Hardest Thing About Learning Cello as an Adult | My Dirty Little Secret 

Your comments are right on. I started learning cello about 2 years ago at age 76. Yes, it is both the most difficult and the most consuming thing I have ever attempted to learn. There are times where I sound like I am calling the whales! However, when I hit the shift just right, it gives me great joy.

I started cello aged 26, now I'm 32. I was not that 'beginner' my teacher said in the third year of learning. To be honest I pushed my self to do more than my teacher gave me, for example: learning bach cello suite no 1 and playing aria bwv 156 while I was still on suzuki cello school book 3. Well at first my teacher thought it was too far fetched until she heard me play with quite good intonation and a developing vibrato skill. She then said I could do any cello piece I wanted, but she insisted the etudes she recommended me play as routine. I took that as a challenge, and I am now endlessly grateful for that moment, I'm now a member of the teaching staff in an independent string instrument music school in my town. I also play in quartet and ensamble for public events.

This video helped me so much. I started playing a year ago at 21 and I felt kind of embarrassed to tell other people. Constantly making the excuses that I "was just learning and was just trying it out" even though I feel very serious about cello. Thank you for the amazing content.

Thank you so much for this inspiration. I started cello at 51 and have been at it for 4 years. As an adult it is very hard to be so bad at something. For the first year my goal every week was to return the following week. Now i cant imagine giving it up. I found an amazing teacher and participate in u of south carolina string project, adult class and orchestra. Many universities have string project programs offering opportunities for adults. I have nothing but respect for adults who are brave enough to take this on. Some of our members are in their 70s. Playing cello is a superpower!

This channel is an inspiration. I realised a bit too late, unfortunately, how crazy in love I am with this instrument. I think I have been wanting to start learning cello for a few years but I have been putting it off, partly because I never had much confidence when it came to learning musical instruments. Now, at the age of 32 I have decided to finally give it a go. It might be a total write-off but, Jesus, you only live once.

I started just over 3 years ago at 49 and I love it! I play badly but I love it! I think it's the challenge, the fact that it's so hard to sound nice that keeps me wanting to try and achieve the target. I really like your videos, I find them very relatable and helpful. Cheers from Australia!

You are incredible Billy!!!! I’m about to start learning the Cello (first lesson today!) at the age of 31! You are inspiring me a lot. If I was you I would be so proud of myself!!! Thankyou for the amazing videos you have put up.

After 38 years of professional performance on the double-bass, which was ended by a stroke, I am now 10 months into teaching myself 'cello at the age of 77, with the help of RU-vid instructional videos. I am loving it, and playing often in area churches. Billy, I enjoyed your presentation here very much.

I started cello at 13 and I also always worried about people thinking I was too old to start learning to ever get to a high degree of musicality. If you don't start at three years then people look at you like, "why even bother playing?" Or at least that's what I felt I was seeing! I'm sure that wasn't what they were actually thinking lol.

I started in my 70's ! I am lucid, reasonably healthy and have had excellent teachers. My current one is Fred Edelsen , formally of the Consertgebow Ochestra of Amsterdam. Not one of them discouraged me because of age. They all have been encouraging. While I won't go to Conservatory I in no way feel intimidated by those younger then myself. They have their reward and advantages. I have mine including emmotional maturity and life experience. I have my goals which is to play Bach. I am having a Baroque Cello made. So I will keep moving forward and enjoy it. Besides I have listened to you play and you are very good. So accept who you are and keep moving ahead. I enjoy your videos as they speak to me well. You do good work .

100% agree! I started to make real progress when a new teacher shifted my focus to having fun rather than becoming the best. Let go of the goal and enjoy the fact that you are playing (PLAYING) cello. Have fun!

I prize being yourself.. and I love your, “ I don’t give a sh** hairstyle….. Awesome…

Thank you Billy! I am starting at 53 and I love your videos! They are so helpful and you are my only instruction at this point and I am very happy with that. I do have issues staying on the D string with out hitting the G string. I'm working on it!

