Improvisational, Intermediate Cellists, No Sheet Music
First published on May 17, 2024 by Seb
Last updated on Aug 2, 2024 by Seb
The national anthem of the US, The Star-Spangled Banner, has to be the most rearranged tune in the United States. Not one game opens without someone singing their version of the tune, a band performing it, or some musicians playing it. Almost all of these are performed with personal improvisations.
Of all of the instrumental renditions of the anthem, unfortunately very few are with a self-accompanied cello. Being of improvisational nature, none of these are written down in sheet music. As a rule, this project features only work where sheet music is available. But rules are defined by exceptions. This is an exception. Perhaps write your own versions, inspired by what you see here.
Here is how Iain Forrest rendered the anthem self-accompanied, at Madison Square Garden at a Knicks vs Hornets game.
We suggest that you download various arrangements of The Star-Spangled Banner from this IMSL page, and use them to inspire your own improvisations. You can start off with a close template from MuseScore, and transform it into what you want.
Now, here is Ben Hong’s version at an NBA Finals, with a very different style and interpretation, but not unexpectedly so. Artists have long been internalizing this tune to whichever musical style they feel like performing at the moment.
Ellis Cho performed yet another interpretation of the anthem at an award ceremony.
Here is a basketball player Myles Yeazell playing the anthem at the start of his own game.
Then there is Jeremy Tai who must make it all doublestops, simply because he is able to render it beautifully, despite such hardship.
Then there is the Taiwanese-American cellist Kenneth Kuo playing his version of the anthem at Citi Field in Queens.