Instrumentation Guide
Our Handy Guide to Proper Instrumentation
Knowing what instruments your band or orchestra needs can be daunting. Do you have enough percussion? Do you have too much percussion and not enough strings? Balancing your organization's band or orchestra can be a challenging task even for seasoned directors. Let our guide help you choose what instruments your band or orchestra needs.
Let Our Guide Help You to Choose the Right Instruments for Your Band or Orchestra
Concert Band | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35-40 | 40-50 | 50-60 | 60-75 | 75-90 | 90-110 | 110-125 | 125-150 | |
| Flute* | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 20 |
| Oboe** | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| English Horn | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Bassoon | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Contra Bassoon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Bb Clarinet | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 28 |
| Alto Clarinet | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Bass Clarinet | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Contra Alto Clarinet | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Contra Bass Clarinet | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Alto Saxophone | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| Tenor Saxophone | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Baritone Saxophone | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Trumpet / Cornet | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 20 |
| French Horn | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Trombone | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Bass Trombone | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Baritone Horn | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Euphonium | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Tuba | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Percussion: | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 12 |
| Snare Drum | ||||||||
| Bass Drum | ||||||||
| Crash Cymbals | ||||||||
| Suspended Cymbal | ||||||||
| Orchestra Bells | ||||||||
| Toms | ||||||||
| Tympani | ||||||||
| Xylophone | ||||||||
| Vibraphone | ||||||||
| Total | 40 | 50 | 60 | 75 | 90 | 110 | 125 | 150 |
| * plus one doubling piccolo ** english horn double in larger ensembles | ||||||||
Additional Marching Instruments | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35-40 | 40-50 | 50-60 | 60-75 | 75-90 | 90-110 | 110-125 | 125-150 | |
| Marching Trumpet (opt) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 20 |
| F Mellophone / Bb French Horn | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Mar. Baritone / Euphonium | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Sousaphone | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Battery Percussion | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 |
| Marching Snare Drums | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Marching Toms | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Marching Bass Drums | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Crash Cymbals | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Pit Percussion | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Xylophone | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Marching Bells | × | × | ||||||
| Orchestra Bells | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | |
| Marimba | × | × | × | × | × | × | ||
| Vibes | × | × | × | × | × | × | ||
| Chimes | × | × | × | × | ||||
| Timpani | × | × | × | × | × | × | ||
| Bass Drum | × | × | × | × | ||||
| Concert Toms | × | × | × | × | ||||
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