Genre Guide: From Pop to Rock to Bach — What Music Can String Quartets Play?

As the music librarian, arranger, and cellist of City Six Strings, let me tell you: I’ve seen it all. I get asked almost-daily about what types of music a string quartet can play, and whether this or that song will work for a string ensemble. I’ve been sent YouTube videos of indie singers with 67 views and have been asked to transform them into a string duet; I’ve also been asked to give songs like Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” the full string quartet treatment (and it worked!). We at City Six Strings are intimately familiar with what works, and what doesn’t.

What music can a string quartet play?

The good news: string quartets can play most music. Two rules of thumb I give clients to help them determine if their song is doable:

• Is the melody “singable?”

Violins, violas, and cellos are lyrical instruments; we love a good melody. If the song you’re after doesn’t have a strong melody (or melodic fragment) that’s recognizable without the lyrics, it’s probably not a good fit.

• Does it have a beat you can conduct to?

String duets, trios, and quartets don’t have a conductor, obviously. But we do depend on a sense of rhythm in order to make a song sound recognizable. 

A lot of songs out there pass both tests! 

An excellent example: Birds of a Feather (Strong melody, strong rhythm)

An example that skirted the line (arranging this made me lose sleep): Beltway by Solange (Gorgeous vibe! Clear rhythm. Difficult melodic content to translate to non-synth, non-voice sounds)

If you’re unsure, feel free to run it by us. I love an arranging challenge, and string players are not nearly as fussy as our classical training would lead you to believe. We are game for most anything. HOWEVER:

What do string quartets not play?

I’ll cut to the chase: we avoid rap and spoken-word-heavy music. Not for lack of love for the music – there is so much good stuff out there – but because it doesn’t flatter our instruments in a live, unamplified performance context. The specialized rap violinists out there do sound amazing! But our clients hire us to sound our best without backing tracks, drum machines, amplification, and often without rehearsal onsite. We won’t risk sounding anything less than our best.

All that being said… A few seasons ago I was asked to arrange a full ceremony and cocktail hour set for string duet with only music by Drake. It sounded good in performance, and the couple loved it. So, it can be done if you have your heart set on it! Just know that most string ensembles will be wary around this genre, especially if you’re asking for something custom-arranged or transcribed.

What genres can string duets and trios play?

The smaller ensembles follow the same rules as the quartet, but on a smaller scale. With fewer voices in the group, some detail gets lost. Instead of a melody, countermelody, harmony, and bass line, you may just get the melody and bass line. Some things just don’t sound right if stripped down that far. More on the differences here.

String Quartets and Pop

Starting out with the Bridgerton of it all: yes, strings and pop go well together! You need only look as far as the viral covers from Netflix’s hit show to see how natural a fit this genre is. This mostly comes down to the strength of the melody, the use of catchy bass lines, and chord progressions that make it easy to improvise.

Pop music is an excellent choice to have a string quartet perform at your event, and 90% of our custom playlists incorporate today’s pop music.

String Quartets and Rock

Heavier rock works well, too! You’d be surprised how well some drum rhythms translate to the cello. It of course won’t sound the same as a full rock band setup, but we’ve had success playing rock music on string quartet.

String Quartets and R&B

A wonderful genre choice, but I would use caution; sometimes the lush, spicy piano harmonies used in R&B don’t translate well to a string quartet unless voiced absolutely perfectly. Sometimes, too, the free and beautiful performance of your favorite artist is difficult to capture in classical notation, which leaves the string quartet version sounding a little “off.”

Conclusion

These are just a few of our most-requested genres. Of course, lots of music doesn’t fall into a firm genre. There’s also the wide world of video game music, movie music, and musicals – all of which we love to play! I hope this helps shed light on some of the reasoning in our recommendations. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. We love music in all its forms