Question for you all who also play cello . . .

[Jack Clark]

I spent 20 hours over the last six days watching a cellist play mostly classical music in a string trio. She used the 4th finger of her left hand a lot, but she also made a lot of use of her 3rd finger—not just as a helper to her fourth finger, but as a note player in its own right.

My question is: Does this have something to do with the cello being tuned in 5ths, low-to-high? Or is it simply because her string scale is that much shorter?

[Matt Ides]

shorter string length means 4 finger approach down low. This might help.

[tstone]

Cello has about the same scale length as a classical guitar, so guitar-style 1-2-3-4 fingering is logical and easy.

[Jack Clark]

Thanks, guys. And thanks for the link, Matt, it's a nice source for cello drones, too, isn't it?

[Jack Clark]

BTW, check out this one-minute youtube video and see if you are asking yourself (as I was): "Who is playing that blazing-fast melody line?"

If you're still mystified by the time the piece is over, the other two give it away.

The Inspiration String Trio - YouTube