Thanks so very much! I've started learning cello earlier this year beginning with my retirement at age 65. My self-talk about my age and "how slow I learn" are the greatest blocks to my progress and enjoyment. I am grateful that you shared this.

Thank you so much for this channel. I am starting at 42 and I have wanted to start for ten years. I finally just told myself “jump!” I live in rural Alaska so I don’t have access to teachers. I am going to just do my best for me.

I understand you, perfectly. I also believed in all this BS when I was a teenager and then later, when I was in the music conservatory I lived another type of prejudice. So, I will tell you my story. My father was very stric and difficult to deal with -- and aggressive. Yes, I lived that too in his hands. For no reason he would beat me so hard I had wounds all over my body. My father controlled me with his violence and he didn't want me to be a musician. He wanted a "lawyer" or "doctor" in the family. (I had no mother who died in my birth). I was under his tyranny 24/7. But I wanted to play cello and I had no money to buy one, I couldn't work for it because he would find out and... you know the rest. And in the music conservatory (I was going there in secrecy, it was from the State and I didn't need to pay anything) there was only one teacher. Another had left the country and the other died of a heart attack. I tried to have classes with that teacher but he didn't want me because "I was not young enough..." later I realized he had only boys and even men older than me! He had a student in his 30s! So, I realized the "why". That cello teacher was gay and he badly had any girl for student (I believe by that time only 2 or 3, and one was older than 18 years old! from the 3 female students, one was a lesbian) and the boys were all the most handsome he could find; then he got a new male student in his 20s (but not me). He had a crush on that boy and he also told me that... so I realized I would never ever be a cellist. I gave up! People brainwashed me with the idea that because of my age (20), it would be impossible. It was very hard. I cried so many tears... My father still torturing me and I had no place to go to. Then I went to college... I abandoned it 4 years later. That was not my call. I didn't go back to the cello either. I believed the lies... We didn't have internet and RU-vid in those years. So, I started working in another field (brokerage) and years later I moved to Germany -- away from my relatives, my father and the bad memories (I really don't miss those years!). In 2012, I bought my first cello with my own money, I bought some books and I started watching the videos in RU-vid. Then I found a Russian cellist nearby my district. I was 37 years old then. What do I hate about the past? the coward I was, when I left my father do what he did to me, the fact that I believed the lies of so many people and when I accepted that a gay teacher could say "no" to me just because I was a woman! I should have fought him too and talked to the administration of the music conservatory -- but I knew he had influence and power, they would expell me and I would be just the laughing stock in town and called "homophobic". Today, I made some decisions and I hired one of the best cellists from Europe to be my teacher, I will pay him a lot of money, btw. And I plan to take my diplom as a Musician, starting 2023. If you read my comment, please, follow my advice: don't let anybody destroy your dreams. Maybe you have one, maybe it is not cello but something else and someone or family are telling you negative things or saying you are too old for your dream. DON'T BE LIKE I WAS! I WAS STUPID! I BELIEVED THE LIES! AND I WAS A COWARD! DON'T BE ONE! BE BRAVE! Follow your heart, your passion and let the dogs bark. Don't let regret come to haunt you, it hurts a lot, very much, it hurts, trust me. Try and if you fail at least you know you have tried. But imagine if you don't ever try! you will never ever know. Don't be like I was. Show to the world you don't fear anything, anybody. Love is more powerful than fear. Go for the fight now, tiger!

I'm an adult learner, I got my first cello in 2006 at the age of 37 and my mantra was "I'm going to learn to play this if it has to kill me". I wanted to learn the cello as a child, but I was the youngest of 5 children and my parents didn't see music as a future for me and they couldn't afford to send me to lessons. After my cello arrived, I took it to The Sound Post to get it set up and then I set about looking for a teacher. I had 3 different teachers in one year, but when I moved to Cambridge, I found the perfect teacher in Kitchener. The first question he asked me was, "What type of music do you like? What style of music?" I was a member of church choirs, so I love my church music and from there, he catered my lessons according to my interest. I was one of a couple of adult students he had. I always knew that I would never be a professional cellist, I did it because I love music and it was for my own enjoyment. He never discouraged me. He was the best teacher I've had. I just bought my 3rd cello. I don't play as often as I would like, but when I do, I have fun.

