LudwigMasters Developing Strings

On the inspiration for Midnight (A Slow Mambo), Steven Rosenhaus, the composer writes: "Growing up in New York City, as with any major city, presents a wide variety of opportunities to experience aspe...

Don't get your fingers tangled in the chromatic fingerings! Alternating arco and pizzicato makes things even more interesting (plus some hooked bowings for the fun of it). Everyone gets the melody, wi...

Edmund J. Siennicki is a master of composition and arranging for young musicians. This arrangement is intended to present AMAZING GRACE to a second-year string orchestra in a stately, melodic way with...

Edmund J. Siennicki is a master of composition and arranging for young musicians. This arrangement is intended to present AMAZING GRACE to a second-year string orchestra in a stately, melodic way with...

This popular folk/fiddle tune, set in D Major, is a productive exercise in syncopation and maintaining a steady tempo. All sections have a shot at the familiar tune and Atwell's signature twists of ha...

This traditional fiddle tune, with its introduction, reinforces the D minor and D major tetrachords in the left hand, as well as half and whole step patterns, extended fingerings, and curvature of the...

This traditional fiddle tune, with its introduction, reinforces the D minor and D major tetrachords in the left hand, as well as half and whole step patterns, extended fingerings, and curvature of the...

All the melodic lines are written in the Dorian mode (D minor, played most of the time on the white keys of the piano) and except for the modern snare drum, the percussion evokes the character of the...

All the melodic lines are written in the Dorian mode (D minor, played most of the time on the white keys of the piano) and except for the modern snare drum, the percussion evokes the character of the...

Mr. Nelhybel said: 'The teaching element of this piece lies in the independence of all melodic lines, for it is this device that makes all instruments equally important.' The modal tonality gives the...

Allegro for Strings is an arrangement of the first movement of Handel's Sonata Op. 1, No. 3, for violin and keyboard, originally in A Major. The contrapuntal nature of this movement seemed to lend its...

Mr. Nelhybel said: 'The teaching element of this piece lies in the independence of all melodic lines, for it is this device that makes all instruments equally important.' The modal tonality gives the...

Spirited Dance exemplifies the spirited exuberance of the youthful musicians for which it was composed. Using the Lydian mode in several transpositions, the work contrasts shifting meters and syncopat...

Spirited Dance exemplifies the spirited exuberance of the youthful musicians for which it was composed. Using the Lydian mode in several transpositions, the work contrasts shifting meters and syncopat...

Contrapunctus I is taken from The Art of the Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a masterful study in the construction of the Baroque fugue and shows Bach at his chromatic best. Artfully adapted for...

Everyone gets to share the fun in this bit of musical "trick or treating" from Jared Spears. Artfully crafted, cleverly melodic, and expertly constructed rhythmically, this whimsical original features...

Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major (Pastorale) broke traditions of the symphonic form. Albert Wang has crafted this accessible arrangement for strings by breaking a few traditions as well. The orig...

Try this sneaky way to teach chromatic fingerings and half position. The syncopated theme makes appearances in all sections, both in pizzicato and arco. Your middle school orchestra will love this ped...

An absolute classic for strings, this version is in C major to avoid forward extensions for viola and violoncello. There is nothing out of first position except for a simple shift for violoncello and...

The guitar music of Gaspar Sanz retains its popularity to this day. This particular excerpt crackles with rhythmic vitality and a fascinating use of hemiola.

Presented here in the original key of B flat, the waltz has the melody divided among violoncello, viola, and violin 2. For the dramatic ending, violin 1 ventures stepwise into third position for the f...

A Sertaneja: "To Her, from the Hinterlands," originally composed for voice and piano, musically paints a picture of Chiquinha's love of the hinterland - the land behind the body of water - Rio de Jane...

Puppet theater has a long and varied history, from ancient China to Sesame Street. Musically, Puppet Theater is an entertaining tribute to the skilled artists who made stories come to life for childre...

Through colorful harmonies, beautiful full-bow sound, and creative fingerings, students will dream about their upcoming Summer Daze. The intricate harmonies crafted by Thom Sharp will invite students...

The Lost City will inspire your students to create a musical story about ancient and forgotten civilizations. The Lost City is proud and grand, with sweeping landscapes and a strong sense of an older...