Sandrider

About this piece

A trio for three cellos written between December 2017 and January 2018 and recorded by the composer, who multitracked all three parts; it opens his album The Ageless Gate. Over a pizzicato bass line, the second cello keeps up sweeping triplet arpeggios while the first cello slides down from high glissandi and later plays a melody against an open-string drone, before the piece settles into a slower, quiet coda. The free download includes alternative violin and viola parts for the top two lines and a shortened arrangement for unaccompanied cello (also playable on viola or violin).

Technical overview

The top part reads treble and tenor clef, with long glissandi from above the staff, held notes up to E5 and a melody in double stops over the open D string; the middle part plays slurred triplet arpeggios spanning two octaves at quarter = 120 for most of the piece, and the bottom part moves from pizzicato bass to repeated arco triple stops.

Technical focus

• Ensemble Skills
• String Crossings
• Shifting
• Double Stops
• Pizzicato
• Rhythm
• Dynamics
• Hairpin Dynamics
• Tempo Changes
• Accidentals