Red Hot Chilli Peppers was composed as part of A Rainbow Suite for Strings – a suite of concert pieces for beginner strings – and is here presented as a stand-alone work. Featuring parts for violin, viola and cello playing in simple first position, as well as open string parts for violin, viola, cello and double bass and optional piano, this piece is an engaging and flexible composition for your beginner string orchestra.
A lively and fun piece, Red Hot Chilli Peppers builds rhythmically from the lower to the upper strings on a dominant 7th chord before launching into strident melody with an easy syncopated feel. A pizzicato section in the middle of the piece provides more peaceful moment before returning to the opening themes which drive towards a resounding finish. This piece challenges young string players to build their crescendos gradually and to exaggerate the articulations marked, which will add greatly to the energy and effectiveness of the piece.