Grade 8 Music Theory, Unit 3, Lesson 3 of 5
Brainlag Music

Writing for string quartet

Music theory, Keyboard and string textures, 12 minutes

Have Brainlag Music? Sign in

The four instruments, their clefs and ranges, and what they can do that voices cannot.

Four instruments

The cello far below: chord I of C major

A string quartet is two violins, a viola and a cello. The viola reads the alto clef; the cello the bass clef. Parts may cross, double stops add notes, and the cello can go far below a bass voice.

The rest of this lesson and its 4 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.

Screen 1 of 2, free to read.

  • 4 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
  • Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards