The purpose of the Eternity String Quartet system is to provide unique new music pieces that can be performed with minimal practicing and rehearsal. These pieces are based on a five-note scale and each part consists of eight four-bar cells. The piece starts with Violin I playing its first cell, followed by the other players entering in their turn. Each 4-bar cell is repeated eight times and each player lays out for four bars after either 6, 7 or 8 cell repeats, then continues. This produces a changing texture as each part enters, rests or moves to the next cell. Performing this requires listening to the other players and knowing where you are in the piece. However the structure is quite forgiving: If you get lost, simply start playing again on the next repeat – being off-sequence will not affect the overall sound and you can catch up again when the players begin the staggered change-over to the next cell.

The structure of an Eternity String Quartet means that each player need only practice a total of 32 bars of music. The parts are staggered and the cells repeated, so the player simply follows the .pdf score. The idea is that the player should concentrate on ensemble playing and the overall quartet sound and not have to fixate on playing technique.

Ideally, the Eternity String Quartet allows an ensemble to perform a new and unique piece with little practice and rehearsal time. This can help round out a concert program or allow students to quickly prepare for a required performance at the end of a semester. The Eternity String Quartets will allow students of intermediate and advanced levels to focus on the playing of independent lines and listening to the other parts.

Eternity String Quartet scores are available as a .pdf download from the links on the player page. These files are updated as each new variation is created every two hours. The Parts Score file contains all four parts, notated just as the .mp3 file sounds. The Abridged Full Score shows all four parts together for each section, but without repeats, rests or the staggered entrances notated.

There are no dynamic markings, bowing instructions or other details that might inhibit the flow of the music. The tempo marked is not critical and the piece can be ended at any 4-bar cell. The sequence in which the four-bar cells are played may be changed, if desired. The Abridged Full Score, for example, could be physically cut up and the parts re-ordered in any desired sequence. Improvisation is facilitated with the simple 5-note scale. The idea is to give as much scope for player input to the performance as possible.

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