Hey, Just wanted to appreciate the authenticity that comes out in your videos. Almost all of RU-vid is filled with videos built to move the needle on the algorithm, so this was a welcome change. I have no idea about Cellos but now would like to take a shot at learning it.

Hello, thanks for to share your experience. I started study cello 10 years ago, I was 27 years and I was fill out of doubts and scary. There are many prejudices around the adults cello students, but I try forget it day to day (Sorry english is not my native lenguaje)

I started at 44. My cello aches and pains tell me I’m too old! 🤣 What I do like is that this was a choice, and I am not under great pressure to do auditions or exams. I do want to play better and eventually land in a community orchestra.

You hit the nail on the head about how we learn. As we age, I think we tend to become more analytical, while kids are so intuitive! It's kind of like "The Inner Game of Tennis" (not "The Inner Game of Music"): how do children learn to walk? By watching other people walk, and then trying different things until the process clicks. If we were to depend on verbal instructions on how to do that, we'd still all be crawling! Thanks for providing such a great model for all of us!

This is so true. I also had a lot of demons from having played the violin badly as a child and an experience of myself as not being musical. My teacher has really helped me challenge all my inhibitions - she constantly says don't worry if it's in tune, don't worry what it sounds like just try it out. It's very liberating and conducive to learning. She also encouraged me to focus on musicality from day one. Nearly two years in and I have just started to allow myself to let go a bit, and it's helping a lot.

I started cello in 4th grade and played in school ochestra thru my junior year in high school and was never good. I just kept on out of obligation. That was 50 years ago. So I consider myself an adult learner🤓. Starting totally over.

This was just what I needed. I started at 51, have played on and off for the past 6 years, and have kept my expectations low even though my desire to be as good as possible is very high. But what is possible? I think the answer I’ve been giving myself is, “Not much, don’t be a fool.” Maybe I can start shedding the regret that I didn’t start 47 years sooner, and simply keep moving forward and aiming high. Really, what’s the harm?

Thank you for doing this, Billy. I enjoy your channel and your suggestions. I am also a late learner; I started at 46. A good friend of mine was beginning the viola (he had already mastered the trumpet & French horn), And another was learning violin for a second violin; they had a good level first violinist, and needed a cellist. So I started learning cello, and we had so much fun together. 20 years later, we are much better and can take on more exciting repertoire. We perform for our community and enjoy the experience and each other's company. It has been an intimidating but fun journey. Like you, I was a pianist before starting the cello, and still love the piano and try to practice and improve there as well. But I have learned so much from the cello experience, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Child like learning. That is how I have approached every new endeavor. It's the only way you can free yourself from the adult ego and that nagging voice in your head that says you're too old to do this. However, I am fighting the feeling of not deserving a good teacher. I am afraid to call teachers because I feel I don't deserve their instruction BECAUSE I'm older.

would you be able to do a video on your daily practice routine? also how to fit practice in the daily life as an adult who works a normal non-music related office job? thanks!

I'm going to look at cellos today, I've waited long enough, I'm going to be 51 in a few weeks, so this is my birthday present to myself. I think you're right, we are our worst enemy at any age, but I hope my absolute love for the instrument, determination, and life long commitment to learning what it has to teach me will carry me through the tough times of the learning process. Thank you for your candor.❤️

Your words motivates me a lot. Thanks for the good vibes

It's crazy how we underestimate ourselves, right? I've been playing for a year and now I'm working on Shostakovich's Waltz No.2, but still feel like I'm a beginner...we need to believe in ourselves more and do music because it's fun!

Thanks for this, Billy. I was introduced to cello in the 6th and 7th grade but moved out of state and didn't have a chance to pick it back up until my mid-20s. A full-size laminated cello outfit from Sam Ash, I could never get very far as I was trying to teach myself based on what I could remember from my lessons 10+ years back. I hit that exact same wall you described and just...put it away. I felt like Angela in that episode of Who's The Boss? However, a good friend recently got into playing cello herself and inspired me to give it another go. Realizing that the full-size was actually too large for me to play comfortably I acquired a lovely 3/4 size with a robust, rich tone that I can play without overextending my right hand. I'm hopeful that this removes a huge barrier that's kept me from advancing beyond beginner level and will seek out an instructor for private lessons once I can get to a decent level of basic proficiency. Thank you for your honest and earnest insights, they're much appreciated!

