I developed this approach working on a book entitled: The Quartet Book: Music for any Instrument Combination. I was teaching middle school band. Every year I needed to copy a transposed part or two for one or two of the groups participating in solo and ensemble. We always seemed to be short a clarinet player or a flute player for a quality quartet. Or there was never a French horn for the brass group. Or there was an outstanding saxophone player who couldn’t take part. I was teaching in a small community. Although there was a strong music program, there were only so many students to take part. It seemed music educators in other small towns had the same experience.
So I started writing.
I was a little ahead of my time since the electronic distribution required the use of the CD-ROM. Now, on-demand publishing and distribution tools are available. We have greater access to great content. Now I can offer these quartets without the upfront expense.