Actual ranges (sounding pitch, C4 = middle C)
- Violin: G3 – A7 (practical up to about E7)
- Viola: C3 – E6
- Cello: C2 – A5
- Double bass: E1 – G4 (written an octave higher)
- Flute: C4 – C7
- Oboe: Bb3 – A6 (best up to F6)
- Clarinet in Bb: D3 – Bb6 (written a whole step higher)
- Bassoon: Bb1 – Eb5
- Horn in F: B1 – F5 (written a fifth higher)
- Trumpet in Bb: E3 – Bb5 (written a whole step higher)
- Tenor trombone: E2 – Bb4 (up to F5)
- Tuba: D1 – F4
- Harp: Cb1 – G#7
- Piano: A0 – C8
Transposing instruments
Clarinet and trumpet in Bb sound a whole step below the written pitch; the horn in F a fifth below; double bass, guitar and piccolo transpose by an octave. In sample libraries you play the sounding pitch directly.
Blending principles
- Each instrument has a register in which it “sings”: the flute is weak in the low register and bright in the high, the oboe is penetrating, the horn is warm in the middle.
- Doublings: unison for color, octave for power.
- Balance: a trumpet easily covers an entire string section at half voice.
- Voicing like the harmonic series: wide at the bottom, close at the top.
- Strings in pop: legato pad (vibrato), staccato ostinatos (K-pop, film), rhythmic pizzicato.
Example in C
C chord for orchestra: double basses C2, cellos C3, violas G3, second violins E4, first violins C5 and G5; horns on E4 and G4 for warmth; flute on C6 for brightness.
Real-world example
Ravel's “Boléro” (1928) repeats the same melody, assigning it each time to different instruments and combinations: it is a course in orchestration in fifteen minutes. Bernstein devoted the Young People's Concerts episode “What is Orchestration?” to it.