Midnight on Platform 16B

Tunebook – for viola, violin or cello

By Helen Bell

My book of 38 original tunes is available for viola, cello and violin. Each version is written in the appropriate clef for the instrument, and is transposed to fit on each instrument to be comfortable.

It can be purchased as a digital download (black and white pdf) or a full colour physical book. You can listen to demonstrations of all the tunes played on the viola, and also view a close-up video of my hands playing ornamented versions.

More info

The tunes in this book are influenced by the folk traditions of England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, France and beyond, and originally composed as folk viola tunes. All tunes are playable in first position (apart from one small section in the extended version of "Audierne" which goes higher).

In the printed book, the scores are illustrated throughout with full-colour collages, drawings, performance notes and anecdotes. The pdf download is a plain black and white printer-friendly version of the score.

The music is presented as melody with chords for accompanist.

You can hear all pieces played on viola (without making a purchase) here. These tracks are included in the digital sheet music downloads. If you buy the physical book, I'll send you a voucher code which you can use to download the recordings if you wish.

Transpositions in the Different Versions

The tunes in the violin and cello versions are transpositions of the original viola version, and are designed to fit comfortably on each instrument, rather than to enable them to be played in unison in groups of differing instruments.

For example, the cello version is down an octave from the original viola version, and a few of the tunes are transposed up by a 5th in the violin version.

This means that if you buy a copy of the violin version and one of the viola or cello version, you will not be able to play all of the pieces together in unison/octaves - some will be a 5th different.

If you want to know more about what you can and can't do with this music, contact me for more info.

Demo Videos

Here is a sampler video of all the tunes played on the viola at a medium speed, with the kinds of ornaments and variations I add to the basic melodies. In this video I've also included harmonised "radio jingle" versions of each tune as introductions. If you don't already know which tune you want to learn, this is a way of flicking through to get an idea of the general feel of each one, without having to listen to each tune all the way through. (This is easier to do if you go to the video directly on YouTube and use the "chapters" feature to navigate through the tunes.)

List of tunes included in the book:

• The Flaming Torches
• Jig of Slurls
• The Scree
• The Falls of Cruachan
• Langsett
• Audierne
• Hunting the Off License
• Trip to Heligoland
• The Milk-White Turbot
• The Granville Hornpipe
• The Ice Sculptor
• The Last Shoe Shop in Camden
• Hole in the Knee
• I Thought it was an Antelope
• The Hour After
• Betty's Mirror
• Burlilty
• Searching for Shells in Seaview
• Whisky in the Dark
• Out of the Lock
• National Express 348 Bristol to Oxford
• Terribly Nice Polite Cup of Tea Hornpipe
• Sopley Mill I
• Sopley Mill II
• Tumbling Over Tussocks
• Midnight on Platform 16B
• The Giant's Causeway
• Walberswick
• Leaving Whitby
• Quiet River
• On the Carpet
• The Farrar Street Poisoner
• Malachite
• The First Bonfire
• Pillowfish
• Fly up the Hill
• The Animals are in the West
• Mirage