Help!! 7/8 vs 4/4

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Billy Tobenkin is a Los Angeles-based cellist who specializes in teaching adult learners. As a professional cellist who started playing the cello from scratch at 25, he is in a unique position to help others, like him, who found the cello later in life. He has developed strategies from his own musical journey to accelerate the learning process, and he is here to share them with you.
Please contact him at [e-mail] with any questions or comments! Or visit adultcello.com

[@drmarx999]

Thanks, Billy, but don't forget about the wonderful 3/4 cellos out there. I switched from a 4/4 Ruggieri to a 3/4 "Statue" Montagnana (both Jay Haides) because of arthritis and a total hip replacement. Here's the really cool thing: my luthier switched out the 3/4 bridge (great for little fingers) to a full-size bridge (he did have to readjust the location of the sound post. It's the best of all possible worlds! I'd love to try a 7/8, but a really good one can be a real budget-buster!

[@mismatmom]

Yeah! I just found a 7/8 cello i love. 50 when i started on a full size. Always bothered me that as i 5' 4" woman the same cello for a 6' man considered my best fit. On the 7/8 all is easier, first position, extensions, bowing, and to my surprise thumb position. I did choose to add a posture peg on the c string to allow for more flexibility in placement. I play for myself and in a community orchestra. Because this cello is an upgrade it actually sounds bigger than my full size. Thanks!

[@carrieannkouri2151]

I"m 5' 2" and a 4/4 was a struggle for me. It felt like I was constantly fighting it to keep it between my legs comfortably, and any extensions were getting painful. I recently switched to a 7/8 - I love it! It's comfortable, as well as so much easier to play.

[@acamassia8077]

I absolutely love my 7/8 but it was tough to find. It's a beautiful instrument that has allowed me to feel comfortable playing!

[@trgmama6615]

I have a 7/8 and love it

[@ELIAHAVAH]

I got myself a 3/4 when I got mine a few years ago; I had used 1/1 in middle school orchestra. Advantages- (1) Much more lightweight, for carrying; (2) much higher quality upper notes from E4 up, almost sounding viola-like; and (3), the best advantage IMO, I can perform WAY longer extensions, especially with my already long and spindly piano fingers, lmao - extensions my practice book apparently doesn't even assume are possible, since it has me doing position shifts when I literally don't even need to do them. The one major disadvantage is that the higher quality upper notes are balanced by poorer quality low notes. In fact, I literally can't even play forte on the C string; it causes the string to slap against the fingerboard. I have two videos on my channel currently, in which I have side-by-side subtracks of me doing both bass and alto parts of two songs, on my 3/4. (Yes, I play my cello in a really unusual horizontal position. Don't judge me, it's just what I like, hahahaha.) On the second one - the technically much better of the two - you can actually hear the C string slapping, on the two bass breakdowns, although it is partly masked by the percussion. But, you can also hear that nice, viola-like note quality on the upper notes, on the alto cello subtrack on screen right. I personally love my 3/4.

[@shaggygrrl]

Thank you for this video. Very informative! I wish I had seen this just two weeks before to help me make my choice. You really hit the nail when you mentioned trying a cello at home for comparison. With my short, stubby arms, I brought home a 3/4 for a test run, and when I brought it back, I found myself crying all the way to the luthiers'. Needless to say, it was mine 3 weeks later. :)

[@katerynarudenko71]

I also play 3/4, because I’m quite short 😅 when I just started, I had a 4/4 and it was a complete disaster, especially in wide positions. In my case only a switch to a smaller instrument worked

[@MsCellobass]

I have a scala corta cello that was designed by Luthier in Atlanta GA. The cello is certainly good at sound projection and has a good tone. Im only 5ft in height but even so with this cello, the bottom of the peg box hits my shoulder where i would have to lengthen the end pin to avoid it. I also have a fullsize Luis and Clark carbon fiber cello and NEVER had a problem with playing It. So even though Im a shorty my fingers are not short. Im strongly considering trading in this shortscale neck cello to either a full size or a 7/8. The scala corta cello is really a full sized cello with a huge design flaw IMO. The designer made the neck of the cello a bit too short with the fingerboard almost in between the f holes. What should have been ideal is to have minimally shorten the neck and shortened the length of the finger board. I regret getting this cello but since it plays so well I can wait long enough to save some money to trade it in for a better one be it full size or a 7/8!

[@CalebeMendes]

Hi Billy, great video!! Thank you very much for the valuable information. I have a question about how sounds are described by cellists. As a beginner, I still struggle to understand what cellists mean by a "warm sound", or "dark", "bright". Would it be possible to show us with audio examples what those terms means, and what to look for when describing a sound? Best regards.

[@mr.monkei]

Thanks for the video! The link to the video you mentioned 6:12 is not showing up

[@gateau.]

Would a montagnana or guadanigni be better for smaller hands, compared to stradivarius model? Does shorter body equate to smaller spacing between fingers on the fingerboard?

[@verak6058]

Montagnana or Stradivari refers to the body of the Cello, not the string length that should be the same on all 7/8 or 4/4. In Europe you can find Chinese Cellos with a longer than regular distance between nut and bridge which makes playing rather difficult. Mine has a 7mm longer distance than regular and I have difficulty reaching notes. I'm still trying to figure out whether I need a 7/8 or regular sized 4/4 Cello.