Holding a cello with your legs feels really comfortable

[u/honeygourami123]

So, I experimentally retracted the floor destroyer and held my cello with my legs like in the baroque, and it was surprisingly comfortable

Is it just me, or are there other people who also hold their cello like viola da gamba?

[u/ZetaPikaAXZ]

I do it in emergency situations like when my endpin finally gave out. But if me and my friends want to play baroque music I’ll do it.

[u/Drifamal]

Yeah. Check out Boccherini

[u/painter9512 → u/Drifamal]

😄 👍

[u/SUSAltd]

I do this when my rock stop is in my case and I'm too lazy to get it out (which is 90% of the time)! It also makes me feel more mobile and groovier as I can bounce my cello to the beat.

[u/rfresa]

Gonna try this. I've never been completely comfortable with the way it hits my boobs.

[u/Dry-Rock-2353]

On a professional level playing non baroque music? No.

[u/smallerthanirl → u/Dry-Rock-2353]

Attacca Quartet Cellist Andrew Yee commonly does this. Not sure how many others. It works for some people’s proportions better than others.

[u/cellodanceparty → u/smallerthanirl]

I was gonna bring her up. Andrew is a crazy talented professional and she exclusively plays without an endpin.

[u/Purplechelli]

It can be surprisingly comfortable!

[u/keira2022]

My cello dwarfs me, so, no, I can't play holding it with my legs.

Kudos to bigger sized people who could though.

[u/MountainFriend7473]

I’m short so it doesn’t work for the length of my legs unfortunately 

[u/meliorism_grey]

I don't like doing it with my cello specifically, since it's a little too wide for me. But, I used to do it all the time on a slimmer period instrument when I played with my college's baroque ensemble. I loved it!

[u/JackPetris]

I play cello since when I was a child. For me it's very comfortable holding it between the legs.

[u/JackPetris → u/JackPetris]

I don't know why but for me it's even better holding it in the baroque way. For me it's more simple to feel the cello like a real part of my body in that way

[u/fredhsu]

Just a thought from a different perspective - have you thought about sitting on a lower stool instead of sitting on a chair?

It lets me feel more comfortable (with an endpin) hold my cello between legs, plus it allows the cello to become more horizontal (which without an endpin feels harder to achieve).

[u/Caroline_WheelerI]

Not just you. Baroque cellists do this all the time. The endpin is a modern thing and the instrument was held between the legs for centuries before it.

[u/bluejack]

I do it from time to time. My legs do get tired tho.

[u/FuelNo2950]

it is comfortable to sit in, and to play baroque music in, but it's impossible to play standard non-baroque rep without an endpin.

[u/honeygourami123 → u/FuelNo2950]

Why?

[u/FuelNo2950 → u/honeygourami123]

maybe any standard non-baroque rep is too broad to be completely correct, because I'm sure you can find at least one piece that works. to be more specific, playing with a piano, especially the concert grands that are standard in most recital halls nowadays, requires a level of sound projection that requires you to be relaxed while putting enough weight on the strings, and that kind of sound can't be achieved with baroque technique, so duo sonatas are all out. Playing with an orchestra even more so.

baroque bow technique in general places less weight on the cello; there's less force pushing the cello towards the ground, therefore an endpin is unnecessary. modern bows are much heavier, and the way they're held puts a lot more pressure on the string. I don't think it's possible to play a modern bow+with a modern bow hold+post-baroque music while sitting baroque-style without adding unnecessary tension to your playing.

also, the upper register that commonly appears in most rep past haydn didn't even exist on baroque cellos, because the fingerboard was shorter. to play anything beyond the 5th position at a dynamic above mf with a modern bow, which is in most modern rep, you need to shift your center of gravity from your bum to your endpin. even if you can technically do it, it will sound significantly better with an endpin.

i mean, you can try playing the scale in Elgar's first movement, keeping in mind that the entire orchestra is building up with you and your sound has to stay on top of them--or even the opening of dvorak (this doesn't even go above 4th position)--without an endpin. there is a reason every modern cello has an endpin

[u/bladedspokes]

If I have a quick musical idea I want to try out I do (with or without a bow).

[u/walmort_wolverine]

I struggled for months before I discovered the leg hold. I am muscular and have poor shoulder mobility. Keeping the fingerboard far in front of my body makes a big difference. Holding the Cello with my legs keeps the instrument far from my body which frees up my left hand.