Orchestration Study Guide: Brass, Percussion, and Scoring

Vocabulary flashcards covering brass and percussion instruments, four-language score terms, ranges, transpositions, and Adler's percussion classifications.

Horn in F Transposition

Sounds a perfect 5th lower than written

Trumpet in Bb Transposition

Sounds a major 2nd lower than written

Trumpet in D Transposition

Sounds a major 2nd higher than written (e.g., written C5 sounds as D5). When transposing from concert to written pitch, write down a major 2nd.

Trumpet in Eb Transposition

Sounds a minor 3rd higher than written (e.g., written C5 sounds as Eb5). When transposing from concert to written pitch, write down a minor 3rd.

Tenor Trombone

A brass instrument with an approximate written range of E2-Bb4; notated at concert pitch in bass clef, and sometimes in tenor clef.

Bass Trombone

written range of Bb1-F4 with an especially important low range.

Tuba

brass instrument with a range of D1-F4

Euphonium

approximate range of Bb1-Bb4

Xylophone

A pitched idiophone with a typical written range of ~F3-C7 that sounds 1 octave higher than written.

Glockenspiel

A pitched idiophone with a typical written range of ~G3-C6 that sounds 2 octaves higher than written (known as campanelli in Italian).

Vibraphone

A pitched idiophone with a range of F3-F6

Marimba

A pitched idiophone that sounds as written, possessing a range of C2-C7 on a 5-octave model (smaller instruments begin higher).

Tubular Bells / Chimes

Pitched idiophones with a typical written range of ~C4-G5 that sound as written in common modern notation.

Crotales

Pitched idiophones with a typical written range of ~C5-C7 that often sound 2 octaves higher than written in orchestral notation.

Timpani

Pitched membranophones consisting typically of several drums spanning ~D2-A3; notated at concert pitch, with each drum having a limited tuning span.

Idiophones

sound produced by vibration of the body

Membranophones

sound is produced by a vibrating stretched membrane

Chordophones

A percussion/instrument classification where stretched strings vibrate to produce sound; exemplified in Adler by the cimbalom.

Aerophones

sound is produced by vibrating air

Con Sordino

'with mute'.

Senza Sordino

'without mute'.

Aperto / Ouvert / Offen

Terminology in Italian, French, and German meaning 'open' (unmuted).

Stopped Horn

A horn technique indicated as sons bouchés in French, gestopft in German, and chiuso in Italian.

Let Vibrate (l.v.)

A percussion instruction directing the performer to allow the sound to ring out naturally rather than damping or choking it.

Caisse Claire

The French name for the snare drum (German: kleine Trommel; Italian: tamburo militare).

Grosse Caisse

The French name for the bass drum (German: grosse Trommel; Italian: gran cassa).

Pauken

german for timpani (French: timbales).

Becken

The German name for cymbals (French: cymbales; Italian: piatti).

Schellentrommel

The German name for the tambourine (French: tambour de basque; Italian: tamburello).

Celesta

A keyboard instrument sounding 1 octave higher than written (~C3-C7).