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Instrumentation (music)
 
 
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In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, the word instrumentation is used to refer to the particular combination of musical instrument
Musical instrument

A musical instrument is an object constructed or used for the purpose of making music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument....
s employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually. Instrumentation is also sometimes used as a synonym for orchestration
Orchestration

Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. It only gradually over the course of music history came to be regarded as a compositional art in itself....
, which more properly refers to an orchestrator's, composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
's or (arranger
Arrangement

In music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet....
's) craft of employing instruments in varying combinations.







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In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, the word instrumentation is used to refer to the particular combination of musical instrument
Musical instrument

A musical instrument is an object constructed or used for the purpose of making music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument....
s employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually. Instrumentation is also sometimes used as a synonym for orchestration
Orchestration

Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. It only gradually over the course of music history came to be regarded as a compositional art in itself....
, which more properly refers to an orchestrator's, composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
's or (arranger
Arrangement

In music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet....
's) craft of employing instruments in varying combinations.

Instrumental properties

Writing for any instrument requires a composer or arranger to know the instrument's properties, such as:
  • the instrument's particular timbre
    Timbre

    In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices or musical instruments....
    , or range of timbres;
  • the range pitches
    Pitch (music)

    Pitch represents the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. It is one of the three major auditory system attributes of sounds along with loudness and timbre....
     available on the instrument, as well as its dynamic
    Dynamics (music)

    In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note , but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional ....
     range;
  • the constraints of playing technique, such as length of breath, possible fingerings, or the average player's stamina;
  • the relative difficulty of particular music on that instrument (for example, repeated notes are much easier to play on the violin
    Violin

    The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
     than on the piano
    Piano

    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
    ; while trill
    Trill

    Trill is a type of vibration; it may refer to:* trill , a type of musical ornament* trill consonant, a type of sound used in some languages* Trill, a sound similar to the musical ornament made by animals including the Maine Coon cat and numerous varieties of bird...
    s are relatively easy on the flute
    Flute

    The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge....
    , but extremely difficult on the trombone
    Trombone

    The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass instrument family. Like all brass instruments, it is a lip-reed aerophone: sound is produced when the player?s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate....
    );
  • the availability of special effects or extended techniques, such as col legno
    Col legno

    In music for bowed string instrument, col legno, or more precisely col legno battuto , is an instruction to strike the string with the stick of the bow, rather than by drawing the hair of the bow across the strings....
     playing, fluttertounge, or glissando
    Glissando

    A glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized Musical terminology derived from the French glisser, to glide....
    ;
  • the notation
    Musical notation

    Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written Modern musical symbols....
     conventions for the instrument.


See also

  • Orchestra
    Orchestra

    An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
  • String section
    String section

    The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bow string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses ....
  • Orchestration
    Orchestration

    Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. It only gradually over the course of music history came to be regarded as a compositional art in itself....
  • Arrangement
    Arrangement

    In music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet....
  • Hornbostel-Sachs
    Hornbostel-Sachs

    Hornbostel-Sachs is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, and first published in the Zeitschrift f?r Ethnologie in 1914....
     instrument classification system


Further reading

  • Treatise on Instrumentation by Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss
  • Instrumentation by J. Addler