I am 72 and just started learning cello. I've been playing violin for 3 years, and want to try cello now.

that cat metronome is the cutest thing ever wth...

I’d love to try a cello. I had been a viola player as a 7-year old child, but had to give it up after middle school when my dad was transferred all around. At the time, it hadn’t mattered to me. Fast forward 30+ years, and my biggest regret is giving up my music. I’m 46 and have just started playing the violin a month ago. I usually work as a school janitor from 14-16 hours a day, but I drag my silent violin into work to play in my closet during my dinner break once every teacher and child have long left the building. I may eventually try the cello once my hours have dropped back to normal when this pandemic thing has calmed 100%. The most disappointing thing about my job is the fact that our school has no orchestra program and our band teacher has been cut to only our middle school children.

In a way I'm confused; I'm 26 and I'm gonna start Cello lessons next week! I wanted to start 2 years ago, but life happened. Now most is calmed down and I can't wait! I've been telling *everyone* I know and everyone is so happy and excited and wanna try the cello when I finally have one (which will also be next week). People know it can be harder when you start later, but not one person has been negative! I can definitely see myself saying; "oh no gosh I just start sorry to terrorize your ears", but not because I started as an adult! Have fun, don't take life too seriously, people like it as long as you like it yourself! 🥰

Is that a cat metronome? Awesome!

Lol, I have never ever thought about something like that before. I always do things just like that, no matter what's "normal". I mean, why should one bother about it at all since you can't turn back time anyway? E.g. usually one starts an apprenticeship (here) at the age of 16-18, I started a second one with 26 after having usual jobs for years and now I'm the best pupil in school, as a female in a mens profession. Don't care for what they say, just do it your way and it's all fine. I'm now 29, my boss wants me to study and I just started to play the piano some month back. Now I want to get my first cello, since violin isn't for me. Let's see how it will be like 🙂 Stop worring what others do believe, flash them by beeing good instead. 🤟🏼

Oh Sr.. wish I started cello at a very young age... Hoped I'm not yet too late to learn this beautiful instrument though 🙏♥️😔

Right on target!!!!

I just turned 40 on 6/20 and I had my first lesson last night.

I take my first cello class today and I'm already 38!!

Nice hair!

Thanks, I really needed this

Appreciate your channel very much. Would you happen to be left handed? I notice you wear your watch on the right wrist, ( I am left handed)

Im 48 this year & just started my 1st class today

Iv not practised for a week but to fair I have a chest infection. I love learning cello though

Hi, Do you know of any school in Europe which proposes similar experiences as the one you had in Meadowmount school of music ? Thanks! :)

I’m almost 21. I bought my cello 2 years ago. I practice intermittently because I get demotivated so easily. I take a break and then get back to it. Also, I’m bad at sight reading. I’m having hard times while finding a will to start practising. Do you have any advices on how to build a practice routine? Thank you😊

Hey thanks for the video... im 64 fixing to give it a go.. wanted to ask "what is your take on a Bellafina Prodigy cello..

Hi! I'm 18 and really looking to learn how to play the cello. I have no prior experience with chordophones so I need some advice on buying my first one. Would you recommend starting with a more affordable one, and upgrading in a couple years or so? Or is it more convenient to invest in an instrument that may be on the pricey side? If so, are there any you would recommend? I also really like your metronome haha :,)

Am 43 an I am about to start . He he

All I know is... this guy looks like a cello player :)

It is even harder when the teacher doesn't believe in the adult student. Just a source of income.

Oh you’re still a baby! Of course you can learn beginning in your 20s. Starting in your 50s is a much different story though.

Your hair looks like "Wolverine" style. 😂🤣

It is not hard, you just need one hand to play, it is harder to play piano, trumpet, sax, clarinett!