Wingert-Jones Publications Take a Breath - Skevington - String Orchestra - Gr. 0.5

Composer: Alexandra Skevington
Format: Score and Parts
Instrumentation: String Orchestra
Grade: 0.5

"Take a Breath" aims to help players focus on playing the silence of a rest as much as the sounding notes, while keeping time as a group. An excellent teaching piece with a reassuring secret message for time-pressured listeners.

Program Notes
Part of the art of playing together as a group is keeping time. That can be particularly tricky during rests. "Take a Breath" aims to help players focus on playing the silence of a rest as much as the sounding notes. Initially, it might be helpful to take a small breath through the nose during a rest to consciously register its existence. This has the added benefit of ensuring players arent holding their breath and experiencing tension in their playing as they grapple with learning new music.

In performance, "Take a Breath" becomes a message just as much for a time-pressured audience as for a nervous String Orchestra, as the pacing steps of an upward/downward phrase give way to more relaxed melodies with a big sigh of relief on the last note!

"Take a Breath" is a Grade 0.5 piece. It is in 4/4 and in E minor, using only an F# as an accidental. All other notes used are open strings or D, E, F#, G, A, B in beginner positions. It uses natural bowings only and also features some Pizzicato for each part