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A cropped image to show the relative size of a cello to a human ()
The cello (also violoncello or 'cello) is a stringed instrument and part of the violin family. The cello is much larger than a violin, and unlike that instrument, it is played in an upright position between the legs of the seated musician, resting on a metal spike, called the endpin. The player draws his or her bow horizontally across the strings.
The cello has four strings tuned in fifths: C (the lowest), G, D and A (below middle C); these are tuned exactly one octave below the viola. The music for cello is usually written in the bass clef. For the higher notes, the cello sometimes uses the tenor clef and occasionally the treble clef.
The name cello is an abbreviation of the Italian violoncello, which means 'little violone'. The violone is an obsolete instrument, a large viol, similar to a modern double bass.
The cello is most closely associated with western classical music. It is part of the standard orchestra and features in the string quartet and many other chamber groups. A number of concertoOrigin Etymology Concerto (from the latin concertus from certare to strive, also confused with concentus , in its most general sense, is a name for a piece of classical music in which there are two distinct groups of instruments, one larger than the others and sonataSonata (From Latin and Italian sonare 'to sound'), in music, literally means a piece "played" as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare to sing), a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms have been written for it. It is less common in popular musicPopular music sometimes abbreviated the genre pop music, is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are (at least in their heyday) broadly popular. Broadly, any music that is a part of popular culture, including classical, folk, or other; though, the instrument features in a number of pop and rock recordings, it is a rarely part of a group's standard lineup. An exception are ApocalypticaApocalyptica is a Finnish music band of three (formerly four) classical educated cellists. Their speciality, though they also play classical music, is to play distinctly heavy metal music on their cellos. Over each of their albums, they have broken down t, a group of cellists best known for their versions of heavy metalHeavy metal is a form of rock music characterized by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified and distorted guitars, and the themes explored in heavy metal lyrics are often dark or sexually explicit. Heavy metal is a development of blues, blues ro songs. It is a style that has become known as cello rockCello rock is a genre of music characterized by the use of cellos and other stringed instruments such as violin and viola to create a sound, beat, and texture similar to that of rock music. The cellos and other stringed instruments are often electronicall. Another great example is RasputinaRasputina is a varying collection of cellists playing alternative rock. The band officially began in Brooklyn, New York in 1992, when Melora Creager put out an advertisement requesting members to form an all- cello band. Julia Kent responded, and the two, a group of three female cellists committed to an intricate cello style intermingled with Gothic music.