1. Sit straight up in the chair, with knees at a 90-degree angle.
2. Place the cello between the knees, leaning it back against the chest.
3. Check the cello’s alignment with your child’s chest and legs. If it is correctly sized, the fingerboard will be resting on the sternum and the upper part of the cello body will rest on the thighs.
4. Look for the top peg on the right-hand side (belonging to the “C” string); it should be close to the left ear.
5. Check the corner of the lower bout; it should be resting against the left knee.
6. Verify that the fingerboard is within reach without straining. If your child has to stretch to reach the fingerboard, or if the cello is resting too high in each of the previous three steps, then it is likely too large. If it’s resting too low, or if the “C” string peg is even with or below the chin, the cello is probably too small.
Cello Size
4/4
7/8
3/4
1/2
1/4
1/8
Bass Sizing Method
1. Stand up and hold the bass upright. Position the instrument against the left side, holding the neck in the left hand with fingers in the first position.
2. On a properly-sized bass, those fingers will line up with the eyes.
3. Double-check by holding the bow in the right hand, with shoulders straight and arm relaxed in a ready-to-play position, parallel to the floor. If the instrument is the correct size, the bow should cross the strings between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard.
4. You will know the bass is too large while following the steps above if the left hand is above eye-level, or if the bow falls at or below the bridge. Alternately, if the left hand is above eye-level in first position or if the bow is at or above the end of the fingerboard, you’ll know that the instrument is too small.
