Learning the Cello - Extensions

 Left Hand - Intonation - Shifting - Double Stops - Thumb Position - Finger Operation

It took me many years to figure out and develop ways to teach my students how to play extensions. I now have a system of starting with a Bb major scale using tunnels and swinging the left elbow forward and back depending on the finger being played. This way of learning is for playing without vibrato and is also used when playing fast. For slower tempos that use vibrato, the thumb will move much more as the left hand changes finger.

What I came to realize is that depending on the speed of the music, you need to think about these aspects:

1. To play a whole step between fingers 1 and 2, at slower speeds you can play by sliding your thumb along the back of the neck, towards the finger that will play the new note. (slide thumb towards 2nd finger if you're coming from 1st finger or vice versa)  Once the student can play with vibrato, this way of playing extensions will happen naturally since the thumb must always move to a balanced place for vibrato.
2. Another way you need to learn to play extensions, is for when the music is at fast speeds, or when the hand has to play a double stop. This is the "double stop method" or "tunnel method". Basically, once you move the thumb and fingers into more pronation, with the elbow forward, the left arm will have a smaller range of motion as you go from one finger to another.

I teach the "Backward" extension first which you can see in the video below and then usually wait at least a few weeks before teaching the "Forward" Extension. This gives time to get used to using the "side of the tip" of the first finger which is such a new feeling compared to playing first finger when it is not in extension.

The first part of the video below is the end of a lesson when the parent was recording what I had just taught a student - how to do a backward extension. From 1:00 to 1:45, I show a great trick from Cornelia Watkins which gives the student the feel of the tip of their first finger. This is so important for them to discover!