The cello-academy offers you comprehensive information about playing the cello on all levels.

Beginners, advanced players or even professionals can find instructions and demonstrations which enhance their actual standard of playing.

Hans “Enke” Zentgraf is the demonstrating and explaining cellist in the videos. He is known as a so called three-letter-man: a fine soloist, chamber-musician and pedagogue. Furthermore he has broad experience in orchestral playing, so that you can rely entirely on what he offers you.

Cello Online Lessons

Introduction to our Concept – Enhance your Cello Playing Skills!

Explaining the cello-academy.com and presenting elaborate examples.

You can play simple pieces with piano if your pianist is on vacation.

All lessons are videos of about 15 minutes duration. All you need is a decent connectivity to the world wide web. You take your lessons whenever you like.

AND: It is free. Completely.
For our considerable efforts, we kindly ask those who can afford it, for a voluntary donation.

Do not hesitate to ask anything concerning playing and practising cello. Your question can be interesting for others as well. All questions I will personally answer on Facebook, so that everybody will benefit in the best case.

Our Lessons

Beginners Course

Beginners I The cello, bow grip, right arm motion, playing open strings
Beginners II The left hand up to the socalled fourth position
Beginners III Both hands together, change of positions
Beginners IV Harmonics, tuning the cello, three finger positions, thumb position
Beginners VVibrato, playing loudly and softly, the “crooked” bow, combinations
Beginners VI Hans Zentgraf plays the four easy Lee-Etudes

Cello Technique

Scale I What we need to do, in order to play an even scale
Scale II How to work with a scale. The three octave scale.
Duport, Etude g-minor A lovely etude developing your right arm to highest standards
Double-StopsThe fascinating world of practising double-stops
Shifting I The basic principles of changing positions
Shifting I IOnly available on the Cello Academy website
Fingerboard IThe fingerboard is examined and a new system of positions presented
Fingerboard IIOnly available on the Cello Academy website

Play with Piano

PlayWithPiano I “Waterfall” + “Daydreaming”
PlayWithPiano II “Windscreen Wipers” + Lollipop Man”
PlayWithPiano III “Halloween” + “Weeping Willow”
PlayWithPiano IV “Mellow Cello” + “Moto Perpetuo”
PlayWithPiano V “Cossacks” + “Tarantella”
PlayWithPiano VI “Morning Stroll” + “The Joker”
PlayWithPiano VII “On Winter’s Eve” + “Thieves and Policeman”

Cello Repertoire

Cello-Repertoire I Hans Zentgraf demonstrates and analyses J.S.Bach’s Allemande for Cello solo
Cello-Repertoire II Hans Zentgraf demonstrates and analyses Reger’s Largo for cello solo on cello and piano
Cello-Repertoire III Hans Zentgraf plays and talks about the first movement of Beethoven’s A major sonata
Cello-Repertoire IV Bach, Bourrées in C
Cello-Repertoire V Bach, Bourree I+II (only available on the Cello Academy website)

Harvey Shapiro (only available here)

Shapiro 29 Masterclass Engelberg | Rachmaninoff Sonata, Boccherini Sonata, Schumann Concerto
Shapiro 30 Masterclass Engelberg | Bach Sixth Suite, Haydn Concerto in D, Tschaikowsky Rokoko, Strauss Sonata
Shapiro 28 Masterclass Engelberg | Schumann Concerto, Bach Sixth Suite