Martini Strings

My goodness, how did it get to 2022? I think we've all spent the last 2 years in survival mode, but now it's time to get out & thrive with some fresh new music!

Our newest release offers some spark for older or more advanced groups. "Dark Sea Dances" was inspired by a fun activity in a composer's Facebook group - three lists of words, you pick one word from each list & it gives you the name of a piece! I found "Dark Sea Dances" & thought that was too good to pass up, although I did sit on it for a few years before finding the right sounds.

At about a Grade 3.5 level, you'll find two dances. First is the "Waltz of the Waves" in A minor, which is a rolling waltz felt in 1 in a bar, giving the sense of moving through the waves at great speed on the way to your destination. Second is "Homeward Bound", a jig-style dance which you could imagine happening on the deck of the ship after the cargo has been delivered. Challenging rhythms & engaging harmonies put this in a different league to your ordinary sailor's jig!

Click Listen to hear a sample of these exciting new pieces, bundled together for your convenience. Happy dancing!

We are very proud to make available the latest offerings in the Martini Strings catalogue of string orchestral pieces. This year adds another 3 works to the list, all very well received at the AUSTA Qld Reading Day on Sunday 10th Feb, and all specially crafted to help your string orchestra develop their skills...as well as sound wonderful!

First there is the "Chorale in A". A simple yet beautiful Chorale, the notes are playable by a Grade 2 level orchestra but for a more mature performance it would be better handled by a Grade 3 level ensemble.

Second is "Contemplation", a dream-like piece in 6/8 time is definitely suited to Grade 3 level ensembles. A lilting motif is passed around the upper strings, and the end is not fully resolved as the contemplation continues.

Finally we have "Sparkling Lights", a piece inspired as Alison was driving past a Brisbane university on the way home from a concert one night and saw the fairy lights in the trees. As they passed behind other branches they appeared to sparkle, which gave rise to this entire piece that night. Students can enjoy using harmonics, pizzicato, and the viola section gets to announce the main theme at the start. What's not to love!

We hope you will enjoy these pieces and find them useful for your string groups. To purchase, head over to the Store now.

Welcome to 2018! Each new year bring new possibilities, and one of those possibilities is that your students might *love* orchestra this year. Fresh, new music is a great way to keep the buzz alive in your group.

We are releasing 2 titles this year, "Tango" at Grade 2.5 level, and "Sixteen Snippets" at a Grade 0.5 level. Tango is a traditional tango containing all the rhythms & modulations you'd expect, which means there are the challenges of B flats & F naturals over a steady and predictable Tango rhythm. Apart from the B flats, the notes are not very difficult which makes this piece at first seem too easy for Grade 2.5, but don't be fooled.

Sixteen Snippets is a collection of tiny performances pieces for students in their first year of playing. Beginning with plucked open strings (which can also be played arco), the pieces gradually become more difficult so that, by the end of the collection, the students are playing a true, full string orchestra piece. A variety of styles and harmonic idioms make this collection interesting and appealing.

Both pieces are available in the store now, along with the rest of the catalogue. Backing track CDs for Sixteen Snippets are on their way.

Happy playing!

It's a new year, and that always means at least one good thing - new music! And we have some fantastic new titles available for you from today.

"Tarantella", a frenzied dance in 6/8 time, suits an emerging intermediate level string orchestra. It requires high 3rd fingers from the violins & violas and extended 4th fingers from the cellos for quite a bit of the piece, so a good one to get students' hands opening up and consolidating those shapes.

"Introduction & Theme from Witches' Dance" is an arrangement of the first two sections of Paganini's famous piece. Also suited to an emerging intermediate level string orchestra, this piece focuses particularly on hooked bowing, but the many tempo changes in the Introduction allow the ensemble practice at watching the conductor closely and staying together.

"A Daring Escape" requires a solid intermediate level string orchestra. Spiccato bowing and harmonic minor scale patterns are used throughout the work, giving students the opportunity to consolidate these techniques. Frequent changes of time signature keep everyone on the hop!

All titles are available in-store now - get yourself a head-start and some great music for 2017!

Happy playing!

**SPECIAL!**LIMITED RELEASE!**

We have 10 copies of "Dance!" going out for only $40 in the store at the moment. That's less than half the normal price! Be quick to grab a copy before they disappear, and tell your string-teaching friends too!

This lively, jumping piece is sure to get even the quietest student smiling! Using the keys of D & G major, "Dance!" is best suited to students who have been playing for 1-2 years. The key technique is the up-up bowing, prevalent through the whole piece; otherwise most of the parts are quite easy. Violas & celli should look out near the end for their C#’s! 

There's never a dull moment here at Martini Strings, we've always got something on the boil...