Are you a beginning or intermediate cellist or gigging musician looking for something easy and fun to learn this summer? Snapping up some cello sheet music of a universally beloved pop song is always a good move. Playing a simple song that everyone recognizes is a great way to lift the spirits of a room!
Below, we’ve picked out a few surefire crowd pleasers, both recent and perennial, which will be fun to practice at home, and which are all but guaranteed to get the crowd on your side if you play them out in the world.
Rolling in the Deep
(made famous by Adele)
Adele’s 2011 breakthrough smash has a bombastic fortissimo drama which translates exquisitely for any cellist forceful enough to take it on. Its distinctive melody and powerful dynamic shifts are sure to get attention.
Hallelujah
(originally performed by Leonard Cohen)
When the late Canadian “songwriter’s songwriter” Leonard Cohen wrote and recorded ‘Hallelujah’ for his 1984 album Various Positions, he surely didn’t expect that it would become a modern standard, covered by countless artists and featured everywhere from Shrek to President Joe Biden’s inaugural ball. That’s what happened, though, and that means that pulling it out at a gig is sure to get at least a nod or two of recognition.
My Favorite Things
(from The Sound of Music)
A universal melody from a beloved musical? That’s something you want in your trick bag (or rather, sheet music pocket). Plus, it’s versatile: legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane famously used its melody as a springboard for one of his most well-loved improvisational workouts, and it’s wide open for any advanced musician to do the same.
Yesterday
(made famous by the Beatles)
The Beatles’ songs are, of course, universally popular, and perhaps that will always be so. That means, of course, that it doesn’t hurt to learn a few of their tunes. However, this beloved song - legally credited to Lennon/McCartney but generally considered the song where Paul truly and fully came into his own as a singer/songwriter - is among their most popular, and its bittersweet melody translates wonderfully to solo cello.
The Imperial March
(from Star Wars)
Sure, the main theme from Star Wars might make the most sense to learn at first (and indeed, the sheet music is in the same book), but just imagine the fun you can have pulling out Darth Vader’s theme when someone walks in, or out of, a room!
