TUNES IN MULTIPLE KEYS is a series of 24 familiar tunes, each in several keys.
•The intention of this section is to require students to break out of the D and G major “straight-jacket” which commonly afflicts young players.
•Teachers are encouraged to precede each version of each tune with the appropriate scale.
• Violins and violas remain in first position throughout. Cellos and basses shift to no higher than fourth position.
•All shifts, positions, and extensions are clearly marked.
•All materials are designed for use by violin, viola, cello and bass in any combination from a single player to a large string orchestra.
•Music files are in pdf format which can be read by Acrobat Reader (free download) or several similar utilities.
•Tunes used are familiar, public domain melodies. Learning them should be painless and enjoyable.
•Accompaniments in midi format are provided. Tracks are furnished in the keys given on the sheets. In most cases there are three piano tracks; these are given in the order as they appear on the music sheet.
•The piano tracks provide a harmonic context and a pitch reference for the string player. Playing with the piano encourages the student to keep going in a steady tempo.
•Midi files can be opened using Quicktime or Media Player. With a dedicated midi player, tempos can be altered for practice purposes.
| MARKINGS USED | ||||||||
| 1 | numeral | = | finger used | II | Roman | = | position | |
| – | dash | = | shift | A | Capital | = | string used | |
| + | plus | = | extend (vn & va) | F | phi | = | thumb (vc & cb) | |
| x | letter x | = | extend (vc) | < | = | pivot forward (cb) | ||
| > | = | pivot backward (cb) | ||||||