Archives for posts with tag: catalog

Americana and Australian tourism hits

March 28, 2013 //

We’ve been arranging some recent Americana hits for string quartet, and their soft, sentimental feel is an excellent fit for string ensembles. First, we return to the Twilight movie series soundtrack with “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron and Wine. This song gives strings the chance to play a gentle, lilting, country-western waltz. Then, we return to Popped String favorite Jason Mraz for his song “I Won’t Give Up.” This is an excellent addition to the “I’m Yours” string quartet and string trio arrangements that have been so popular for weddings. Finally, we stay close to home with Los Angeles band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros with a string quartet arrangement of their hit “Home.” Hopefully, this will be the first in a series of arrangements featuring our local favorites.

And then, what do you call Australian Americana music? Australiana? Hmm. Well, we arranged for string quartet the song chosen for a recent Australian tourism campaign that has become a big hit on its own: “It’s Like Love” by Dewayne Everettsmith and Jasmine Beams. To translate this duet of singer/guitarist and violist to string quartet, we pass the vocal and viola melodies between the violin 1, violin 2, and viola parts. This creates a lot of movement and sound variety.

Keep your eyes on this page for more Americana/folk/country-western arrangements, and contact us with your requests.

Tags Americana, Arrangements, Australia, Australian, catalog, Cello, chamber, Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, country western, Dewayne Everettsmith, Edward Sharpe, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Flightless Bird American Mouth, folk, groom, Home, I Won't Give Up, Iron & Wine, Iron and Wine, It's Like Love, Jasmine Beams, Jason Mraz, movie, Music, pop, Pop Music, Popped String, rock, Rock Music, sheet music, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, tourism, Twilight, Viola, Violin, waltz, weddings

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New romantic quartets

March 8, 2013 //

Love isn’t always polished. Popped String got the chance to create new string quartet arrangements for two incredibly romantic songs with lyrics that point out that love and romance often involve household chores, confusion, and silliness.

When you’re thinking about wedding music, the first movie that probably comes to mind is The Wedding Singer. Adam Sandler’s simple, heartfelt, quirky song “I Wanna Grow Old with You” features just soft vocals and acoustic guitar. When we got a request to arrange the song for string quartet, we never expected to unlock soaring counter-melodies and forceful rhythm parts, but that sort of thing just happens sometimes. We’re very happy with how the arrangement turned out and are sure you’ll love it, too.

In 1999, The Magnetic Fields released a giant concept album called 69 Love Songs that covers all different views on love and relationships. The song “The Book of Love” is about romance without any frills, and it has a beautiful lo-fi sound. Peter Gabriel covered this song a few years later for the movie Shall We Dance and went with a lush string orchestra accompaniment for a completely different take on the music. Honestly, we liked both versions, so the string quartet version is inspired by both—with some unique ideas thrown into the mix.

Popped String Arrangements loves all genres of music, and we think you can express your real emotions in so many different, non-traditional ways. We’re excited to get your requests!

Tags 69 Love Songs, Adam Sandler, Arrangements, bride, Bridgerton, catalog, Cello, chamber, Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, groom, I Wanna Grow Old with You, Love, love songs, Magnetic Fields, movie, Music, Peter Gabriel, pop, Pop Music, Popped String, rock, Rock Music, romance, Shall We Dance, sheet music, String Quartet, Strings, Taylor Swift, The Book of Love, The Wedding Singer, Viola, Violin, weddings

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Fab Threes

March 8, 2013 //

The requests for Beatles songs keep coming in, and it makes perfect sense. The Beatles loved using stringed instruments in their music and dabbling in all different genres, including baroque and classical. We recently arranged three string trios of popular Fab Four hits.

First, the strings-heavy classic “Eleanor Rigby.” The original just featured vocals and a string quartet. This arrangement stays close to the original (with some new surprises) while the violin and viola pass the melody back and forth. (Don’t worry, a two-violin trio is also available if you need it.) Then, we have the George Harrison classic “Here Comes the Sun.” This light and airy classic has a lot of beautiful harmonies built into it and translates so well to strings. Finally, we have what is listed as one of the most covered songs of all time, Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday.” The original is so simple and sweet, so we thought the best way to translate the song into string trio form was to add just the right amount of new moving parts and harmonies in the accompaniment parts. Especially in the cello line, some delicate arpeggios complexity without getting in the way of the main melody.

