String Riffs

String Riffs "Coastal Breezes" inspired by a wind chime and thoughts of sitting on the beach at Coronado Island. Coastal Breezes wafts from ponticello pianissimo to gusty forte. Off-beat entrances and dynamics converge and diverge with pizzicato and plenty of eighth rests in refreshing 6/8 time. Light and airy at a Level 2.5.

Find the pulse of “rest-two-three-four” counting with the adventures of a prancing fox, a fleeing rabbit, busy crickets, and a smiling turtle sauntering through elementary quarter- and eighth-note rhythms, punctuated by a couple of dramatic fermatas. This versatile multi-level jaunt offers players a choice from three parts for each instrument: tune, challenge, or open strings.

String Riffs Holiday Volume brings together music celebrating Christmas, Veterans Day, Halloween, Chanukah and other occasions to easily create the ideal concert program. “Goblins Galore” uses spooky harmonics and spine-chilling glissandos; add more advanced musicians with “Giggling Goblins.” Another mixed-level pairing combines “Jalapeño Poppers” with “Spicy Tacos!” (from String Riffs Volume Three [Link to String Riffs Volume Three]). Other holiday pieces include “Jukebox Jingle,” “Save

String Riffs Celebration Performance Set 4 offers concert repertoire with two substantial pieces plus an excellent multi-movement suite. Explore “Twitchy Latte,” “’Twas the Cat,” and the four sparkling movements of  Orchestrocity: I. “Violarific,” II. “Celloha,” III. BASS-ic-al-ly,” and IV. “Violinstinct.” Levels 1.5 – 3 for string orchestra. Twitchy Latte Pep up your day with syncopation, controlled glissandos and jittery tremolos. Take a sip and dance the java jive using soli phrases passed

This bouncy rainy-day outing begins with an eager kid slamming the door and dashing down the steps to a mud puddle. Slippery glissandos pass the melody between violins, violas and cellos, with slap bass effects filling in for satisfyingly sloshy foot-stomps. Plenty of eighth- and sixteenth-note fiddle-inflected rhythms balance off-beat pizzicato and syncopated rests until the final notes skip reluctantly up the steps and back through the door. Level 2.5 for string orchestra

Written in E minor, “Silently Beside You” uses rhythms influenced by Jimi Hendrix and features 16th notes, accents, hooked bows, shifting to 4th position in cello, shifting in bass, three- to five-part writing, slurs, and rapping on instruments for percussive effects. Level 2.5 for string orchestra. Duration: 3:00.

After a long day on the trail, Sundown Saddle Time brings the horses home with pizzicato, slap bass, and tied notes tugging on the reins. Violas, cellos, and basses take turns swinging back to the stables with off-beat eighth rests and kicking up their heels with energetic fiddle-flavored 16th- note patterns before easing into a sweet rendition of the traditional Welsh tune, “The Ash Grove.” Dotted quarter notes and cross-rhythms between instruments end with a brief foray into fifth position for

Yippee-ki-yay! Pull on your cowboy boots and ride the range from open strings to 3rd position with slurs, glissandi, accents and counting in brisk G major. Level 3 for string orchestra. Duration: 2:30.

A mischievous orchestra elf scampers around the ensemble, moving between D major and D minor with 6/8 time, shifting, slurs and hooked bows, giving each instrument a chance to enjoy the melody. Level 3 for string orchestra. Duration 2:10.

Includes score and parts for unison violin, viola, cello and double bass. May be used for individual instruments or for string orchestra. Each 1 Octave Minor Scale Sheet covers Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Minor and each Scale Sheet covers different techniques and styles. These may be used as adaptable worksheets-change dynamics, styles, techniques, etc. Due to copyright law you may not print or distribute copies of your digital conductor/piano score purchase; your uPRINT download grants p

pronunciation: myoosh marsch Burly mice in warm fur hats stomp with deliberate steps through the Mysh Marsh (Russian Mouse March). Violas and cellos move between divisi, pizzicato and arco in the key of D minor with plenty of dynamic contrast. Upper and lower strings pass the melody back and forth, keeping those serious rodents moving along with counter-rhythms and dramatic crescendos.

