Instruments and Comfortable Ranges

Here are a few tips in helping you identify common instruments and their properties. If there are parts that you’d like another instrument to play and double, this information should be helpful. In general, when writing for any instruments, try to keep the part's playability in mind while you arrange. If you're unsure, ask a player or a more experienced arranger.

Woodwinds

Piccolo

• Comfortable range: Though might be uncomfortable to the ear and the people around the player, the range is as high as your imagination can go you will ever need ;).

• Low register: warm, dark, sometimes hollow and more subdued than flutes

• Mid register: cuts through orchestra

• Higher register: shrill, cuts through orchestra

• Good for solo/melody

• Good for subdued higher ranged flute-y sounds

• Good for runs that stands out

• Good for doubling the melody an octave higher or same octave (when melody is high)

Flute

• Comfortable range: Up tp A6 should sound fine, though a bit shrill. If flutes are playing consistently between E6-A6 and above, it should probably be given to the piccolo.

• Low register: dark, hollow

• Mid register: sweet and round

• High register: shrill, will easily sound bad if out of tune

• If notes are consistently above G6, consider using the piccolo

• Good for doubling violins or voice to make a fuller sound

Oboe

• Low register: nasally

• Mid/high register: nasally (cuts through orchestra)

• Usually doubles flutes

• Commonly used for solos

Clarinet

• Low register: mellow and round

• Mid register: mellow and warm

• High register: Squeak!

• Viola of the winds ie. you probably cannot hear it

• Important role of bridging high winds with low winds

• Crucial to making the piece sound full

• Good for doubling violas or voice

• Good for countermelodies

Alto Sax

• Timbre: sounds like a “flatter” brass or a louder clarinet. Has a husky tone to it sometimes

• Can double some of the brass sections (especially horn) to strengthen it

• Can be used to spice up the timber of a part of the song

• Can be used as a loud clarinet (probably as a solo)

• Good for jazz-sounding pieces

Brass

French Horn

• Timbre: grand-sounding, mellow, ringing

• Comfortable range: It can play up to F5 (concert). Up to C5 (concert) should be reliably playable. Cold starting any note above that might be hard. High notes would be easier if there are notes that lead up to it.

• F register key: woodwind-sounding

• Bb register key: brass-sounding (cuivre)

• Good for playing epic melodies or counter melodies

• Can be mixed together with trumpets or trombones for different tone

Trumpet

• Timbre: nasally-sounding, forward-sounding

• Comfortable range: Bb6 (concert) above staff has like 70-80% accuracy (probability of the note actually happening, regardless of tone quality and intonation). Every half step up, take off 20%.

• Low register: brass-y, round

• Mid register: melodic

• High register: Scream! Avoid staying in the high register for long periods of time (more than 2/3 measures is pushing it), since it's hard for trumpet players to hit with consistency and will reduce their stamina

• Good for playing epic or fanfare melodies

• Can be mixed together with horns or trombones for different tone

Trombone

• Low register: heavy, solid

• Mid register: melodic, still packs a punch

• High register: low trumpet

• Good for playing epic melodies or counter melodies

• Can be mixed together with horns or trumpets for different tone

Euphonium

• Timbre: a mix of horn and trombone; sweet

• Usually doubles trombone

Electric Guitar

Power Chords

Power chords are the bread and butter of electric guitars. They provide chord structure and rhythm to the piece. Power chords are formed by the fundamental, fifth, and octave, for example for the C chord, it will be C-G-C. The tabs for power chords when they are low (on first two strings)-- which is usually the case-- will be (n)(n+2)(n+2) per string. For example:

Percussion

Drum Set

• To be referenced later: don tsk ta tsk

• Hi-hat: the “tsk” part. Used to keep the beats, so usually quarter or eighth notes throughout the whole bar. The ‘tsk’ occurs when the hi-hat is played closed. For a sound that doesn’t die as fast, an open hi-hat will also produce a ‘tss’ sound.

• Snare: the “ta” part. Used as accents or syncopation. Usually on the third beat.

• Bass Drum: the “don” part. Used to accent down beats and sometimes syncopation. Usually on the first beat and somewhere between beats two and three.

• Toms: sounds like “ton”. Separated into three types: high, mid, low (aka floor tom). Usually used for bridges or transitions.

• Crash Cymbal: the sound is pretty obvious. Used as a strong accent, usually for the down beat. Sometimes two differently pitched crash cymbals are used to create melodic effect.

• Ride (Cymbal): it has two sounds depending on where you hit it. If you hit it towards the bell (use Technique Marking ‘bell’), it goes “ting” very lightly. This is sometimes used instead of the hi-hat during bridges of post-chorus of a song to bring a different flavor to the constant beat of the hi-hat. If you hit it towards the edge, it goes “shwahhhh” like in all the jazz. It is typically used to keep time much like the hihat, but with a colder sound. Sometimes both the crash and the ride cymbal are hit together to emphasize a strong beat.

Strings

Violin

• Low register: warm

• Mid register: melodic

• High register: cuts through the orchestra

• Usually the most obvious string you can hear

• Usually holds the melody

• Usually play high notes

• Plays ornamental runs or spiccato

• Sometimes during main melodies where the Violin I plays high notes, Violin II doubles the melody an octave lower

• Sometimes Violin II holds the melody when the Violin I plays high notes

Viola

• Timbre: mellow and round-sounding violin

• You probably cannot hear it

• Important role of bridging high strings with low strings

• Crucial to making the piece sound full

• Plays harmony or countermelodies

• Good for doubling/harmonizing Violin II if you can’t hear it or do not know what to write for them

Cello

• Low register: bass lines

• Mid register: good for countermelodies

• High register: melodic, sounds more heart-tugging than violins at the same range

• Usually plays bass notes together with the bass (or maybe the fifth)

• Sometimes “floats up” and have melodic elements

Double Bass

• Timbre: Rich, warm sounds that fills the emptiness in your hearts

• Most important role ie. supports the orchestra

• Plays the lowest note most of the time (not necessarily the root note of the chord if the chord is inverted)

• Usually does not have the melody, but let us try and not write just whole notes for them. Ways to make it more interesting to play would be to have interesting rhythms or pizzicatos.