Finish the Year with Music!
Fall for most musicians means gigs, auditions, and preparing for the holiday season.
All of those events, however, add up to just one thing- more practice!
Accordingly, here are some ways to spice up your fall practicing, and set the tone for a great season. Also, have some fun with a free spooky October duet!
Keep Your Fingers Ready for Anything!
4 Tips for Better Fall Practice
- Don’t procrastinate on those audition scales! Pick 3 or 4 to focus on each day, and give yourself time to really delve into them. Practice with different rhythms, slur patterns, and metronome speeds.
- Create a balance between what you’re working on now and what you’ll need to know over the next three months. You’ll feel much better going into December and January if you’ve been drilling those hard parts all along.
- Find your best time of day. With the days growing shorter and the daylight schedule changing, the time of day when you have the most energy and focus might change also. Therefore, be flexible, and find your best time!
- Add some holiday magic to your daily practice routine. Keep things fun with some spooky solos, or play a Thanksgiving tune. Get a jumpstart on he December festivities with some Christmas carols.
October: Free Spooky (and Compatible) Duet for Strings!
Enjoy even more spooky fun with this free October duet, Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette.
Written for two violins, two violas, or two cellos, it is also fully compatible between instruments!
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Free Play-Along Tracks Are Here on Our YouTube Channel!
Want More Spooky? Check Out This New Arrangement for String Solo on
Learn Strings!
Looking for more spooky October violin, viola or cello music?
Camille Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre is a classic eerie fave, but can also be enjoyed all year round.
Check out this intermediate-level violin and piano version, also available for viola and piano, or cello and piano.
The Intermediate 1 solo is all in 1st position for violin and viola, and 1st-4th positions for cello.
However, if you’re feeling more adventurous, also included is an Intermediate 2 version with 1st and 3rd positions for violin, 1st and 4th positions for viola, and 1st-4th positions for cello.
November: Give Thanks with Music!
Already planning your Thanksgiving menu?
Check out these duos for violin and cello, We Gather Together and Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.
Cassia and I play for services throughout the year and it is always nice to have music that fits the calendar!
Patriotic Music for Thanksgiving!
Furthermore, celebrate American history with some folk tunes and patriotic music from Fiddles on the Bandstand for two violins, two violas or two cellos.
From Take Me Out to the Ballgame to traditional song Simple Gifts to American composer Scott Joplin, there’s a tune here for everyone. Enhance your gatherings with the gift of music this season!
December: Create Your Soundtrack for the Season!
