Intro to String Quartet

Wow I had a dumb moment. I put this in Chamber music. I'm such a noob...

Anyway, here's the intro to a string quartet I'm working on. Please let me know what you think.

String Quartet.mid

String Quartet.pdf

Do you know how to write for solo strings? If not, I strongly suggest you invest in an orchestration textbook. The cello cannot play triadic chords like that. It is impossible. It is not like a piano.

The parallel 4ths in the violins and 5ths in the cello make it sound like a bad case of organum.

JT is right about the chords...it is almost always difficult or impossible to play chords like that.

This is an ok beginning, but you should try looking at more string quartets (I suggest the Ravel String Quartet in F major, which is on IMSLP) to learn how to write idiomatically for string quartet. The style is generally much more conversation, whereas this is just like "Put the same rhythms in the violins, fill things in with the viola, and write harmony in the cello" - which really isn't a good strategy if you want to keep things insteresting! :P

You should also continue trying to learn harmony. Much of the harmony in here sounded rather cliche. Don't be afraid to experiment! Really! Try to eliminate those parallel fifths and octaves if you want to make it sound less thin harmonically and contrapuntally, too. Also, there are some awkward moments in the harmony, like measure 3 beat 2.

Good beginning, just try to be more adventurous and keep studying!

Thank you for your feedback.

I'm fairly new to the world of composing (which may be obvious), so I don't know a lot of the "tricks of the trade" so to speak. Many of the pieces I've written are basic and very structured, so that's part of the ""Put the same rhythms in the violins, fill things in with the viola, and write harmony in the cello"" as Qmwne235 put it. I should try to start breaking away from this habit. I also write basic harmony, you have a point.

So what did you mean about the akward harmony in measure 3 beat 2?

Aside from what JT and Qm wrote - which I fully agree with - its also best to remember the roles of each instrument in the quartet. mm 8 - to the end, you have the second violinist above the 1st throughout. It is commonly seen for the 2nd to go above the 1st violin - but seldom for long periods of time. Generally, voice crossings like this are more commonly seen between 2nd violin and viola OR viola and violoncello. 1st - soprano; 2nd - alto/tenor; viola - tenor; cello - bass is a good way to remember the designations commonly seen in string quartet writing. Also in bar 11, you have the violist play at the beginning a low B natural which is out of the range of the instrument.

I think I need to pay more attention to detail. I didn't notice this, though I know that the 1st parts play above the 2nds. Thank you for pointing this out.