How similar are cellos andviolins as far as difficulty, and the placement of your fingers.?

I want to buy a cello eventually when I start college. I didn't know if getting a simple violin would help train my fingers or not, or even help me get used to using a bow. I know as far as scales and whatnot, Cello and violin aren't the same, but i'm more concerned with physically getting used to it, than mentally. If anyone knows anything about it let me know.

How similar are cellos andviolins as far as difficulty, and the placement of your fingers.?shows

Back in the Baroque and Renaissance period, musicians rarely learned an instrument. Most of them learned Schools of instruments. The better players got to move to the positions of authority and responsibility, and the average players took up supporting roles in the ensembles. We live in the age of specialization now of course, and it is considered unheard of to play anything but your own instrument in most legitimate circles. Of course, every orchestra director ha to have at least a passing knowledge of these instruments, so I guess the concept is not completely dead!

Playing violin will not train your fingers to play cello. Violin is a Diatonic Instrument, while Cello is a Chromatic Instrument. Violins play scale wise, kind of like playing nothing but white notes on the piano (in the Key of C at least) While Cellos play in half steps, kind of like going from white key to black key (except between E and F, or B and C)

The bowing is quite a bit different as well. the bow hold for a cellos is quite a bit different, and the overall direction that you bow in is different as well The other difference that some people overlook is the clef. Violin plays in Treble Clef, while Cello plays in Bass Clef. Of course, if you add a ledger line above the treble clef, and add a ledger line below the bass clef, you can use the exact same mnemonic device (memory aid) Empty Garbage Before Dad Freaks Again! (E - G - B - D - F - A)

Learning to play the violin is not going to hurt your cello chops if that's what you really want to do. You might find it more a little more convenient to pick up a used cello and work on that instead however. The finger spread on a cello is pretty significant and takes a little getting used to. I learned to play cello all wrong when I was a teenager (no lessons of course) but I still managed to work my way up to first chair in a community orchestra. They didn't seem to care that I played Cello more like a violinist. They were really focused on the fact that I played the thing in tune for some reason (well, relatively speaking) and as unreasonable as this sounds, they were rather impressed that I tended to play C# when the music called for it rather than C natural with a promise to look at it again when I got home.

Here's the real question though. Will learning to play the violin make you a better overall musician? Quite possibly. It will give you an appreciation for what your peers go through, and get you used to the language of the bow. Viola would do the same thing by the way, and it has the advantage of being the same notes as the Cello (C - G - D - A) but there is that whole Alto clef thing to confront. I'm afraid the advantage you would be looking for in either case would be just the opposite of what you claim to want. You would be getting ready for it mentally more than physically.

If you decide you really need a Cello, look at one of the Cremona (by Saga) 175s or 150s. They speak rather well, and you can almost always get everything out of them that you put in, or use it as a trade in on the Cello you really want. The Cremona VL150 or 175 Violin is a similar instrument. I keep three in my classroom and often my students want to play them rather than some of the deadly stuffy German instruments that they are renting for 15 - 25 dollars a month and can't stand to play. If I have left anything out or you have other questions, don't be afraid to give me a holler. Hope this helps.

How similar are cellos andviolins as far as difficulty, and the placement of your fingers.?comedy show opera theater

welll i would say that if you play one string instrument it would be a lot easier to play another one. on a cello you have to use more of your whole hand and on a violin its mostly finger movement. on both instruments you hold the bow the same. but on a violin you are holding it up. Anyways. a violin is more complex and harder than a cello not simpler.
I think they are both difficult. In cello the notes are farther away then the violin, the violin your fingers are so much more closer, in cello playing as you probably already know the notes are farther apart. When playing both your fingers are being trained, only your arms are held differently, and on violin the bow is higher then when your playing the cello, where it's held lower. The muscles in your fingers are being trained almost the same, the difference is in the arms, violin up, and the cello held in front of you, with the bowing the same the violin the right arm is held up, and on cello the bow down in front of you. I hope that your not more confused then before, sometimes these things are better taught when your in front of a teacher, so that it can be demonstrated .
Well, if you put it into perspective, cello and violin are equally difficult in their own ways.

If you're planning on getting a cello eventually, I suggest getting it in the first place. A transition from a violin to a cello can be made, but there are some very big differences that you'll have to overcome. Obviously, position of the instrument is different. Bow grips for cello and violin are also different.
I disagree. There are hard aspects to both instrument. I have played violin for 15 years, and cello for 21, and was a music performance major in college. First off, hand positions on the two instruments are completely different. Training on a violin may increase finger control and dexterity, but would ruin cello technique. Using the bow on a violin might help, but bow technique is different also for a cello and violin. Don't try to physically adapt to a cello using a violin, it simply won't work. And also responding to the previous answer, it is much harder to play the same song on a cello than a violin - because the cello is that much larger, you have to physically move around the instrument much more, so getting certain notes is simply not a stretch with your pinky.
A violin is definitely more portable. It would provide excellent musical training, but if your heart isn't in it, go for the cello first. It may be a challenge, but if you're going to successfully tackle college and a new instrument, it sounds like you can handle it.