I'm a recently returning player (aged 38), after playing up to grade 2 when I was 12-15.

Though the instrument I now have doesn't have the beautiful mellow tone of my old one, I think my main problem is in my bowing, but I just don't know how to fix it.

I know the obvious solution would be to take lessons, but as this would require me selling something of value (such as a new cello!!) it rather defeats the object!

Does anyone have any tips for achieving a good quality/solutions to common problems in this area that might be helpful. The poor tone is more of an issue on the A string, especially open A, when it is often quite scratchy.

Thanks

Impy

Always a quick fix would be to get to save about 100 dollars and get new strings. Even on a pretty bad cello it is possible to get a decent tone. It has a lot to do with bowing. You need to practice maintaining a constant, even arm weight on the string. We do not refer to bowing as pushing down. THAT IS WRONG. We use our arms to apply pressure on the string from that of gravity. It also has a lot to do with your bow hold. Go online and find a good bow hold and learn to use it. When you get to the end of the bow, or tip you need to tilt your bow hold hand towards you instrument using your index finger to be the finger that applies pressure to the string. This will allow you to play just as loud as you did at the frog. As you journey towards the frog let your bow hold hand relax down to its normal position. Also watch the bow hair. This next thing is probably what you are after. We want to focus on our bow hair and making sure it is constant from bow to tip when we are bowing. When we play our sound usually has a pulsing quality due to the construction of the bow itself. When the bow stick is closer to the hair our sound is easier to play, but when we are by the frog or tip it is completely different. You need to work on making continuous bowings back and forth listening to your sound making sure it does not pulse. Do this as a warm up before you begin scales in whatever mode you play them in. I hope this helps

Don't forget to put rozin on your bow!

Thanks for the tips, it is gradually improving, but still not a sound I could be proud of... have another problem as well now... my cello got knocked over and the G string now causes a terrible buzzing, particularly when playing B & C, coming from the area of the top of the neck or the scroll, and the D string sounds a bit "woolly"... I've been over the instrument carefully and there are no cracks and nothing's loose, Soundpost is still in place. I even packed the strings around the pegs in case one was vibrating against a peg after I restrung it, but it still happens. It didn't have the best tonal quality before, being a cheap cello with a bad player!

Try Kolstein cello rosin...it grips the strings really well to give a full sound

Try looking at the bridge and make sure it's on straight. The middle of the feet should be even with the notch on the f-holes, and make sure it's standing up straight. I realize the buzzing is coming from the top, but it might still buzz up there if the string length was changed by a moved bridge. Also make sure the fine tuners aren't too loose. That probably isn't it though, or the buzzing would be coming from the tailpiece. That's all the ideas I have. Try taking it to a luthier, I guess.