Flashback: remembering David Finckel’s ‘Cello Talks’

Discover more Featured Stories like this in The Strad Playing Hub 

For anyone who endured the Covid-19 pandemic from the beginning of 2020, we can all remember the rush to communicate digitally and remotely as we faced numerous months isolated from our friends, families and colleagues. For music teachers (or indeed, anyone), Zoom or Skype lessons became the norm, while video tutorials became the new way to supplement learning via bite-sized digital tutorials.

Many years before the pandemic however, and indeed before the days of reliable phone cameras, cellist David Finckel was recording and collating his archive of ‘Cello Talks’ - small, easy-to-digest cello video tutorials, with each one dedicated to a particular facet of cello technique and performance.

Finckel began filming his Cello Talks on the road while he was still a member of the Emerson Quartet, for which he served 34 seasons until his departure in 2012. With so many individuals and institutions depending on the Emersons for leadership and knowledge, Finckel began to ponder how to best collect his knowledge - ’What happens if we were hit by a bus?’ 

’It also occurred to me that the proverbial bus, in my case, would wipe out literally ever scrap of knowledge I had been assiduously collecting since I first started playing at age ten,’ said Finckel. ’Since joining the Emerson Quartet in 1979, there had never been time for teaching, and I’ve had only a handful of students – most of them part time – for most of my adult life. So, in person, I hadn’t really left much of anything to anyone. ’

He then got the idea to record and post small lessons, inspired by Kurt Sassmannshaus’ Violin MasterClass series, which were beautifully taught and elegantly filmed. Upon researching how to replicate such production value, he realised the cost would increase dramatically, so acting within his budget (and luggage allowance), he purchased a small pink digital camera from Target for $175. 

Finckel began filming and posting these talks in the spring of 2009, reaching 100 in Corpus Christi, TX, on 30 April 2011, when he decided that was enough. The entire 100-video back catalogue is available on Finckel’s website cellotalks.com, listed chronologically and grouped by subject matter.

’I get a lot of enthusiastic comments for No. 19, “Du bist die Ruh” which is a vibrato analysis; for No. 59 “Start Your Day up High” which is an innovative practice strategy; for No. 3 “Setting Up Your Cello” which are practical suggestions,’ says Finckel. Many of the videos are illustrative of his life as a chamber musician on the road.’No. 85 “Cufflink Vibrato” filmed in an airplane somewhere over India; and No. 74 “David vs. the Atlanta Airport” which is a sound production contest between me and jets about to take off.’

Now almost 14 years after he finished his last video - with a global pandemic in between - Finckel says he is glad the archive is useful, noting that he hardly goes anywhere where someone doesn’t say they watched them.

’A local bass player in Dubrovnik called my name as I passed by. Now, that was a surprise – and a delight.’ he says.

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.