A cello is a large wooden string instrument that makes rich, warm sounds somewhere between a violin and a double bass. You play it sitting down, holding the cello upright between your knees while drawing a bow across its four strings or plucking them with your fingers.

The cello looks like an enormous violin, about as tall as a seven-year-old child. Its deep, singing voice can sound sorrowful and mysterious, or bright and playful. In an orchestra, the cello section often carries the melody or provides a foundation that holds everything together. When you hear movie soundtracks that tug at your emotions, there’s often a cello helping create those feelings.

Famous pieces like Bach’s Cello Suites showcase what the instrument can do, from thundering low notes that rumble in your chest to high, almost singing melodies. The cellist Yo-Yo Ma has spent his career showing people around the world just how expressive and versatile the cello can be.