Most percussion players actually become familiar with playing multiple instruments because this category is comprised of so many different options and each musical number uses a different combination of instruments. The combination of all three classifications of instruments is used to create a versatile range of musical qualities. Most students begin by taking up one of the common instruments in the first years of band participation and some graduate to more challenging instruments as they grow into more advanced music and bands.
For instance, the flute player may choose to take up the piccolo if the band already has plenty of flute players and needs more dynamic range. Since both instruments are similar in nature, the transition is easy to make and fills a need. While there is no exact formula for how many of each instrument type will be included in a band, most are made up of a roughly equal number of brass and woodwind players, with a much smaller number of percussionists.
Please visit your local Schmitt Music store for all of your school band and orchestra needs, or check out our online music store offering easy trials and free delivery. Low reed instruments are woodwinds too. Your email address will not be published. The woodwind section consists of piccolos, flutes, clarinets, oboes, saxophones, and bassoons.
Each one of these instruments creates its own unique timbre. In a wind ensemble or symphonic band, these instruments typically take on the melody or play the more virtuosic background parts since there are typically no string instruments.
Woodwind instruments have the capability of playing softer than any other instrument but their dynamic range is not as wide as a brass instrument. Because of this, the composer must take care to orchestrate the woodwind section in a way that allows for the individual section colors to come through. One way around this is to have one section play the melody, while another section takes on the harmony parts. The brass section is the most powerful section of the wind ensemble and symphonic band.
The brass section contains a collection of trumpets sometimes cornets , trombones, euphoniums, French horns, and tubas. While there is generally a similar orchestration to what you might find in an orchestra, a wind ensemble or symphonic band has many more players.
Symphonic bands have additional members as well. The wind ensemble is all about color, while the symphonic band focuses on sheer power. Because of this, the wind ensemble and less frequently, the symphonic band, brings in less common instruments like the Flugelhorn to play solo parts. Composers must blend the brass section equally with the woodwind section to get a full, robust, and balanced sound.
The percussion section in a wind ensemble or symphonic band is typically very large compared to an orchestra. The wind ensemble and symphonic band will often have four timpani, bass drums, xylophones, vibraphones, marimbas, and various artillery drums to counteract the massive symphonic forces.
When writing for the percussion section, composers can be somewhat flexible in the notation. Because of this, composers are encouraged to use traditional percussion notation techniques, and when in doubt, write in the part specifically how they want the percussionist to play a particular section.
When writing for a band, composers need to have a solid understanding of how each instrument group in the ensemble works together. Each section can be combined with other sections to get new sounds. Combining a Euphonium with a Bassoon provides you with a sound that is almost string-like in nature. A basic orchestration course can help composers to learn to orchestrate more effectively, and while many of the same principles apply to the orchestration of an orchestra, there are some wind ensemble and symphonic band-specific methods of orchestrating that a composer needs to learn about.
One of the best ways to learn to orchestrate involves getting an ensemble to run through your piece. However, this can be difficult for composers not affiliated with a university or college. A concert band is broadly definable as a relatively large group of brass, woodwind and percussion players who perform in a concert hall. The latter fact distinguishes a concert band from a marching band, and nor is a concert band the same as a symphony orchestra, given its lack of string sections. Potentially maximising the confusion is the fact that a concert band can be referred to by many other terms.
A concert band tends to consist of between 40 and 80 musicians, and the woodwind section is considered the main element of its ensembles. The repertoire of a concert band encompasses original wind compositions, transcriptions or arrangements of orchestral compositions, light music and popular tunes.
The typical concert band instrumentation is similar to that of a marching band.
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