.
Every time you put a finger down, you’re stopping the string in a new place. The portion of the string between your finger and the bridge is the part that vibrates. The portion on the other side of your finger isn’t vibrating.
That’s why we call it a stopped note.
But if your finger isn’t pressed firmly enough into the fingerboard, the string isn’t being cleanly stopped. It doesn’t quite know where it’s supposed to vibrate.
The result can often be a squeak.
A firm finger in the fingerboard gives you a clean sound. A finger that isn’t quite there can give you a squeak.
2. Remember: The Left Hand Always Gets to Win
Here’s another thing I see very often with newer players: they try to move the left hand and the bow at exactly the same time.
But on the cello, the left hand always gets to win.
In other words, the left hand needs to be in place before the bow moves.
Imagine you’re playing a series of notes. Your first finger goes down firmly into the fingerboard. Then the bow moves. Your next finger goes down. Then the bow moves. The next note: finger down, then bow.
This happens so quickly when you’re playing that you don’t necessarily hear or see the individual movements. But that’s the order in which they need to happen.
Left, Right. Left, Right.
If you try to move both hands at precisely the same time, you’re not only more likely to trip over the rhythm, but you’re also making it harder for the string to know exactly where it is supposed to vibrate.
And as you get more comfortable with this sequence, those squeaks can start to disappear.
3. Be Especially Careful When Slurring Between Strings
The third problem is also left-hand centered, although it involves both hands.
A common place for squeaks to occur is when you’re playing a slur from an open string to a stopped note on the adjacent lower string.
For example, suppose you’re playing an open string and slurring to a fourth-finger note on the next string. If your fourth finger isn’t already in place, you may get a squeak.
Why?
Because your finger is lightly touching the string instead of firmly stopping it. You’re hearing all sorts of overtones instead of hearing the fundamental pitch clearly.
The solution is simple:
Place the finger over the note and press it down before the bow arrives at the note.
You’ll hear a much cleaner result.
Going the Other Direction
You can also have the opposite problem when you’re going from a stopped note to an open string.
For example, suppose you’re playing a fourth-finger note on the D string and then moving to the open A string. If your left hand is too low, your fingers may graze the open A string as you move to it.
That light touch can create a squeak.
One solution is to raise your elbow slightly. Keep your fourth finger down as you make the transition between the D and A strings, but raise your elbow enough that your fingers clear the A string.
Then leave your fourth finger down until after you arrive on the open string.
That small adjustment can make the transition much cleaner.
4. Check Your Bow’s Contact Point
Now let’s move to the bow.
Another common cause of squeaks and poor sound is simply where your bow is making contact with the string.
Let’s say you’re trying to play something really loud, but your bow is too far over the fingerboard.
You’re not going to get the sound you’re looking for.
The opposite can also be true. If you push the bow too far toward the bridge, you can create a harsh or scratchy sound.
Playing very close to the bridge is sometimes used as a special technique called ponticello, but unless the composer specifically asks for that sound, it’s probably not where you want to be.
For a normal mezzo-forte sound, your contact point will usually be somewhere between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge.
But your ideal contact point isn’t always exactly the same.
Playing Higher and Louder
For example, if you’re playing high on the A string and you want to play loudly, your bow generally needs to move closer to the bridge.
You can control the sound much better when you’re playing loudly and in a higher register if your bow is closer to the bridge.
Each string has a different amplitude and a different speed at which it vibrates. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to exactly where the bow hair meets the string.
Finding the right contact point can make a tremendous difference in the quality of your sound – and can help prevent those unwanted squeaks.
5. Start Your Note From the String
The final thing I want you to think about is where your bow starts the note.
Some players don’t actually start from the string.
The bow hair needs to be touching the string when you initiate the sound.
When it lands on the string, you need to sit on the string for a moment before setting the string in motion.
The rosin on your bow hair needs to make contact with the string. That contact allows the bow to grab the string and pull it into motion.
If you start from above and don’t actually land on the string before beginning the note, you’re not going to get a good sound.
You may get a squeak instead.
Start on the string.
That small change can make a surprisingly big difference.
The Five Things to Remember
If you’re dealing with squeaks on the cello, go back through these five things:
1. Press your left-hand fingers firmly into the fingerboard.
2. Let the left hand get into position before the bow moves.
3. Prepare your fingers when slurring between strings, and make sure your fingers clear the open string when necessary.
4. Pay attention to your bow’s contact point.
5. Start the note from the string, rather than simply dropping the bow onto it from above.
None of these things requires a complicated new technique. They’re small adjustments in the way you’re already playing.
But small adjustments can make a surprisingly big difference.
So the next time your cello squeaks, don’t immediately blame the cello.
Take a look at what you’re doing.
Focus on these five things, and I bet you’ll start getting rid of some of those squeaks.
Want More Cello Help?
If you’re looking for more comprehensive cello lessons designed especially for adult learners, come on over to Cello Discovery.
There’s a whole lot there to help you become a better cellist—one practical lesson at a time.
