Do you go trick or treating? If you are not the type to venture out and walk the neighborhood in the pursuit of sweet things, consider staying in and put on a great scary show for your family and friends – or scare the trick or treaters who come to your door!
TEN tips to create spooky sounds. Try adding a combination of these techniques together and you have instant scary music.
1 SUL PONTICELLO — play on or close to the bridge with the bow.
2 TREMOLO — to tremble at the tip of the bow—remember to lift off your little pinkie to get it really fast and spooky!
3 HARMONICS — lightly touch your string with your left finger and glide up and down the length of the entire string using a long and slow bow—spooky ghost sounds!
4 DOOR SQUEAK — play with a slow short heavy bow right over the bridge near the string coloured coverings — it should sound like a door being opened in a haunted house!
5 WIND IN THE WOODS — try using your bow hair against the rib right side of the cello — makes a spooky windy sound.
6 HAUNTED WHISTLE — bow heavily on slowly on your endpin, it will make a high eery whistle like a kettle or the sound a dead witch.
7 CELLO BODY PERCUSSION — you can tap on any part of the body of the instrument and create scary footsteps or sudden knocks to scare your listeners.
8 LEFT HAND SLIDES — slide slowly and use a slow bow to create the feel of a sliding ghost.
9 BARTOK PIZZICATO — pizz but pull string up and slap against fingerboard instead of pulling to the side—snap pizz—scares everyone!
10 CHROMATIC SCALES — choose your speed, chosse your starting note and creep up and down a chromatic pattern. Add tip number 1 and instant spook factor.
TEN HALLOWEEN ESSENTIAL
CELLO SHEET MUSIC LIST
1 “Scaley Monsters” — Scales without tears for young cellists by Mary Cohen, published Faber Music.
2 “Witches’ Brew for cello and piano” by Caroline Lumsden — 16 Spooky Pieces to Play and Sing for beginner to prelim level published Edition Peters
3 “Wizard’s Potion” for cello and piano by Caroline Lumsden — 16 Spooky Pieces to Play and Sing for grades 1 and 2 published Edition Peters
4 Selections from Harry Potter: Instrumental Solos (Movies 1-5) – Cello and Piano Book/CD set – Alfred Music Publishing
5 “This Is Halloween Theme Tune” from The Night Before Christmas movie Tim Burton — Music by Danny Elfmann — www.musicnotes.com
6 “Thriller” by Michael Jackson — www.musicnotes.com
7 “Cello Macabre Halloween Music for Two Cellos” Frighteningly fun duets! Student solo & teacher accompaniment. Contains easy and difficult arrangements.
- In the Hall of the Mountain King
- Funeral of the Marionettes
- Funeral March
- Danse Macabre
- The Erlking
8 Hector Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” “Dream of the Witches’ Sabbath” www.musicnotes.com/free/
9 “Technitunes Ghosts Student and Teacher Cello Duet” Sheila Nelson – published Boosey & Hawkes
10 Berrlioz Hector – “Dies Irae theme from Symphonie Fantastique“, Theme from Stanley Kubricks The Shining , sheet music for Cello Trio www.8notes.com/scores/14004.asp
