WI_CelloSupport

Hi! I'm Yo-Yo Ma. You may know me as the guy who played cello while waiting to get his vaccine. I'm here with WIRED to answer your cello questions!

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@waynemarkstubbs You cannot play that without being in the same state of mind. Music is a mode of transportation. It takes us from one reality to another. I'm hopefully crying out for joy through the sounds coming from the cello.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@sydnichristi Not hard to learn. It's about pulling and pushing a bow. If learning gives you pleasure, and you can get pleasure from the sound, you can progress. It depends on your attitude and how resilient you are to figure out what you need to do to create a sound that's pleasing.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@sdmunroe It's harder to pluck/pick with the same rapidity on an instrument with curvature (cello) vs. a flat plane (guitar). There are people that do this unbelievably well. I would go to one of those people. Berklee School of Music is a great place to find people that can teach you!

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@inicolew The vibrato varies. It’s like a sine wave. With lower strings the vibrato is wider. With higher strings it’s tighter. It’s sort of like focusing a light beam with a laser. All these allow you to chose what type of expression you want.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@LavanteCarson @YoYo_Ma When I was working in Chicago, a guy that did so much for the community was @common. I would love to first of all thank him for what he's done for the community, and second of all I would love to work with him.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@AileenBehan Yes. People actually get tendonitis. You gotta listen to your body. Knowing yourself, knowing your body. Being in touch with how you feel, with how your body moves. Head, heart and hands. Make them work together and you’ll be fine.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@Don_Shipp Steel wound on thicker nylon. Strings used to be made with [animal] gut, which stretches, making it hard to constantly tune. Steel is stronger and more stable. The best strings are made in Scandinavia or northern Europe.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@287s_ It's an instrument that has a lot of versatility. I can play baselines, melodic stuff, rhythmic groups, I can imitate vocal sounds... That's why I love it. I can play a lot of different music on it and can EXPLORE a lot of different music with it.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@Wrappa_ The idea of being a musician is that you're there to transcend technique in order to express. Motion is abt communicating energy. Too much motion, you become less efficient in producing the sound. There's a physical aspect that needs to be considered in conjunction w expression.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@illuminousq Guess what? There are no frets! For YEARS my fingers have had to figure where they need to be in order to get the right sound out.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@TAFKAR420 Cellos are hard to tune if you use the BIG pegs. But there are fine tuners that are much more subtle. I play out of tune anyway so if I tune and if it's in tune it gives me less of an excuse.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@AshleyEmrick Do you have to take a course on showing emotion when you're happy to see your friend? ...I rest my case.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@TheFeetofGod It depends on who, how, and when it was made. Some are made by machines (least expensive) and some are made by hand (more expensive). It takes strength, time and expertise. A lot of modern makers use maple (back) and spruce (front). The harder maple bounces sound back better.

[WI_CelloSupport @WI_CelloSupport]

@stalebread_ That movement represents the infinitude of what we have in the natural world. You think of flow... water... sunlight... It actually helps set the tone in movies. They used to have musicians on old ships to help keep the peace. It brings a state of equilibrium.