Brant Taylor, a cellist in the CSO and a member of the music faculty at DePaul, played a Cal cello and said he could think of few other new instruments that could match its sound, at any price.

A string player is occasionally called on, for instance, to play with the wood of the bow, a technique called col legno that produces a sharply percussive sound.

The cello is a string instrument that can be taught to beginners and enjoyed by advanced musicians. Read on for the best cello to play music with.

Ngwenyama also borrows from other musical traditions, such as the gong of a Balinese gamelan ensemble, heard in plucked notes on the cello. Pushing boundaries suits the string quartet format.