Cello Explorer (3D)
About this app
A cello standing on its endpin, bowed by you, with sound computed in real time. Its body resonances sit inside the playing range: on one note the tone stutters, the wolf tone. More bow force or the wolf eliminator tames it. Plays the prelude from Bach’s Suite No. 1 with every bow stroke. Cross-section with high ribs, sound post and bass bar.
With explain mode: an AI tutor walks you through the app, points out what matters in the scene and answers your questions.
Why a cello is not a large violin
A cello body is about twice as long as a violin body, but the ribs are almost four times as high. A violin scaled to scale would be far longer for the tuning C, G, D, A and hardly playable. The large air volume keeps the air resonance low, near 100 Hz. Because the instrument is too large to hold, it stands on an endpin.
What the app shows
A cello with bow in 3D whose sound is computed in real time from a physical model, with no recordings. The wolf tone arises in the model by itself: on F and F sharp on the G string, string and body resonance meet and the tone stutters. A playing map shows where bow force and contact point give a clean tone. When cut open you look into the body from above.
Things to try
Drag across the strings with your mouse and guide the bow yourself. Play the heavy C string and feel how much force it needs. Press “Hear the wolf tone”, then raise the bow force or switch on the wolf eliminator and hear the tone settle.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a wolf tone on a cello?
- A note that stutters or howls instead of sounding steadily. It appears when the note hits a strong body resonance, so string and body trade energy. On a cello it often lies around E to F sharp on the G string.
- What does a wolf eliminator do?
- It is a small mass, usually a brass sleeve, on the string segment behind the bridge. It draws energy from the resonance so the note settles. More bow force helps too. In the app the eliminator is simplified as weaker coupling at the bridge.
- Why does a cello have an endpin?
- A cello is too large to hold. The extendable endpin stands it on the floor and sets its height in front of the body. It became common only in the 19th century; before that the instrument was held between the calves.
- What can I try in the Cello Explorer?
- You bow with the mouse, choose string and position, let it play Bach’s prelude, gigue or minuet, change bow force, speed and contact point, switch vibrato, body and wolf eliminator, and look into the cut-open body with sound post and bass bar.
Subject: Music (Gymnasium)
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