When I started to play the cello at a very early age, I was given a very robust, half-size wooden instrument and for the next 15 years I progressively advanced through to ¾, ⅞ and full-size instruments – all of which were of the wooden acoustic variety. There really was little choice anyway: that’s how cellos were always made - although carbon fibre was beginning to appear as a very expensive alternative.
Then I started to hear and try out electric cellos, but was very unimpressed by the sound. It simply couldn’t compare with the rich, mellow, almost human-voice-like tone of a carefully crafted, well played wooden instrument. The wooden cello spoke to me whereas the electric cello simply spoke at me. It was technically competent but had no feeling.
As a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music I was lucky enough to have the great Philip Sheppard as one of my tutors and he opened my eyes to the wider horizons of cello playing: modern music, slightly experimental music and in particular the electric cello.
So (still rather reluctantly) I decided to take another look at the electric cello market, visiting a reputable music shop to try out the latest Yamaha. I was astonished – I even remember exclaiming to the shop assistant, “This sounds like a cello!” From then onwards I was hooked and I bought one.
Before I go on, I must emphasise that I always recommend that that students start learning to play on an acoustic cello. It is important from the outset to get a solid foundation in basic technique and this is best achieved in the traditional way without the complications of an electric instrument.
However, the electric cello opens new horizons in musical performance:
(1) It allows the performer more freedom to move whilst playing, and thereby more easily conveying one’s feeling for the music to the audience. In fact I often stand up when playing my electric cello, something I wouldn’t attempt on the acoustic instrument.
(2) Electric cellos are far more robust and likely to withstand a few knocks. I have on many occasions had no qualms about putting my electric cello in the cargo hold of an aeroplane - suitably protected in a very strong case, I hasten to add!
(3) Electric cellos can be silent; i.e. plug in your earphones and only you, not your long-suffering family or neighbours, can hear you practising.
(4) Electric cellos are cool! As a teacher in a boys’ secondary school I am up against competition from guitars, drums, saxophones etc. when the pupils are choosing which instrument to learn – and unfortunately all too often the cello is seen as old-fashioned, staid and…er… “classical”. But when they realise that cellos, as well as guitars, can be electric their attitude often changes!
There are, of course, some downsides:
(1) Electric cellos that produce an acceptable sound are still expensive, but with improvements in acoustic technology that is starting to change.
(2) You need an amplification system, which also involves either a physical wire between the cello and the amplifier or a more sophisticated (and expensive) wireless transmission system.
(3) The playing technique is slightly different from that for an acoustic instrument and needs practice, especially if attempting to play whilst standing up. For this reason I always recommend moving to an electric cello only after fully mastering the acoustic instrument.
And finally, if you are trying to persuade your son or daughter to take up cello playing, just make sure that he/she knows that “With an electric cello you can be the coolest member of the band”!
