Looking for a solution for standing and playing your cello? Erica discusses three options.
Standing with an Acoustic Cello
Homemade harness
Years ago, my late husband built a harness for my Luis and Clark carbon fiber cello. I was performing in groups where it was preferable for me to stand with my cello, and a harness seemed like the best solution.
I purchased an entry-level snare harness, and my husband added an ingenious handmade wooden device with a swivel on the bottom. The angle was the same as if I were sitting, so it took virtually no time to adjust to playing using this setup.
I played for hours at a time but had to occasionally shift the harness as it dug into my shoulder muscles a bit. Additionally, I felt like my upper body movement was somewhat restricted, and the whole contraption was a bit heavy. I temporarily changed out the metal pieces hanging over the shoulder for straps, but I felt that the cello became too mobile. The plus side was that I could attach the cello to the harness, so putting on and taking off different cellos was easy.
The Block Strap
Created by cellist Mike Block, the Block Strap is designed to fit any acoustic cello without altering the cello in any way. Unlike my custom-made harness, Mike’s strap will fit many body heights and shapes, which is a huge plus. Additionally, it is lightweight and packs into a pouch, which makes it quite compact. It comes with pads, but I have enough natural padding that I didn’t need them!
You can customize the “fit” of the cello to your body. There are four points on the straps, plus an optional waist strap to keep the instrument from sliding side to side. There are several steps to attaching this harness, so definitely watch the instructional video below to see how it works. Having already watched the video, I spent a long time experimenting with the tension of the various straps to come up with a solution that works for me. I must confess I deviated slightly from Mike’s instructions, as I wanted to keep the small strap running along the fingerboard away from my hand.
Once the harness is on, it is easy to get out of with the cello still attached to the strap. Conveniently, the strap can stay on the cello while the instrument is in the case, cutting down on prep time at the gig.
Price*: $149.99
Instructions for attaching the Block Strap to the cello.
Standing with an Electric Cello
The NS Design Frame Strap System
Since I have been playing electric cello for decades, I still own a Zeta Educator Electric Cello. They were designed to be played sitting down, so my handy husband attached a small piece of wood to my Zeta, to which the NS Design Strap is screwed. I can easily screw and unscrew the cello from the harness this way. This can be done on any electric cello, so don’t fret if you don’t own an NS cello. Just find someone to adapt the harness to your cello if you are not comfortable doing it yourself.
I find that the cello tends to list a tiny bit, so I attach a tiny bungee cord from the cello tuner hole to the harness—problem solved! Thankfully, this combination is easy to put on and take off your body.
The harness moves around the hips slightly, so if this bothers you, simply attach a strap around your waist. The harness is compact enough to fit in a soft case with your cello. Like the Block Strap, the NS harness can be used for any body type.
Cost*: $259
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*Prices given are accurate on the date of publication of this article. Please check the links for the current price. The Cello Museum does not control these prices and cannot take responsibility for price changes.