Let us know your requests for Beatles music and other classics!

Tags Arrangements, baroque, catalog, Cello, classic rock, Classical Music, Eleanor Rigby, George Harrison, Here Comes the Sun, Music, Paul McCartney, pop, Pop Music, Popped String, rock, Rock Music, sheet music, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, The Beatles, Viola, Violin, Yesterday

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Classic Beatles and 2000s hits

February 8, 2013 //

There have been so many additions to the catalog, and we’re not slowing down anytime soon! On the string quartet side, we’ve added a pair of recent hits: the quirky, upbeat “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen and the more serious and broad “One Day Like This” by Elbow. The original songs have completely different tones, but they both work really well as string quartet arrangements. The original character is maintained while the strings bring a unique quality to each.

While we love arranging brand new music, the classic hits are always fun, too. There have been a lot of requests for Beatles songs lately, so we got the chance to create string quartet and trio arrangements for the bossa nova love song “And I Love Her.” The original song has a lot of nice open space that isn’t always the best for a string group, so we had some fun adding in new harmonies and moving parts to really fill out the sound.

Keep an eye on the News section for more Beatles music in upcoming weeks.

Tags And I Love Her, Arrangements, bride, Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen, catalog, Cello, chamber, Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, classic rock, Elbow, groom, hits, love songs, Music, offers, One Day Like This, pop, Pop Music, Rock Music, sheet music, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, The Beatles, top 40, Viola, Violin, weddings

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New trios

January 23, 2013 //

The string quartet is still the most popular combination for weddings and other events, but the string trio is gaining popularity. So similar to a quartet, yet the trio has its own unique energy. We got the chance this month to transform three of our string quartet arrangements into trio form: “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, and “Marry Me” by Train. And for each of these songs, we have a violin, viola, cello version and a 2-violin + cello version.

Contact poppedstringarrangements@gmail.com to join the mailing list to find out about new arrangements.

Tags Adele, Arrangements, bride, Bruno Mars, catalog, Cello, groom, Just the Way You Are, mailing list, Marry Me, Music, pop, Pop Music, Popped String, rearrangement, rearranging, Set Fire to the Rain, sheet music, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, Train, Viola, Violin, weddings

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New wedding favorites

December 9, 2012 //

We’ve been so busy arranging the new wedding standards that we forgot to post for a little while! Lots of new arrangements for string quartet: “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, “Marry Me” by Train, and “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles. Also, in addition to our string trio arrangement of “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, we added a string quartet version.

Plus, we worked with a singer to create arrangements for “At Last” (Etta James version) and “The Prayer” (Charlotte Church and Josh Groban version) to be sung with a string quartet accompaniment. This presented a new arranging challenge to create music that was balanced and that all the musicians could keep together without needing a conductor. It was also interesting to brainstorm and then revise based on the musical ideas of someone halfway around the world. And we’re getting pretty used to calculating those time zone differences!

Tags accompaniment, All You Need Is Love, Arrangements, arranging, At Last, bride, Bruno Mars, catalog, Cello, Charlotte Church, Etta James, groom, Josh Groban, Just the Way You Are, Marry Me, Music, pop, Pop Music, Popped String, rearranging, romantic, sheet music, singer, String Trio, Strings, The Beatles, The Prayer, Train, Viola, Violin, vocalist, weddings

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A Thousand Years and more

November 4, 2012 //

Perhaps it’s because the final Twilight movie is coming out soon and everyone’s excited, but Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” from Breaking Dawn – Part 1 has been incredibly popular lately. We’re more than happy about this, because it’s a beautiful song that works well as an instrumental. We’ve added a string quartet version and a flute, violin, cello trio version to the string trio version we arranged before.

We also continue to add to our string quartet selections, arranging “Starlight” by Muse, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “You Found Me” by The Fray, and “Like a Child Again” by The Mission UK. There’s no end to creative ideas for wedding music, and we’re excited to hear your ideas.

