//The Cello Lesson Comedy Show (3)//

When I finally decided to get my own cello some years ago, I asked Teacher for advice on what to get.

Week 1

Teacher: A decent beginner’s cello would cost about X dollars.

Week 2

Me: You’ve gotta be kidding. I tried a couple of cellos at that price range. They felt mushy.
Teacher: 😶 OK. Try something that costs around 2X to 3X dollars then.

Week 3

Me: I went to 4 shops. Nothing sounded right. And you told me the surface of a good bridge should have this dots-looking pattern. I didn’t see it on some of them.
Teacher: 😓 Cellos at this level should be more than adequate for you.
Me: None of them felt right.
Teacher: 💢 FINE. Go for the European wood then. Those would cost around 5X dollars.

Week 4

Me: I found it! But one problem… It costs … 10X dollars.
Teacher: 😱 WHAT?!
Me: When I was at the shop, a young man happened to be trying out this cello. Right when he played the first few notes, I immediately thought, “Wow! It sounds like what I heard on YouTube!”
Teacher: (“Can I strangle this wacko?!”) You can start with a 5X cello and then upgrade in the future when you gain more skills.
Me: This won’t work. I need a cello that can teach me. He will be my teacher when you are not there during my practice at home. It will be inefficient if I use a cello that has less room for growth. And I want to grow with the cello together.
Teacher: … OK. Fine. 🙈

Fortunately, I was able to charge the payment on my credit card as interest-free installments. So, how is my cello today? He is still patiently tolerating my brutal and clumsy moves. Sometimes it feels like I am disappointing him as I may never be able to show what he can really do. Teacher even offered to “open up” the cello for me after watching me struggle all these years. But I refused. Let’s just hope that someday he will finally talk to me.