@bocaholly 😂 Sooooo Sorry! NOT! . Ah, ok, this is,what I did to loosen up with my cello. I finally watched a couple soloist cellist videos on youtube. I watched how they sat, cradled the cello with a cello hug (that is what I call it), and watched how they bowed. 

Then one day, I sat down. I do not sit at the edge of the seat. Bad for my legs. The edge of the seat could give me issues and not going to risk it. More comfortable my way, anyway, and I did see many who sit my way. I let my arms hang down by my side, very limp. I the picked up my lovely instrument and let it gently come back to my chest. I adjusted the endpost so it was the proper height, and comfortable for me. I just sat there for about a minute. I also cannot spread the legs apart as a cellist will say you have to do! The way I figure it, one size or way does not fit all. I am not giving myself hip issues because someone centuries ago did not try it my way and make make my way standard. Never have been a follower. Not a leader either. I like my less trodden path. Serves me well, and irritates many (a bonus).

Okay. I shook my right arm to loosen it. Then I picked up my bow and bowed open strings. Then I did a couole scales. Then I put my bow down and sat and relaxed. I pictured one of the videos. Picked up my bow and pictured the cellist moving so slowly and smoothly with the music. I just swayed to the rhythm of the song I was going to play. I just sat there, cello in place, bow in and, listening to my song in my mind at the tempo I will be playing it. Then I started playing my cello. It actually gave me a very good practice session. I do it every time now. It does not work for me with my violin and viola. Go figure! I did not think about it. This does not take as long as it probably sounds. I don’t do this all the time now, but when I get off, I fall back to th

I try to become one with my cello. I love my cello. I wish it was as portable as the violin and viola, which is my draw to those. I love them, but I think I am more fond of my cello. 

The finger stretch is much wider. I have this weird thing my instructor is baffled by. I can let my left hand be limp and get that natural curve the fingers do. I place my fingers, well let them gently drop, to the fingerboard. They are the exact distance I need between each (the spread) to be spot on for first position. When I play, it is out the window! Sure, I have a perfect natural position that should make it easy, but I mess it up! LOL Oh well. I will get there. I think one reason for this is my first instructor (who ended out being that violin teacher years later that I canceled out), never checked for that. She just told me I had to stretch my fingers on the fingerboard. So, I never checked. I kept overstretching and worked to lessen the stretch. Never got a relaxed left hand. My new instructor is working on this, where that former cello/violin teacher, never paid attention to form and mechanics after the second lesson. 

I do suggest you get this endpin holder. I got it through Fiddlershop. It is FANTASTIC! 

https://fiddlershop.com/collec.....ndpin-rest

You set the length. Put the ring under your chair leg and place the endpin rest in the direction you need it. Adjust the length as needed once you have the cello in place. I was able to do this while sitting with the cello. But be careful. The adjustment thingy was easy enough for me to do one handed while I held the cello with the other. The cello won’t slide around, plus, if you have the endpin the same length each time, the rest will be perfect each time.

Also, I used a black permanent marker and made a mark around the endpin up by the cello, you know, where it comes out. After I found the length I needed, I traced around the endpin where it comes out of the cello. Mark the endpin, not the cello. Now, I know how far to pull my endpin out, I know how far away to place my endlin rest. All set. The mark does wear off, so I just do it again before it fades completely. Don’t use tape or anything. It will get caught in the endpin hole. Just use a marker.

Essential Elements for Strings cello book 1 is really good. It has a nice progression system for introducing strings and has plenty of scales and little exercises and songs to re-enforce the lessons. I bought book two. Took a look at it, I was not impressed with book two. It doesn’t have a lot of little songs to play. Maybe by book two you are expected to get some song books. I am going to be moving on from book 1 if I can get this last song in book 1 down.

My instructor is going to switch to music downloads. He does use scales, but he uses downloaded music. Fine with me. But book one above is really good. Suzuki has some neat songs, but, for me the way the strings are presented makes no sense. The C and G strings are not used much throughout book 1. They are the hardest to finger and bow. Esesstial Elements does not ignore those. Jingli Nuna has a lot of G string use. Plus, Suzuki does not have many scales thrown in. It would be good to have for after book one of the Essentials is done, to give you songs to play. My instructor agrees with me on the organization and lack of scales in the Suzuki method. 

I hope this helps. Make sure to post in the cello section now. I am trying to get it going. It would be reallh helpful for us budding cellists, like the violin section is for budding voilinists.

Here is a photo of the endpin. I wish I had ordered 2. I did not know I was giving my niece one of my cellos when I ordered mine, so I only ordered one. It is less than $25 and I would have to pay postage. I would have to order and have it shipped to her because she is picking it up tomorrow or the next day. Would not be able to combine it with an order for me to get it up to $25. I am giving her my disc type endpin rest. I don’t need anything at the moment, either.