Tags "A Thousand Years", Arrangements, Breaking Dawn, bride, catalog, Cello, chamber, Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Christina Perri, Classical Music, flute, Like a Child Again, Muse, Music, Oasis, Pop Music, Popped String, Rock Music, sheet music, Starlight, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, The Fray, The Mission, The Mission UK, Twilight, Viola, Violin, weddings, Wonder Wall, Wonderwall, You Found Me

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September at Popped String

October 5, 2012 //

September was a busy time for Popped String. In the Southern Hemisphere, everyone’s getting ready for beautiful spring weddings. Up in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time for elegant autumn weddings. And of course, everyone has different ideas for the best, most personal music for their ceremony.

For string quartet, we arranged a pair of newer heavy metal songs that take on a baroque quality when played by strings: “Toxicity” by System of a Down” and “Vermilion Pt. 2” by Slipknot. Also, “Love Is All Around” by the Troggs and made popular again by Wet Wet Wet for the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. Also, “Love” by John Lennon, “So in Love with You” by Texas, “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice, and “If I Had $1,000,000” by Barenaked Ladies.

For string trio, we got the chance to take our version of “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure and turn it into a romantic waltz. We also arranged “Today Was a Fairytale” by Taylor Swift, “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, and the string-heavy pop classic “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve.

We also adapted some of our string trio arrangements for string quartet: “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard from the movie Once, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley, Popped String favorite “Raiders March” by John Williams from the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure (not a waltz version).

We’re still working on new requests through October, but email anytime with your requests!

Tags 000, 3/4 time, Arrangements, Barenaked Ladies, Bitterweet Symphony, Bless the Broken Road, bride, Can't Help Falling in Love, catalog, Cello, chamber, Chamber Orchestra, Damien Rice, Elvis, Elvis Presley, Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard, If I Had $1, If I Had a Million Dollars, Indiana Jones, John Lennon, Just Like Heaven, Love, Love Is All Around, offers, Once, Pink Floyd, Pop Music, Popped String, Raiders March, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rascal Flatts, Rock Music, Rolling Stones, sheet music, Slipknot, So in Love with You, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, System of a Down, Taylor Swift, Texas, The Blower's Daughter, The Cure, The Troggs, The Verve, Today Was a Fairytale, Toxicity, Vermilion Pt. 2, Viola, Violin, waltz, weddings, Wet Wet Wet Four Weddings and a Funeral

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New arrangements

July 29, 2012 //

We’ve been really busy at Popped String during wedding season, and the catalog is growing. In celebration of Gary Numan’s upcoming move to our city, Los Angeles, we arranged “Cars” for string trio.

We’ve added string trio versions of songs previously arranged for string quartet: “I’m Yours” (Jason Mraz), “In My Life” (The Beatles), and “Beautiful Day” (U2).

In addition, we’ve also arranged for string trio “A Thousand Years” (Christina Perri), “Just Like Heaven” (The Cure), “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (Elvis Presley), and “Raiders March” from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. If you’d like to join the mailing list for updates on new arrangements, send an email to poppedstringarrangements@gmail.com.

Tags "A Thousand Years", 1980s, Arrangements, Beautiful Day, Breaking Dawn, Can't Help Falling in Love, Cars, catalog, Cello, Christina Perri, Elvis, Elvis Presley, film, Gary Numan, I'm Yours, In My Life, Indiana Jones, Jason Mraz, John Williams, Just Like Heaven, movie, Music, new wave, pop, Popped String, Raiders March, Raiders of the Lost Ark, rock, score, sheet music, String Quartet, String Trio, Strings, The Beatles, The Cure, Twilight, U2, Viola, Violin, wedding, weddings

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New features

June 10, 2012 //

Everything’s rolling now, and we’re adding new music to our catalog and new features to our service. Now, when you order sheet music, we will send you sound files of the score and all of the individual parts–for those times when a particular rhythm escapes you or you can’t seem to get a hold of the tempo. And check out our pricing page for specials. Right now, when you order a new arrangement, you will get a free piece from the catalog thrown in.

Tags Arrangements, catalog, midi, mp3, Music, offers, Pop Music, Popped String, prices, pricing, Rock Music, sheet music, specials, String Quartet, Strings

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