Who’s On Bass? Duration: 2:45 Level 2.5 Dive into the depths of those satisfying low notes to discover Who’s On Bass? Flexible and versatile, this richly layered treat is designed as a bass section solo, with an optional easier second bass part, and an optional second cello part which doubles the bass solo. Lucky basses carry a strong melody, trading pizzicato with the upper strings and zig- zagging through double-stops and accents. Frothy 16th notes from the violins balance off- beat rhythm

Cellonator came into my life when I met “The Cellonator,” Courtney Yeates, a rock cellist with an active schedule. She said I could use her title if the piece was difficult, rockish, and fun to play. Challenge your lead cellist with a flashy melody, including solos for Violin I and Viola. Cellonator is in E minor with shifting, glissandi, sixteenths, chromatics, and creative bowing. If you need a “Cellonator” magnet or sticker for your soloist, check out StringRiffs.com merchandise. Duration: 2

Pupusas are Hand Pies – simple bread pockets filled with beans, meats, or cheese. Pupusas Especiales [Special Hand Pies] celebrates El Salvadoran and Honduran culture through a joyful dance in G major with syncopation and accents with the option of adding a Guitarrón and Claves to enhance the festive dance feel. A fun harmonic sequence from Caleb Zak, a student from Mount Vernon HS in Ohio, occurs towards the end of Pupusas Especiales. Thank you to my students’ creative minds. Duration: 2:00 Lev

Jazzy Menagerie is a “jazzy” mash-up of favorite beginning tunes: Mary Had a Little Lamb; a little Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Long, Long Ago in the Basses; Hot Cross Buns; and, Go Tell It on the Mountain.  “Jazzed” up melodies are interwoven, you could almost call the piece Mary and her Lambs saw a Star on a Mountain while eating Hot Cross Buns Long, Long Ago.   Jazzy Menagerie is in D Major with slurs, ties, dotted notes, pickups, syncopation, a little body percussion, maybe a small shift

Explore the dynamic spectrum with Giggles McSipwich: Sound Specialist by experimenting with location, arm weight, and bow speed. The syncopation in the piece is from Giggles’s name and title. Flex-Pack Parts – A • tune, B • challenge, and C • open strings – can be distributed, depending on the levels of your students. A piano part is included. Giggles McSipwich: Sound Specialist is in D Major with syncopation, tremolo, counting, optional independent parts, and dynamics. 2:00 length, -5-1.5 Level

String Riffs Volume One Flex-Pack offers you 3 multi-level parts.  Part A-Tune, Part B-Challenge, and Part C-Open strings or basic notes.  A few pieces even have Part-D Solo for your go-getters or for you to accompany your students.  I suggest starting from the open strings and building up to your challenge players.   The Finale MP3 for Volume One Flex-Pack singles uses the same piano part from our Original Volume One, but now has A, B, C, and D parts represented as violinists. *Download "View P

Commissioned by Mesa Public Schools in Arizona for 6th-grade feeder concerts, “Mingo” features sonorous three-part writing within the D-major scale. Level 1 for string orchestra. Duration: 1:50.

Prickly Pair Pizzicato - Flex Duo - Filled with counter-rhythms and folksy accidentals, this cheery, versatile tune uses a flexible duo format. Prickly Pair is suited to any combination of string instruments, or can be performed as a two-part orchestral piece. Percussive stomps mixed with pizzicato, arco and optional instrument spins (fun for dexterous cellists and bassists) keep players bouncing.

String Riffs One Octave Major Scale Studies thru 4 Sharps and 4 Flats Plus C for Strings is a Series of 9 - One Octave Scale Studies useful to orchestras (vln, vla, clo, bss), individuals or studios. Introduce Major Scales thru 4 Sharps and 4 Flats Plus C, Sight Read, or use One Octave Major Scale Studies thru 4 Sharps and 4 Flats Plus C for Strings as your daily warm-ups. Each String Riffs One Octave Scale Study explores rhythm, style, bowing, and the basic scale. Each scale is different to