Off the Page
Nine improvisations for string players and other adventurous people
Music: Elizabeth Alexander
Nine engaging improvisations for adventurous musicians of all ages and abilities, along with recordings for listening, practice, and performance. Drawing on blues, swing, funk, Latin, and folk styles, this scale-based approach to improvisation uses major, minor, blues, Japanese, and Eastern European scales. Originally written for string players, this collection is now available in woodwind and brass keys.
Off the Page was developed by composer Elizabeth Alexander along with cellist Sera Smolen, a teacher, improvisation coach and Suzuki clinician who has brought these pieces to group classes, and music festivals across North America.
Each song includes:
* Musical score/chart
* Practice strategies
* Improvising scales
* Listening Track (Full band)
* Practice Track (Rhythm section only)
Songs:
1. Wiggy Dog Boy Blues
2. Crackerjack
3. Vermicelli
4. Play/Ground
5. Train of Thought
6. Felicia
7. Inner Hallways
8. Maybe this is all a dream…
9. A Riff in the Family
“Off The Page bridges the gap between the improvising and non-improvising worlds in a highly musical and intuitive way… [These books] make improvising an enjoyable experience for even the most beginning string player… I have to emphasize my appreciation for the accompanying audio. It is top-notch… The pedagogy is clear, thoughtful, innovative… Appropriate for students with or without a teacher.” Danny Zieman, Review in Bass World (International Society of Bassists)
Details and Ordering Information
Performers
Off the Page has been featured and workshopped at clinics worldwide, including:
Binghamton Cello Festival (Binghamton, NY)
Ithaca College Suzuki Institute (Ithaca, NY)
New Directions Cello Festival (Storres, CT)
New England Suzuki Institute (Lewiston, ME)
Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute (Waterloo, Ontario CANADA)
