# I wrote a string quartet! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 5, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831 "2017-04-05T17:57:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/1 "2017-04-05T17:57:18Z")
I actually wrote it about 12 years ago (on a 6-month submarine deployment, of all places), but just came across the file again. The best I could manage at the time for sound quality was cheesy .midi sound. You can download it here: [www.midishrine.com/midi/56807.mid](http://www.midishrine.com/midi/56807.mid) I just uploaded it and it seems safe and ad-free. Let me know if you have any problems with it. I think it holds up as a cheesy but cute little song! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/2 "2017-04-05T18:13:26Z")
Fun! Listening on whatever packaged MIDI sound-set comes with Windows, it’s got a fun video game music quality to it. Add more dramatic percussion and it could be boss music for an old Final Fantasy or something. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/3 "2017-04-05T18:14:26Z")
Oooh, I like the ending quite a bit; not what I expected. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/4 "2017-04-05T18:14:57Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Fun! > > Listening on whatever packaged MIDI sound-set comes with Windows, it’s got a fun video game music quality to it. Add more dramatic percussion and it could be boss music for an old Final Fantasy or something. Thanks! I don’t even know what program I wrote it on… whatever I could acquire for free (probably on Napster or the equivalent) in 2005. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/5 "2017-04-05T18:17:26Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Oooh, I like the ending quite a bit; not what I expected. 🙂 😉 I’m remembering that I included a timpani, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/6 "2017-04-05T19:48:52Z")
Awesome–I love it! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/7 "2017-04-05T20:00:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Awesome–I love it! Wow, I’m so glad! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/8 "2017-04-05T22:36:07Z")
That’s a fun, enjoyable piece. I encourage you to change out the default midi strings for more natural-sounding voices. Are you anywhere near a college with a decent music performance program? If you are, try putting out a call for students to play your composition on real instruments. Very likely you can find people who will do it free or dirt cheap to fulfill mandatory performance requirements. You’ll find that live, trained performers can find things in this piece that you haven’t noticed yet. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/9 "2017-04-05T23:24:28Z")
You’ve inspired me to finish a cello-and-piano piece I started years ago…thank you! (and to cwthree - great idea!) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/10 "2017-04-05T23:25:09Z")
> [@cwthree](#): > > That’s a fun, enjoyable piece. I encourage you to change out the default midi strings for more natural-sounding voices. > > Are you anywhere near a college with a decent music performance program? If you are, try putting out a call for students to play your composition on real instruments. Very likely you can find people who will do it free or dirt cheap to fulfill mandatory performance requirements. You’ll find that live, trained performers can find things in this piece that you haven’t noticed yet. Thanks! I’m in the DC area, so I’m sure one of the schools around here has a good program. Unfortunately, I don’t have the sheet music any more, and I don’t know if I could recreate it without a lot of work (and some new software), unless there’s a way to get sheet music from a .midi file. But I’ll consider this! ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/11 "2017-04-06T00:38:08Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Unfortunately, I don’t have the sheet music any more, and I don’t know if I could recreate it without a lot of work (and some new software), unless there’s a way to get sheet music from a .midi file. But I’ll consider this! It looks like there are several software packages (some free!) that will do this. Google “midi to sheet music”. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/12 "2017-04-06T01:53:40Z")
You’ve inspired me to learn to play the harpsichord. Seriously, that’s very good. Great theme music for a light English detective drama. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/13 "2017-04-06T12:23:32Z")
> [@cwthree](#): > > It looks like there are several software packages (some free!) that will do this. Google “midi to sheet music”. Thanks! I’ll look for this. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > You’ve inspired me to learn to play the harpsichord. > > Seriously, that’s very good. Great theme music for a light English detective drama. Thanks for the kind words! ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/14 "2017-04-06T16:04:27Z")
I’ve converted midi files using Sibelius. Thing is, the notation comes out very difficult to read. The rhythms can be pretty badly written. You’ll have to do some editing. The pitches should be fine. I was thinking of taking it to my students. I teach high school music classes part time. I can have the string orchestra play it if you get it straightened out. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/15 "2017-04-06T16:05:43Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > I’ve converted midi files using Sibelius. Thing is, the notation comes out very difficult to read. The rhythms can be pretty badly written. You’ll have to do some editing. The pitches should be fine. Thanks, I’ll keep this in mind. > [@](#): > > I was thinking of taking it to my students. I teach high school music classes part time. I can have the string orchestra play it. Wow, that’d be very cool. If you do, please record and upload it! ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/16 "2017-04-07T00:34:57Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > You’ve inspired me to learn to play the harpsichord. > > Seriously, that’s very good. Great theme music for a light English detective drama. That’s exactly what I thought while listening to it! “On tonight’s episode of _Dead Bodies in English Country Manor Houses_…” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/17 "2017-04-07T00:40:18Z")
Thoroughly enjoyed it. I agree that it sounds like Final Fantasy boss music. (Which is a good thing!) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/18 "2017-04-07T00:44:46Z")
Thanks so much for all the kind words! I hadn’t listened to this in years… It was nice to come across the old midi file. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/19 "2017-04-07T13:35:01Z")
I liked it, especially when the percussion came in and it picked up intensity after the midway point. Due to the synthesized sound, I kept picturing 8-bit adventure game characters battling monsters. 🙂 I’d really like to hear this performed by a real string quartet. (Plus drum? What would that make it?) If you follow through on **cwthree** ’s advice, please be sure to put up a recording for us to check out. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831/20 "2017-04-07T13:47:03Z")
> [@Not\_Carlson](#): > > I liked it, especially when the percussion came in and it picked up intensity after the midway point. > Due to the synthesized sound, I kept picturing 8-bit adventure game characters battling monsters. 🙂 > > I’d really like to hear this performed by a real string quartet. (Plus drum? What would that make it?) > If you follow through on **cwthree** ’s advice, please be sure to put up a recording for us to check out. Thanks so much for the kind words! I’ll look into improving the sound, and I’ll post anything I come up with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-a-string-quartet/783831.md?page=2)